Analysis of "Continuity of Parks"
by Julio Cortázar
A Study Guide Compiled by Dr. Cecilia Osyanju
"Continuity of Parks" is a metafictional short story by Argentinian writer Julio Cortázar that
explores the relationship between fiction and reality. The story creates a feedback loop between
the narrative the protagonist is reading and his own lived reality, culminating in a shocking
convergence at the end.
The story follows a wealthy landowner who becomes engrossed in reading a novel about two
lovers plotting to murder the woman's husband. As he reads, the boundaries between the
fictional world and his own reality begin to blur. Cortázar emphasizes the protagonist's passivity,
describing how he "allows the novel to happen to him" and relinquishes his agency, letting the
fictional stimuli wash over him.
Midway through the story, the perspective shifts from the landowner to the characters within the
novel he is reading. The lovers plan every detail of the murder they are about to commit, their
passionate dialogue racing down the pages. The story builds a sense of inevitability, as if the
murder has been "decided from eternity".
In the climactic ending, the male lover from the novel enters the landowner's estate, navigating
through the house with the precision described in the novel. He reaches the study, where he
finds the landowner sitting in his green velvet armchair, reading the very novel the reader has
been following. The story ends with the lover raising his knife, collapsing the boundaries
between fiction and reality.
Cortázar's story is a metafictional tour de force, challenging the reader's assumptions about the
nature of narrative. By creating a paradoxical loop where the reader becomes a character in the
story he is reading, Cortázar questions the stability of reality and the power of fiction to shape
our perceptions. The story remains open-ended, refusing to provide definitive answers and
instead inviting the reader to actively participate in the unfolding of events.
Character Analysis
The Reader
A businessman. The reader seems well-to-do. He has interrupted his reading to attend
important conferences, and he completes the novel while sitting in a comfortable room with a
view of a park.
The Man
The hero of the reader’s novel. The man is passionate and full of nervous emotion. He plans to
kill his lover’s husband, who sits reading in an armchair.
The Woman
The heroine of the reader’s novel. The woman and her lover have convinced themselves of the
absolute necessity of killing the woman’s husband, a crime they think of as fated to occur.
Factors which confirm metafiction (Fiction and Reality)
● Green velvet chair
As the reader lets himself fall into the novel, his green velvet chair acts as an anchor tying him
to reality. He enjoys the feeling of the upholstery under his hand and behind his head as he lets
the characters and plot wash over him. At the end of the story, when the man sneaks up on his
victim, the green velvet armchair he sees sits right on the boundary of real and imagined,
making us wonder which is which. The story's central symbol is the green velvet armchair, which
serves as a conduit between the textual world and the protagonist's lived experience.
● The Park Outside the Window
The mention of the trees and the outdoors, elements that again suggest a simultaneous
existence in two worlds. Trees link the two men: the reader senses the presence of the oak
trees in his garden while the man in the story is scratched by a tree branch.
The estate owner's study overlooks a park with oak trees, creating a pastoral, idyllic setting that
contrasts with the sinister events unfolding in the novel he is reading. This park, which is part of
the protagonist's own property, mirrors the forested setting of the fictional narrative. The
blending of these two environments suggests a deeper connection between the protagonist's
reality and the fictional world he is consuming.
● The title “Continuity of Parks”
On one level, the title refers to Cortázar’s story, which begins and ends in the reader’s park. On
another level, the title refers to no less than life and fiction, which Cortázar characterizes as a
long, interwoven series of green parks
.
Immersive Reading Experience Cortázar emphasizes the protagonist's passive and immersive
reading experience, describing how he "allows the novel to happen to him" and relinquishes his
agency. The protagonist becomes so absorbed in the fictional world that he "disengages himself
line by line from the things around him." This blurring of the line between the reader and the text
mirrors the story's ultimate convergence of the protagonist and the fictional characters he is
reading about.
Meaning and significance of the title "Continuity of Parks":
The title "Continuity of Parks" is significant because it refers to the blurring of boundaries
between the fictional world of the novel the protagonist is reading and the physical reality of the
park outside his window. The "continuity" in the title suggests a seamless transition or overlap
between these two realms.
1. The "parks" refer to the fictional setting of the novel the protagonist is reading, as well as the
real park outside his study window. The story explores how these two "parks" or worlds become
intertwined.
2. The "continuity" suggests a seamless flow or connection between the fictional narrative and
the protagonist's lived reality. As he becomes absorbed in the novel, the boundaries between
the two start to break down.
The title hints at the story's metafictional nature, where the act of reading itself becomes a
central theme. The "continuity" refers to the uninterrupted immersion of the reader in the fictional
world.
4. Symbolically, the park represents a space of tranquility and escape, which the protagonist
uses to disengage from his immediate surroundings. However, this sanctuary is ultimately
invaded by the events of the fictional narrative.
Citations:
[1] https://www.supersummary.com/continuity-of-parks/summary/
[2] https://www.sparknotes.com/short-stories/continuity-of-parks/
[3] https://interestingliterature.com/2022/10/julio-cortazar-continuity-of-parks-summary-analysis/
[4]
https://www.gradesaver.com/julio-cortazar-short-stories/study-guide/summary-continuity-of-park
s
[5] https://www.classwithmason.com/2023/07/continuity-of-parks-julio-cortazar.html
Citations:
[1] https://www.sparknotes.com/short-stories/continuity-of-parks/section1/
[2] https://www.sparknotes.com/short-stories/continuity-of-parks/themes/
[3] https://interestingliterature.com/2022/10/julio-cortazar-continuity-of-parks-summary-analysis/
[4]
https://www.gradesaver.com/julio-cortazar-short-stories/study-guide/summary-continuity-of-park
s
[5] https://www.supersummary.com/continuity-of-parks/summary/