Module 04 Discussion - The Reality of History In the introductory reading about Jorge Luis Borges, you learned about the opening reference in \"The Garden of Forking Paths\" to the military historian, Liddell Hart. \"Official history,\" say the editors, \"is undermined [by Borges] on the very first page\" of his fiction. Does Borges mean to imply in his story that there is no such thing as official history? In your opinion, what is \"official history\" compared to just \"history?\" How does one decide which is the official history and which isn\'t? When possible, be sure to include details from \"The Garden of Forking Paths\" in your discussion. Use this example as a reference: The story begins with a reference to World War I, and goes on to state that an allied offensive planned for July 24, 1916 was postponed until July 29 because of “torrential rains” (Meyers, 2004). Borges teeters between fiction and reality. He lets the reader wonder if the story is fiction, or about time and a future potential. The story also mentions that the first two pages are missing, which in my opinion are his way of letting the reader know that the context can be changed or manipulated. I think that he is trying to relay that we can write our own history. There are different narrators in the story and from that can result in a story within a story. The reader will determine which history to continue and that may result in different perspectives and meaning of the book. Meyers, W. E. (2004). The Garden of Forking Paths. Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition, 1-3. Solution Reality of HIstory No. Borges does not mean to say that there is no such thing as official history. The Garden of Forking Paths is metafictional text. The metafictional text calls attention to nature of reality itself. It only seems to suggest that the lines between reality and fiction are fuzzy. Fiction may seem real but it is only a creation of language. Official history in comparison to history Official history helps policymakers and historians. Official history is a narration of incidents made available by the Government. Official history is a narration from the administrator. The administrator imposes order through coherence, convenience, and, practicability. He keeps the Government machinery functioning. Historian selects from amongst relevant truth, and, significant truth. US and UK have official history programmes. Official history is objective. official history is endorsed, authorized, and, sponsored by the Government. It may also come from non-state bodies such as firms. Historians use the official history. There is a difference between what the narrator knows to be the truth and what Yu Tsun tells the reader in the first few pages. Therefore, there are two narratives, but, it is fiction as it is metafictional text that itself tells the reader that it is not official history. It mentions several alternatives that the protagonist could have chosen. The protagonist does not .