Continuity of Parks

“Continuity of Parks” is structured as a frame narrative which is then given a surprise twist. A conventional frame narrative sets the stage for the introduction of another narrative or set of narratives. These narratives usually prove more significant than the initial frame. Sometimes this structure is identified as a “story within a story.”

In such a structure, it is common for the story to return to the frame narrative at the end. Thus, it presents a kind of closed, completed construction in which the frame narrative bookends the other narrative(s) presented in the story: frame narrative—central narrative(s)—frame narrative. When this device is used, clear distinctions between these different narrative levels are usually preserved.

The relation between these different narratives is always an important factor when considering the analysis and interpretation of a story in which they are used. In the conventional frame narrative, there generally is no confusion about which narrators, characters, locations, and events belong to which narrative. Cortázar’s use of the frame narrative in “Continuity of Parks” breaks with this standard separation between narrative levels. He folds these narratives into one another in order to employ the surprise ending and maintain a level of ambiguity.