One Hundred Years of Solitude is truly fantastic, in both senses of the word. I think it deserves much of the acclaim that it gets, if not more: I find it puzzling, for example, that it did not feature in any of my high school classes. Unfortunately, I think there is some implicit fear among the general public for the translated or international novel. This may be for a variety of reasons, such as the accuracy of translation, relatability of storylines, or simple prejudice. Although imperfect, One Hundred Years of Solitude does capture universal human experiences in ways which few other books have. While I am skeptical of claims of it being “required reading” for everyone, I do appreciate it as being the figurative centrepiece of this course on Latin American literature.
I am a big fan of sagas stretching decades and generations of family members. At first, I was fairly uncertain of which century One Hundred Years of Solitude was located. The rudimentary technology and pioneering plans placed it anywhere from the 16th to early 20th century. For some unjustified reason, I thought of Macondo existing in the the mid 18th century; naturally, I was shocked when the railroad arrived. If anything, I think my impression added to the timelessness of the town. Modernity- as represented by new technology and attitudes- seems to approach Macondo but is always kept somewhat distant from it. The mistakes of early characters are reiterated by their descendants, echoed by their matching names. The insomnia plague that reaches the town halts time to a standstill. Time should, in theory, pass yet everything remains the same. Everything is cyclical.
It is easy to get lost in One Hundred Years of Solitude. This is an intentionally isolating experience I think, one that makes you confused by patterns of repetition or bizarre events. I often come across this feeling while reading and- honestly, I feel used to it. I won’t understand everything that happens in an archaic book, for example, but I’ll catch its gist. Here, this feeling is designed to pass through every reader. A reader will inevitably be confused by the numerous José Arcadios and Aurelianos, but that is just part of the One Hundred Years of Solitude experience. They will be just as perpetually lost as the characters in the novel.
I think Macondo’s insomnia period is its most interesting era. How does a lack of sleep contribute to a sense of timelessness and memory loss in the novel? Is this depiction accurate if you yourself have ever experienced bouts of insomnia?
“A reader will inevitably be confused by the numerous José Arcadios and Aurelianos, but that is just part of the One Hundred Years of Solitude experience. They will be just as perpetually lost as the characters in the novel.” — Such great thoughts, Katherine! Thanks for sharing.
I agree that the memory loss period was especially fascinating. I felt like I was drearily following along as they grasped at straws, trying to hold onto basic definitions and names for things. The labelling of household items gave me the shivers… I have definitely experienced bouts of insomnia; I generally have to work extra hard to remember which tasks to complete, which people to respond to… Never to the extent of forgetting what things are completely, but it may take longer to remember how to use basic tools or rationale if I’m completely exhausted. Great question!
“I do appreciate it as being the figurative centrepiece of this course on Latin American literature.”
Yay! 🙂
“At first, I was fairly uncertain of which century One Hundred Years of Solitude was located.”
Yes, this is a good point, and perhaps it’s worth asking why this is. One the one hand, the novel seems to start almost with a creation myth, as though it started at the very beginning of the world–” when the world was young” (I think that’s a phrase from the first few pages, but I’m not going to double-check just now). On the other hand, perhaps it’s because, for much of the time, Macondo seems to be slightly out of phase with the rest of the world. This is also why (say) ice and magnets can seem such a strange novelty, even though they are no doubt very familiar elsewhere. Though these two reasons may be connected: it’s because it’s as though Macondo has to start from nothing that it takes its time catching up with what’s happening elsewhere. And perhaps next week, in the second half, we’ll see what happens when it does…
Hi there,
thank you for sharing.
I never thought of the insomnia contributing to the timelessness theme of the narrative. Very interesting to consider. But to answer your question I think the insomnia illness contributes to the timelessness and memory loss because at that, like all times since they came to be discovered and since they have explored, Macondo was getting a lot of foreigners that brought a lot of ideas and ways of life. The insomnia illness was one of the variables that changed a lot of their habits and traditions because some forgot them.