Continuidad de los parques

by Julio Cortázar

Cuento "Continuidad de los parques" de Julio Cortázar, renombrado ejemplo de metaficción literaria. Apareció por primera vez en la segunda edición del libro Final del juego, de Editorial Sudamericana (1964).

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Spanish Literature, Classics, School, Magical Realism, Read For School

ebook

First published January 1, 1964

About the author

Julio Cortázar, born Julio Florencio Cortázar Descotte, was an Argentine author of novels and short stories. He influenced an entire generation of Latin American writers from Mexico to Argentina, and most of his best-known work was written in France, where he established himself in 1951.

Reviews

[Gaurav Sagar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Julio Cortazar is one such author who transformed the literature, both the way it is written and the way it is read, he pushed the limits of the prose to the unimaginable stretches forcing the purists and experts to eschew their rules and robbed them off any sort of comforts they might have been drawing from their ulterior positions. Of late, I have been reading a few short stories by the author and in the process, I stumbled across this little convoluted gem from him. The fiction of Julio Cortazar really strikes you hard, in a sense that it forces you to flex your otherwise unexplored cerebral muscles, to look it from the awe of a speechless spectator, towards the possibilities it opens up for a reader as well for a writer. The stories of Cortazar tempt us to look for their meaning and analysis, to interpret them as per our understanding and those interpretations lie tantalizingly hanging, seeking their intertwined premises.


Often an idea fascinates us that is it possible that the characters of a story becomes self-conscious, we have seen in case of authors like Maurice Blanchot and Clarice Lispector that the prose itself becomes self- consciousness as if it has a being of its own but the characters are used there just to convey the underlying meanings or to keep the narrative moving however, in general, they are rarely allowed to become aware of their beings. But how about the characters who rise from the dungeons of nothingness and become consciousness beings as we are, truly alive, thereby expressing their existence on the premise of a story. It is quite enchanting to imagine that characters of a story spring out of the pages of a book and becomes conscious and truly alive beings such as we are and thereby muddling with our universe with their identities, forcing us to acknowledge them or to question the sanctity of our universe whether it is just a simulation, as if some ultimate author has control over our lives and we are also just characters in a giant narrative of his. It inevitably reminds me of Nostalgia by Mircea Catarescu and If on a winter’s night traveler by Italo Calvino which remains cherished examples of metafictional narrative.




link: source

The engrossing relationship between the narrative and reality rises from our innate and inherent inquisitiveness about our existence, thereby forcing us to question and challenge the universe we live in and in the process, we have devised various philosophies, religions, theories but our curiosity still remains unsatiated and haunts us. The story Continuity of Parks rides upon the same intriguing relationship between the narrative and the reality we live in. There is an estate owner who could read due to his various engagements as if he is being controlled by these events as in real life, we feel that we are being controlled by the events and progress in our lives as passive beings. The estate owner of the story also comes across as a passive being who remains occupied in various activities arising out of his profession and position. After making the necessary changes in his official engagements by fulfilling some and delegating others, the estate owner returns ti his book which has been kept away due to his mundane commitments.


The estate owner allows the book to immerse himself in the narrative since he dives into the words of the author and effortlessly create the images of the characters in his mental space. The glamour of the novel spreads over him almost at once and the process of disengaging oneself while going forward into the narrative of the novel provides him immense pleasure and simultaneously making him comfortable there, gradually becoming oblivious to the surroundings, the phase in the story outlines the reading process itself which somewhat works in a way depicted by the author. The author here forces us to question the very existence of the estate owner as if he could not have any control over his being, the novel takes control of him thereby getting him fully absorbed in the narrative, as if he starts participating in the narrative itself leaving behind his real world. The estate owner becomes the mute witness of what is going on in the novel wherein a couple plans a sinistral act which defies the morality of humanity. These characters go through the typical progression of events as happen in any such novel so that nothing is being forgotten, thereby deciding to go for the act.



link: source

What follows then is a series of events which go on as depicted in the novel, the estate owner is reading. The characters are driven by some sort of inner demon to go for completion of the act, take complete haul over the being of the estate owner, the events follow a pre-ordained destiny: A lustful, panting dialogue dialogue raced down the pages like a rivulet of snakes, and one felt it had all been decided from eternity. Even to those caresses which writhed about the lover’s body, as though wishing to keep him there, to dissuade him from it; they sketched abominably the frame of that other body it was necessary to destroy. Julio Cortazar subverts the narrative here too as he is often expected to do, the hero of the novel runs away for her lover to do the grand act as decided by them, however, to our utter surprise and perhaps to his too, he finds his world intermingling with that of the estate owner, amalgamating as if both the world coalesces to one. The boundaries between the what is being read and who reads are blurred to nothingness, and the characters of the novel become self-conscious and thereby rise from the world of fiction to reality.


The story also implies the active role the readers are supposed to play in a story; however, they may become so engrossed in it that they take role of a character in the story binding their destiny with that of characters of the story, the entire process underlines that how immersive and engaging experience reading can be, especially when it comes to fiction. The readers may become so engrossed in the narrative that they may dive into the narrative of a story, and of course, they may choose whatever role they can associate with, here also it muddles the distinction between narrative and reality and thereby again questioning the very nature of our reality that is our reality authentic or it is just a perceived reality. The question of reality always lies at the heart of world of Cortazar for he blurs the thin line between reality and fiction, the line which is perhaps inherently too narrow, the prose of Cortazar rises up from the oblivion of ordinality to extra-ordinality where the fiction and reality intersect.



link: source

The story raises another point which is that a reader has to immerse him/ herself in the very act of reading, so much so that he/she becomes one with it, to fully enjoy it; and it applies otherwise too that the greatness of a fiction may be ascertain from its ability to pull the readers in it and for which an author has to fully lose him/ herself in the very act of writing. The name of the story-Continuity of Parks perhaps refers to different points-of-view or contexts existent in the story, of which one could be of the estate owner reading the novel, the other one could be the of lovers the novel he is reading and perhaps there could be another one too which may be of the reader who is reading the story- Continuity of Parks- as it depends on the reader to interpret it whichever way he/she likes which is often seen with the fiction of Cortazar. The story stands as a testimony to the very process of reading as well as writing.


Continuity of Parks comes out as a metafictional piece of literature wherein the author has been able to aptly convey what could be called as passionate reading, reflecting his own impassioned and variegated reading experiences, and also what should be the responsibility of an author to concoct a stimulating reading experience, as Cortazar does here, which may pull the readers completely in it to lose themselves in the process. The dreamlike surreal story could be interpreted in multiple ways as it is highlight of Cortazar’s literature to keep stories open ended for the readers.

[Glenn Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The eyes of one of the greatest literary imaginations ever to set words down on paper -Argentina's Julio Cortázar (1914-1984)

Julio Cortázar, world-class author of numerous books of short stories, poetry, essays, memoirs and novels with much loved titles such as Hopscotch and A Manual for Manuel. If you haven’t read any of his work, you are missing out and that’s for sure. But there is still time, even if you are pressed for time. You can begin with this short-short story, Julio's shortest story, Continuity of Parks. SPOILER ALERT! – here is my analysis of the entire story, beginning to end.

A CONTINUITY OF PARKS
The Art of Reading: This shortest short story ever written by Julio starts out by letting us know an unnamed aristocratic gentleman begins reading a novel but has to put the book down to attend an urgent business conference. Then, on returning by train to his estate, he begins reading his novel once again and the more he reads, the more interested he becomes. I’m quite sure we all have had this experience, the gradual grip and tug of a great book, being pulled into the story as we turn every page, appreciating characters, perhaps even identifying with one or two characters, and if the setting is a major city, walking along the busy streets, feeling the morning fog or midday sun. As any lover of novels and short stories knows, there’s nothing quite like entering a vivid fictional world crated by a good author.

Page-Turner: Once at his estate, our aristocratic gentleman (let’s give him a name - Basil) deals with points of business then returns to reading in the comfort and solitude of his study overlooking oak trees in a park. This certainly sounds ideal to me. Anyway, Basil relaxes comfortably in his favorite armchair covered in green velvet, content in knowing there will be nobody to intrude on his reading. Again, I’m sure we can identify; we all have our favorite reading chair and sitting position and favorite time when we can read without interruption. Not being interrupted is no small matter since when we are in our literary zone, turning the pages, an interruption is the last thing we want. Wait a minute! I recall another work of fiction touching on these very same habits of a reader. Ah, yes, Italo Calvino’s If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler. So, I suppose Julio Cortázar is in good company here.

Aesthetic Magic: Having absorbed the beginning chapters, Basil is now completely and totally into his novel. Every paragraph is progressively more pleasurable because it means he is living more and more through his book than among the nagging details of the outside world. Ah, that aesthetic distance, what has fascinated philosophers going all the way back to Aristotle – at the very heart of the pleasure we experience as we read about the harrowing tribulations the characters are confronting from the coziness of our favorite reading chair. The novel’s men and women might be undergoing the horrors of war, pain of emotional abuse, torments of romance, agonies of personal tragedy or psychic breakdown but for us as readers, it’s an imagined world on the pages of the book we are holding in our hands.

Fire in the Belly: Basil is engrossed in the drama of hero and heroine as they meet once again in a secluded mountain cabin. But this time the hero isn’t in the mood for making love . . . no, no, no, armed with a dagger, the hero has a different, more pressing hot-blooded deed in mind. It has been said many times – nothing juices a novel like intense passion, the more intense the better. And if there is a healthy dose of menace or danger or motive for revenge added to the mix, better still. Keep turning those pages, Basil!

The Spoken Word: Julio’s story continues: “A lustful, panting dialogue raced down the pages like a rivulet of snakes, and one felt it had all been decided from eternity. Even to those caresses which writhed about the lover's body, as though wishing to keep him there, to dissuade him from it; they sketched abominably the frame of that other body it was necessary to destroy.” You have to love that image of a novel’s dialogue as a rivulet of snakes running down the page. With two lusty, aroused lovers talking to one another, the words on the page can really crackle, sizzle, snap and pop. As any seasoned novelist knows, when the story seems to be dragging, throw in some fast-paced dialogue and see what happens.

Action Fiction: So much for words. It’s time for some action. As instructed, the woman takes the path leading north, the novel’s hero takes the path leading south, south to where there are trees leading up to the house. Since only the cursed enemy is at home, the hero has no problem entering, first the porch, then the chamber and finally a carpeted stairway, his lover’s words still throbbing in his ears at every step.

Metafiction: Julio’s story concludes: “At the top, two doors. No one in the first room, no one in the second. The door of the salon, and then, the knife in hand, the light from the great windows, the high back of an armchair covered in green velvet, the head of the man in the chair reading a novel.” We’ve come full circle with a character who takes his plot seriously – he comes to life to kill his rival who has been reading all about his passion, a novel reader who, in his imagination, has been making love to his lover. Ah, revenge!

This is but one interpretation. Please feel free to come up with your own.

[Fernando · Rating 5 out of 5]

Continuidad de los parques es uno de los tres cuentos más perfectos jamás escritos.

[Sidharth Vardhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://www.utdallas.edu/~aargyros/co...

[Vanessa Romero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jajajaj sólo 2 páginas, sólo 2 y lo tenes que volver a leer porque no terminas de entenderlo :O :)

Pura genialidad! :)

[Lu ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cuando lo leí la primera vez con 12 años me costó muchísimo entenderlo.
Ahora, a mis 17, que lo he entendido perfectamente, puedo decir que incluso me ha gustado.

El lector se ve inmerso en una obra en la que poco a poco pierde el contacto con la realidad hasta llegar a un punto de no retorno, donde le es imposible escapar de la ficción que le ha atrapado, o donde la ficción ha sido atrapada con la realidad y ahora no puede desarraigarse de ésta, ya que ficción y realidad han cruzado el umbral.
Ha sido el efecto que más me ha gustado, lo que tan difícil me resultaba cuando niña, ahora he podido captarlo y comprenderlo, dejándome satisfecha al comprender aquel final que, a mí parecer, ha sido un muy buen desenlace.

Pero, ¿por qué solo tres estrellas? Porque si bien me ha gustado muchísimo la estructura y como ambas situaciones se mezclan de un modo homogéneo, habría disfrutado más de algo un poco más largo. Pero no por ello se le quita el merito.

[Arianna Herrera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un círculo.

[Lu Di Giovanni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cortazar me maravilla en cada encuentro. Simple, breve, ingenioso y bello.

[Nicol Ramirez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uno de los mejores cuentos que he leído...
Bien, a pesar de ser solo 2 paginas esta tan bien escrito que debes leerlo varias veces para comprenderlo del todo, un balance magnifico entre el realismo y lo mágico, tienes que captar en cada reelectura esos pequeños detalles que te dan a comprender lo que es o no real y aun así te quedas con la duda.
Estoy deslumbrada y asombrada por la capacidad de Julio Cortázar de transportarte en tan pocas palabras a un mundo en el que no distingues la realidad de lo fantástico.
Y es genuinamente fantástico la historia del hombre de alta sociedad, que al igual que nosotros, se sumerge en la lectura que borra y olvida la linea de tiempo, y que tan adentrado en la lectura se encontraba que de hecho, no se dio cuenta de que su realidad es otra.

[Soycd · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Un diálogo anhelante corría por las páginas como un arroyo de serpientes, y se sentía que todo estaba decidido desde siempre."

La naturaleza laberíntica y cíclica de esta historia es lo que la transforma en una verdadera genialidad. En "Continuidad de los Parques" realidad y ficción se funden magistralmente para revelar un universo fantástico en el que lo absurdo se transforma en lógico.

Al igual que otras historias de Cortázar se necesitan varias relecturas para absorber detalles. Estoy deslumbrada por la capacidad de este autor para transportar al lector a un universo maravilloso en tan solo unas pocas líneas.

Cortázar llega a crear verdadera magia, no por el género al que pertenecen estos cuentos sino por su talento inigualable.

[Nicolás Ortenzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

El cuento es fascinante. El personaje que es de la alta sociedad, se sumergue en su tan afable lectura, que pierde la noción del tiempo, tan compenetrado estaba que no se dió cuenta que la realidad de su mundo cambio. Tiene una cierta analogía un tanto distante con el quijote.

[one in a lillian ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

The plot twist is plot twisting!! A short story that really packs a punch, because wow.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fue el primero cuento que yo leí completamente en español cuando yo era joven, así que fue una experiencia muy especial para mí. Me encantó, y todavía me encanta este cuento muy corto, pero muy impactante, intrigante, y emocionante. Continuidad de los parques cruza y borra a la línea entre la ficción y la realidad, y las resultas son fascinantes.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lo estaba releyendo porque me apetecía volver un rato con Cortázar y bueno, ya recuerdo por qué es de mis cuentos favoritos.

[romancelibrary · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite short stories of all time.

[mel 💌 · Rating 5 out of 5]

que decir, lo leí en el colegio para hacer una actividad y me encantó. En pocas páginas (2) el autor nos contó dos historias que en el final se mezclan, amé ese recurso y si bien este tipo de cuentos no son mis favoritos, quiero leer mucha más literatura argentina y a este señor.

[lisa ೃ࿐ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Mile ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 ⭐
Otra lectura obligatoria, pero igual fantástica.
No hay nombres, pero reconocemos tres personajes principales. Hay ficción dentro de la ficción y el final no es una obviedad. Para disfrutar por 5 minutos (es lo que dura)

[Ana Pau Carbonell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gran cuento corto 2 paginitas y aun asi dice mucho y es super imersivo tuve que leerlo dos veces para captar pero es un cuento circular perfecto y amo cuando las cosas son circulares jajaja

[monse]

Un cuento corto que es necesario leerlo más de una vez para comprender la magia capturada en solo dos paginas, Julio Cortázar todo un maestro.

[ly likes to read · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disfruté bastante esta historia corta, no es algo que hubiese leído si no se me hubiese sido asignado, pero de igual forma lo disfruté. Me pareció intrigante el giro que tomó la historia, y la forma de escribir de Cortázar me envolvió durante los pocos minutos que me tomó leerlo. Es posible que, en un futuro, cuando quiera leer algo ligero y corto decida releer esta exquisita narración de Cortázar.

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is what I call a great story. The author leads the way like a well danced Tango. There are two sides that mix themselves nicely in this story . You feel a bit confused but it's a good confusion. His technique is splendid and his writing is really good. I thoroughly enjoyed this short story. Read it. But only if you like well written short stories. 4 stars!

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sin palabras...

[Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this January for SPAN 301: Introduction to Literary Analysis ... was a little above my vocabulary at the time, had to read it 3 or 4 times, but is now, I think, my favorite short story! There's a review I read calling this a "Moebius strip" of a story and that I think is the best way to describe it.

[Ferran d'Armengol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un relat magistral ple de petits detalls que ens porten a veure una cosa que no passa. Una obra d'art precisa com un rellotge on l'autor juga a l'equívoc, i ens fa creure que veiem allò que volem veure, i si fem una lectura pru acurada, veurem que no estem on ell ens vol fer creure que anem. Un gir en una sola frase, canvia tot el relat d'escenari. Sembla una obra banal, però té molt més que unes poques línies. Llegiu-lo bé, si us plau!

[Ron Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cortazar, born in Belgium but did his works in Argentina. He was a political activist and moved with the avant-garde after WWII. The short story is dark, tense and full of emotion and distorted reality.

[Alazne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hola, chicas:
solo vengo a recomendar mi cuento favorito, lo leo religiosamente dos o tres veces al año. Un clásico. Me acuerdo de mi cara de quémeestáscontando cuando lo leímos en el insti y mi fascinación posteriormente al analizarlo. Y a día de hoy aún me sigue flipando como a aquella niña de 12 años.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un cuento increíble, lo mantiene a uno inmerso en sus palabras, y ese final es perfecto!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poco se puede decir de un cuento de dos páginas. Simplemente que el estilo de Cortázar es especial y único y que sabe cómo emocionar al lector y hacer que se deje llevar por la historia.

[cote · Rating 2 out of 5]

No me gustan los cuentos puesto a que son muy cortos, sin embargo este es interesante ya que mezclan la realidad del cuento con la novela que aparece en el.

Tengo un prueba de este cuento :c