Apr
2
summary of readings
Posted by: | April 2, 2010 | Comments Off on summary of readings
As mentioned in the beginning of the term magical realism was going to be introduced to us in moderation. Three different writers who all used different approaches in the use of magical realism in their works allowed for a well-rounded analysis that made the understanding difficult at times and yet intriguing and entertaining. We covered Asturias in Leyendas de Guatemala in which magical realism was introduced to explain the origins of the region with the fantastic, imaginative and creative use of nature and its surroundings which came alive. The living world was interacting with man and created a reality that one could only imagine. The author Asturias wrote in a way that brought his imagination and dreams alive to seem believable. With the use of colorful and poetic words and phrases he was able to really draw the reader into his narration of his description of nature, wildlife and forests. Carpentier’s El Rey De Este Mundo touches on a different subject, that of politics and a nation that is deeply divided. In comparison to Leyendas this book was more of a darker approach into the magical realism. One that focused on more difficult and sensitive issues such as racism, segregation, religion, and freedom. What is also different is that the merging of historical accuracies blending in with the fantastic through the narrative and description of the historical context during a time of transition and self-discovery of a new nation and its new found freedoms. Finally, in Garcia Marquez’s Cien Años de Soledad the central theme revolves around the premise of destiny and prophecy and how we follow and observe the slow demise of the Buendía family. Cien Años reflects the chronological order in which we have read this works as we went from Asturias, which covered the origins and discovery, to Carpentier which focused on the recent-present times with Haiti’s recent events and now Marquez which introduces the future and destiny which is a somewhat interesting connection among the readings.
