24 pages 48 minutes read

Jorge Luis Borges

The Aleph

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1945

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Literary Devices

Autofiction

Borges writes himself into “The Aleph,” even granting his fictional counterpart a published work called The Sharper’s Cards inspired by the author’s real-life volume of unpublished writings drafted early in his career. As with much of his work, “The Aleph” blends elements of various genres such as mystery, science fiction, and fantasy. Yet Borges often contrasts these elements with deliberate realism, often going so far as to include himself or historical events in the narration so that his writing often seems to be a nonfiction account of a parallel universe. The narrator is not identified as Borges until his final visit to Argentino, meaning he is nameless for most of the story.

Allusion

Borges’s writing is full of allusions to historical events and literary works that often enrich the meaning of his works. For example, a story from the collection titled, The House of Asterion is written from the perspective of the minotaur in Greek mythology. Argentino credits himself with including in one stanza “three erudite allusions spanning thirty centuries of dense literature: first the Odyssey, second the Works and Days, and third that immortal bagatelle that regales us with the diversions of the Savoyard’s plume” (121).

Related Titles

By Jorge Luis Borges

Study Guide

logo

Borges and I

Jorge Luis Borges

Borges and I

Jorge Luis Borges

Plot Summary

logo

Ficciones

Jorge Luis Borges

Ficciones

Jorge Luis Borges

Study Guide

logo

In Praise of Darkness

Jorge Luis Borges

In Praise of Darkness

Jorge Luis Borges

Study Guide

logo

Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote

Jorge Luis Borges

Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote

Jorge Luis Borges

Plot Summary

logo

The Aleph and Other Stories

Jorge Luis Borges

The Aleph and Other Stories

Jorge Luis Borges

Study Guide

logo

The Book of Sand

Jorge Luis Borges

The Book of Sand

Jorge Luis Borges

Study Guide

logo

The Circular Ruins

Jorge Luis Borges

The Circular Ruins

Jorge Luis Borges

Study Guide

logo

The Garden of Forking Paths

Jorge Luis Borges

The Garden of Forking Paths

Jorge Luis Borges

Study Guide

logo

The Library of Babel

Jorge Luis Borges

The Library of Babel

Jorge Luis Borges