Wow! Even after only reading the first part of this book, I must say it has for sure been my favourite of the term. I have enjoyed every page, which is wonderful considering as Jon said the book benefits from reading as much as you can in one go, and I found myself not wanting to put the book down at any point in my reading. The world building by Marquez captured me right away, but the main thing that had me hooked was how well developed all the characters in the novel are, especially considering how many of them there are. Although at times it did get confusing who was who, and I found myself flipping back to the family tree fairly often, I had a good sense of characterization as it felt as though everyone in the story had distinct personalities and motivations for their actions, and this made it easier to accurately guess who was being talked about before getting confirmation from the tree.
One character who particularly resonated with me was Ursula. She reminds me a lot of my grandmother. From the beginning you can tell she has a big heart, and this continues to be shown throughout the book as she continuously is opening her home and heart to people, taking them in as her own. Even when Pietro Crespi was no longer marrying into the family, Ursula still cared for him as though he was one of her own, which I think showed a lot of who she is and what she stood for. Family clearly meant more than anything else to her. This also somewhat reminds me of Kris Jenner (lol) as she continuously stands by her family and those who have been important to her family, with perhaps the exception of Rebeca and Jose Arcadio after their announcement of what is essentially incest.
In the lecture video, Jon posed the question of whether confusion in a novel is enjoyable or frustrating, and I find that with 100 years of solitude, the confusion was enjoyable and part of the fun, it kept me turning the pages and wanting to piece together everything as quickly as possible. That being said, this book did not confuse me as much as I expected it to, which was a very pleasant surprise.
At the beginning of the book, Ursula expressed her concerns about consummating her marriage with Jose Arcadio Buendia due to the fact they were related, and her worry that their children would come out deformed, and although this did not happen, the family seems to be doomed to consistent bad luck. My question for this week is, do you think the bad luck upon the family is some sort of “curse” that Ursula is suffering due to consummating her marriage?
I had NOT thought of Úrsula as some kind of Kris Jenner from Macondo… but I think I understand what you mean. Úrsula is a woman who has dedicated herself to care, who dedicates her life (for more than a hundred years) to others. By the way, that frustration that we feel as readers is at times that of Úrsula herself, and the confusion of the names entangles her words as well as her. In your opinion, would the novel work the same if she weren’t there? She is the mother who starts the lineage and raises several generations.
Hi Laura!
I really enjoyed reading your blog post, especially the reference to Kris Jenner! I found it interesting how you focused a lot on Úrsula as a character because when I was reading the book, she stood out to me the most. I think her character added a bit of sanity to the other characters, who had so much going on in their lives. To answer your question, I would say yes. She is the one who is married to José Arcadio Buendía, and from there on a sort of “curse” overtakes the generations to come. I think if she hadn’t entered an incentuous marriage, then everyone wouldn’t have been doomed.
Hi Laura, I really enjoyed reading your post this week! While reading the book, I must admit that I did not give much thought to the role of Úrsula in the story, as I found myself distracted by the peculiar events surrounding other characters. Additionally, Úrsula’s character appeared to conform to the conventional stereotype of a devoted and nurturing housewife, which made her actions seem more predictable and grounded in reality, leading me to overlook her significance. As for your question, I would say probably. However, it is worth noting that it seems Úrsula suffered more from the experience, despite the fact that it was Jose Arcadio Buendia who initiated the act. I wonder if this was an intentional decision by Marquez.
Hi! I really enjoyed reading your blog post and how you focused on Ursula’s character. She was also one of my favorites and I felt like she really tried to keep the family together even with all of the insanity that they went through. You can really tell that she cares about them, even when they aren’t necessarily a part of the family, like Pietro. The characters were very similar, plus with the same names, but Marquez did a good job of making every character memorable, even when he did reuse character traits or hobbies. I thought the repetition added an interesting element to the family. I never really thought about the family being so cursed as due to Ursula and Jose’s marriage, but now that you bring it up, honestly, I could be convinced. The entirely family does seem “cursed,” and Ursula knew from the start that their marriage was taboo. Although, it was stated that other members in that family had married relatives before, so I’m not sure why Ursula and Jose’s case would be “cursed,” and not the other family members.