Mar
7
La realidad y Macondo
Posted by: | March 7, 2010 | Comments Off on La realidad y Macondo
Cuanto más continúo leyendo este libro, más que me gusta. No sé cuál fue el propósito verdadero de Gabriel García Márquez en su obra ya que me parece que hay muchos mensajes diferentes que critican o complementan algunos aspectos de la naturaleza humana. Leí que García Márquez quería escribir un libro basado en la casa de sus abuelos donde el creció. En mi opinión, después de investigar un poco sobre la vida del autor, pienso que Cien años de soledad se basa un poco en su vida real. De ser así, es factible que los protagonistas como José Arcadio y Aureliano Buendía tengan características de Gabriel García Márquez o tal vez, características que a él le hubiera gustado tener. Por ejemplo, quizás las aventuras que José Arcadio experimenta en sus viajes con los gitanos, es un sueño que García Márquez había tenido desde su infancia. Un sueño relacionado con viajes a lugares lejanos y mágicos. Cuando José Arcadio vuelve de su viaje, llega físicamente cambiado, más grande y muscular, y así como también posee una masculinidad llamativa. Por el otro lado, Aureliano Buendía es un poco retraído y parece ser intimidado por su hermano. Tal vez, José Arcadio es el tipo de hombre que García Márquez hubiese querido ser de joven y Aureliano Buendía era más cerca de la verdad de la infancia de García Márquez.
Me intereso la perdida de inocencia que ocurre a través del crecimiento de Macondo debido a la introducción de los extranjeros en la aldea. En mi opinión, a medida que Macondo entra más en contacto con el resto del mundo, va perdiendo más su inocencia. Me parece que la introducción de Apolinar Mascote es muy importante. Tal vez con esto, el autor quiere hacer una analogía acerca de los tiempos el que Estados Unidos y Gran Bretaña habían invertido mucho tiempo y dinero en los países sudamericanos. Por ejemplo, cuando Apolinar Mascote llega a Macondo, el causa un poco de problemas afectando la paz de Macondo. Pero todo se resuelve muy rápidamente. Sin embargo, a medida que el tiempo continúa y la amenaza de guerra está sobre ellos, Apolinar Mascote toma poder del asunto por su propia cuenta y se abusa de la autoridad. En mi opinión, acá podemos ver otra analogía entre el libro y la realidad. Según mis conocimientos, en Suramérica ocurrían muchas de estas situaciones debido a las relaciones políticas y económicas con Estados Unidos y Gran Bretaña. En ambos marcos la corrupción esta presenta. Creo que este libro tiene muchos mensajes debido a la situación económica, política y social en la cual Gabriel García Márquez se encontraba cuando escribió este libro.
Mar
7
Cien Anos de Soledad 2
Posted by: | March 7, 2010 | Comments Off on Cien Anos de Soledad 2
Reading this book is my favorite homework assignment right now; it feels indulging to sit down for a couple hours of enjoyable reading. This isn’t to say that it’s an “easy read”, as the characters and the plot of the war are confusing, but nevertheless I’m thoroughly enjoying discovering how this book is unfolding. (I realized that the first time I read this book in English I never made it past this second section!)
The themes that stuck out in my mind the most in this section of Cien Anos de Soledad are naming, the war’s influence on Macondo and gender roles. In terms of naming, I liked that Ursula stated a clear pattern in the story of the Buendia family when she says that people with the same names develop similar and predictable personalities. I found it interesting that Ursula believes that if she raised Aureliano Segundo’s son, who was named Jose Arcadio, she would be able to prevent her great-grandson from inheriting the “Jose Arcadio” impulsive character and tragic destiny. This indicates Ursula’s power and guidance as the matriarch of the family and her ability to interfere with the fate of her family (even if her descendants continue to insist on using the same names!).
This second section of the book was predominated by a war between the Liberals and the Conservatives. The war completely alters life for Macondo and the Buendia family. In fact, I suppose that the Buendia family and the town of Macondo as a whole experience similar transformations in the course of history. I find it difficult to summarize what occurred during the war because there were so many episodes of it. Essentially, Macondo lost its innocence as it experienced numerous (public) deaths and the political divisions of the war. Meanwhile the Buendia family became divided and conflicted, especially surrounding the controversial figure of Colonel Aureliano Buendia. Ursula in particular became disgusted with her son the Colonel as his heart grew cold and hungry for power. There are also several mentions of the emptiness of war and the feeling of the war’s infinity: it was an all-consuming affair, but to what avail? Interestingly enough, once the war is over, Ursula decides to reorganize the family house and make it a beautiful and more harmonious space again. Just as Macondo’s carnival celebration ends in unexpected violence, it seems inevitable that the Buendia family will continue to experience its extreme ups and downs.
Ursula makes a number of comments about the “types” of men in her family. In her eyes the males in her family turn from obedient boys into men driven by the passions of having women, inventing, gaining power and fighting in the war. She sees them as all being the same, a statement which indicates that she sees the women of the house as being very different than the men. However, I think that the Buendia women also enjoy power, as Ursula is clearly the family’s leader and an influential figure in Macondo. In addition, Amaranta refuses to marry any of her suitors and is determined to remain independent and a caretaker of the younger Buendias.
As always incest and memory are also prominent in this section. So much to digest from this section!
Mar
7
cien años de soledad-entry 1
Posted by: | March 7, 2010 | Comments Off on cien años de soledad-entry 1
I have found Cien Años de Soledad a bit difficult to read as I have had to go over a few passages on numerous occasions. I remember reading the English version many years ago so I have that to refer to but the read is going a little slower hence the late entry. I found the reading to be a little mysterious as details are not presented in clarity. There is a certain aspect that the author García Márquez is attempting to reveal all in due time which I find interesting. The characteristics of magical realism that I found so far to be used are the exaggerations that Márquez uses in his writing. Some of which have been a little incredible compared to others. You know it is a good book when you spend long hours reading it before you put it down and there are some late nights during the reading break where I found myself into the early mornings. And it didn’t help when I spent most of my time with the throngs of people in Vancouver and Whistler during the Olympics. There is so much going on with a variety of characters that I have to really stay close to the details or I will miss the order of what is happening to each person. In comparing to the two versions of English and Spanish I have found that the vocabulary is definitely fancier literature than how it is translated. Reading certain passages in Spanish made no sense and I had to compare it to the English text which in most cases I was definitely way off the translation. But as I slowly progress I am getting use to the process and getting everything to flow a little better. As in our previous readings the level and quality of literature slowly advances to the more difficult and at the same time the magical realism is being presented in a different light and entering into greater depths of the genre. The characteristics of magical realism that I found so far to be used are the exaggerations that Márquez uses in his writing. Some of which have been a little incredible compared to others.
Mar
7
Cien años de soledad – segunda parte
Posted by: | March 7, 2010 | Comments Off on Cien años de soledad – segunda parte
En avansar en la lectura de Cien años de soledad me siento un poco mejor que al principio de la primera sección; probablemente sea por que el árbol genealógico de la familia Buendía se queda más claro en mi mente y los elementos de la trama han estado establecidos en la primera parte de nuestra lectura y ahora otros acontecimientos se desarollan encima de esta fundación ya establecida en la primera sección. En leer Cien años de soledad a veces me siento un poco abrumada en pensar cuales son los elementos sobresalientes por que hay tantos detalles maravillosos en el texto que me parece imposible de aislar solamente algunos de ellos; pero esto fenómeno debe ser parte de la atmósfera mágica y fascinante que Márquez crea, sin duda. Sin embargo, en esta sección los elementos que me parecen sobresalientes son la representación de la guerra y actividades políticas, la significancia de un nombre, y la representación de mujeres en el texto.
Guerras revolucionarías representan una parte clave de la historia de una multitud de países latinoamericanas, como Colombia, el país de origen de Márquez. Lo que me parece fascinante es que, en Cien años de soledad, la historia de una guerra bastante complicado y largo es relatada siempre en relación con la localidad de Macondo; aunque la guerra es larga y muchos de sus eventos claves se ocurren en otros lugares, la guerra siempre es descrita a través del filtro de Macondo. A pesar del progreso de la guerra por otras partes, la voz narrativa se queda enfocada en Macondo y cuenta las aventuras del coronel Aureliano Buendía en una manera que siempre les relaciona con la situación de Macondo en el momento particular. Aunque si hay varias eventos de la guerra que se ocurren en Macondo y la localidad en su misma es indudablemente afectada por la guerra, la mayoría de los eventos de la guerra como los treinta y dos levantamientos armados del coronel Aureliano Buendia, sus diecisiete hijos de diecisiete mujeres distintas, la carga de estricnina en su café y muchos otros se ocurren fuera de Macondo y Márquez opta a narrarlos desde el filtro de la comunidad. En mi opinión, esta elección a la parte de Márquez sirve a enfatizar la importancia de la localidad de Macondo como el enfoque del libro; un espacio clave que asuma una importancia casi como un otro personaje clave.
Los nombres también me parecen un aspecto muy clave del libro; esencialmente el texto es la historia de la familia Buendía, hay una gran repeticion de nombres en el libro; casi todos los ninos que se nacen toman los nombres de pila de sus padres – esta característica parece ser más que un acto de reconocimiento; en el texto hay una creencia que hay una cualidad transitoria de personalidad en dar un hijo el nombre de uno de sus parientes; Arcadio desea que su hijo se llamará José Arcadio, no como el tío del niño pero como su abuelo, y Úrsula refusa de dar la hija de Arcadio el nombre que ella misma tiene por que piensa que una persona sufra demasiado con ese nombre; escoge darla el nombre de Remedios en vez de Úrsula. Un momento muy memorable del libro en cual un nombre deviene especialmente importante es cuando Arcadio declara “A mucha honra […] no soy un Buendía” – en este momento se afirma que la negación de un nombre es algo más significativo que la elección inicial de un nombre; en su rechaza del nombre Buendía, Arcadio intenta rechazar todos los eventos y las características de la personalidad que son asociados con este nombre.
Otro aspecto que me parece muy signficante en esta sección es la representación de los mujeres como personajes que a pesar de ocupar una posición inferior en la sociedad logran ocupar una posición de poder en varias maneras, como a través de la seducción, manipulación de los sentimientos de los hombres, y en el caso de Úrsula poder económica también. En mi lectura hasta este punto, Úrsula me parece uno de los personajes más poderosos del texto; ella dirige la casa Buendía y produce una industria del mundo doméstico que resulta en ganancias económicas considerables por la familia, desafia las autoridades militares para poder ver su hijo, y “aunque ya era centenaria y estaba a punto de quedarse ciega por las cataratas, conservaba intactos el dinamismo físico, la integridad del carácter y el equilibrio mental”. A pesar de todas las cosas negativas que ocurren en su familia, Úrsula siempre sigue ser una fuerza de calmo y orden constante, sirviendo como la encarnación de la poder de la mujer en el mundo que Márquez crea.
Mar
7
Cien anos de soledad – strange things are happening
Posted by: | March 7, 2010 | Comments Off on Cien anos de soledad – strange things are happening
I have the ancient version of this book so I’m not 100% sure what page 200 is in my book…I hope I’ve read all of the same stuff as the rest of class. Insest, masacres, thoughts of suicide…very unpleasant and very troubling. What a novel…
In this last chunk of reading it seemed there were many changes to the city of Macondo. There are many battles going on amongst the people, El Colonel Buendia dies and everyone is in mourning. After his death GGM writes that it begins to rain down yellow flowers in his memory. I’ve heard about this scene before reading this book, from what I know its one of the most famous examples of Magic Realism. I myself found it quite moving, picturing beautiful flowers falling from the sky, creating a blanket of hope and sorrow over a city in mourning.
Death seems to be a common theme and before his death, El Colonel seems to be marked by it. He becomes like many soldiers, destroyed by war, losing his ability to feel emotion. So far the whole story has just been filled with sadness and tragedy. Not only El Colonel, but rather the entire town seems to be numb from all the killings. There is so much cruelty and pain, and despite how eloquently it all is portrayed, it’s very depressing to read. It’s no wonder he tried to commit suicide…the world around him is turning to shit right before his eyes. When he no longer has the ability to escape through happy memories of the past, then there is no escaping the pain and suffering. It makes sense that he feels the only way to stop the suffering would be through death itself.
Rebeca however uses memories to escape human interaction, and Amaranta rejects all men who you desire her. Arcadio, the dictator just makes things worse. In this part of the novel, its title becomes more and more fitting as everyone seems to be falling into a life of complete solitude. Everyone is alienated. It seems to go from the towns suffering to the peoples suffering as they all suffer alone. Ursula’s husband now only speaks in Latin….how messed up is that. The town is divided into individuals who suffer under the same circumstances but who suffer alone.
So really any hopes for a happy ending have flown out the door…this novel is very troubling but I guess that’s the point. We are so lucky to not be living under a dictatorship… :S
Mar
6
Holy Comparisons, Batman!
Posted by: | March 6, 2010 | Comments Off on Holy Comparisons, Batman!
I enjoy GGM (to use the efficient footnote abbreviation) not only for his evident clarity and cleverness while telling stories, but also for how he blends 2 different, yet fundamental, aspects of society together; namely, science and religion, and then tops them off with the cherry of magical realism. José Arcadia Buendía is constantly searching for the divine truth. Ironically, his search takes the course of using scientific method to explain the most unscientific feature of human life, even going as far as trying to photograph the existence of God. He eventually states, as he delves further into the mysteries of metallic properties, “Si no temes a Dios, témele a los metales” (p. 125). Úrsula continues to uphold the catholic Colombian culture in the household, often leading the children in prayer after an episode of rants by Melquaídes about the chemical properties of the devil. I believe that it is Melquíades himself who births the initial and overt interest in magical realism to the reader: “Las cosas tienen vida propia….todo es cuestión de despertarles el ánimo” (p. 84), and he then continues to ignite the flame of curiousity by incredible feats of survival and resurrection, and the inventions with which he comes and goes.
On a sidenote, this montage of societys basic foundations reminds me of the work of the artist Fernando Botero (coincidence that these two are both Colombian??) Botero often mixes simbolism of religion, societal class, military, and history into his paintings and sculptures. In fact, as many of you have probably noticed, the painting on the front of our version of Cien años de Soledad is by Botero. His works often fuse the humor of his characters exaggerated bodies with the solemn messages which accompany his perspective of Colombian society. This particular painting on the book cover shows a military official with a wand and sword (power and authority), but also a far-off gaze, which makes one ask if his path is the one which he wanted or if he is forced to do it by the circumstances of his life (as you can see, Ive associated this figure with Aureliano). As you can see it would be quite advantageous to study both the styles of GGM and Botero if one were to want to learn about Colombian culture and history.
Finally, a bizarre little comparison between José Arcadia Buendía and the protagonist, played by Harrison Ford, of a movie called The Mosquite Coast. The basic synopsis of the movie is of a man who moves his family to Central America in order to bring “civilization” to the native peoples in the form of his invention which makes ice from fire. Hmmmmm….could this be based upon the dream of José in Cien años de soledad: “…en el futuro fabricarse bloques de hielo en gran escala” (p. 112)? Interestingly enough, both characters believe that such an invention would immensely help the people of their communities; even though neither man sees that such an invention, or the salvation they believe will come from it, is needed in the towns. As The Mosquito Coast demonstrates the developed worlds obsession with blindly aiding the less fortunate, perhaps both characters authenticate a more human desire to advance civilization, whether it is needed or not.
Mar
4
Cien anos de soledad
Posted by: | March 4, 2010 | Comments Off on Cien anos de soledad
I know that my post is late, but this book is suppppppper hard for me to read and if I actually wanted to understand the first 200 pages, I needed to take my sweet time. Although the book is excellent, it does not take a very straightforward approach to telling its version of history. The concept of time seems to be just as confusing in this novel as in some of our other readings. Things are not told in the order which they happen. The evolution of the town of Macondo and the Buendia family are hard to keep track of.
The very first couple of pages demonstrate this confusion. In the same part we learn of the gypsies who bring with them new technologies that seem to fascinate the old world, we are reading about an event taking place in the future at the execution of the Colonel, which is carried out by firing arms. GGM is so talented to be able to merge these two events together so flawlessly with the concept of a far away memory that the Colonel is having while facing his inevitable demise. So at his point I was very confused about where the story would be taking place historically for the majority of the book, would it be in the past, during his childhood, or would it be someone elses story in the future long after his death?
They way the reader gets lost in between memories, history and the magic of the story reminds me a lot of our previous readings. People seem to live forever in this book. So far this one has successful smashed my brain to much and to me is the perfect example of Magic Realism at its finest. In this novel reality seems to disguisse itself as a memory or as a fantasy, everythin is very distorted.
So far the pages seem to be jam packed full of emotions and have me on a sort of rollercoaster ride. I will have to read the english version next because I worry that I am missing some of the brilliance of GGM’s writing. I hope that I will be able to make it to the end of the book on time…It’s just a lot of work to wrap your head around this book when your own life is so out of control. Stil, I am glad to reading Cien anos de soledad and I look forward to experiencing it in its entirety as I have begun and abondoned it many times in the past few years.
Mar
3
100 años de soledad
Posted by: | March 3, 2010 | Comments Off on 100 años de soledad
I read this book in English back when I had no understanding of the magical realism genre. I thought the book was marvelous, unlike anything I had ever read. Because translations like movies never do the origin novel justice, I am happy to be reading this book again and in Spanish.
Marquez mentions incestuous relations, people driven by their passions leaving logic aside, and magical obsessions without the slightest tone of condemnation, surprise or fascination. In this way, as Jon talked about in class today, Marquez creates a narrative that plays with our conceptions of reality, magic, and morality.
One thing I noticed that fell into this category was how Macondo was introduced to readers as being a very primitive town. People live in basic houses without any thought to the world outside the swamp. The rocks shaped as “prehistoric eggs” in the river, the dirt floors of the Buendía house. Marquez’ descriptions of the pueblo lead readers to believe that the story begins in a time long ago before modern inventions. However, the more I read, the more it seems that it is only Macondo that is stuck in time on its own, somehow cut off from the modernizing world around them. Marquez gives us hints of this fact when Ursula returns from her five month sojourn in search of her son. She reveals that there is another town only two days away that they have never known about. Melquíades also gives us knowledge of the scientific world outside of Macondo with the treasures he brings to the town.
I really like this idea of not being able to “trust” the narrator. I had never considered this aspect of the novel when I read it the first time. I’m not sure if I’ve ever really questioned the word of the narrator outside of nonfiction. We so easily fall into the world that Marquez creates that we forget the author’s ability to bend our interpretations. It is easy to critique the protagonist but the narrator we assume to be telling the story from as it exists in their minds. Marquez attempts to do something else with his narrative, something that adds to the magical realism aspect of the novel or perhaps creates it.
Mar
3
Un poco largo, un poco bueno..
Posted by: | March 3, 2010 | Comments Off on Un poco largo, un poco bueno..
Whew, back to reading, studying and attempting to pay attention in my classes. I never would have thought that a two week vacation would equate to complete memory loss – alright, maybe the excessive amounts of alcohol consumed played a small part. Anyway, after 3 days back in the grind, I’m starting to feel like a student again.
The title of this post really doesn’t do justice to my feelings about Cien años so far. I picked the book up after class and decided to start reading before a much needed session at the gym. Who would have thought that when I started reading, I wouldn’t want to stop. This book is just THAT good; so good in fact, that I had to be dragged out of my room kicking and screaming like a little child. For those readers concerned readers, it’s ok – I made it to the gym. Following a delicious protein shake and a shower, I dove right back in and immediately became captivated again. It’s really hard to pinpoint the exact reasons why I like this book because, in reality, there are just so many. Over the course of the 100 some pages I read I found myself experiencing a myriad of emotions. I laughed out loud at times and had many “oh man, this is epic” moments. I’m extremely happy we chose to save the best for last, it was well worth the wait.
I can’t sit here and sing the praises of the book without adding some commentary on some of the moments that really stood out to me. García Marquez starts the story off with a bang and immediately captivates the reader from the opening sentence. As was mentioned in class, the first line creates a veil of mystery and intrigue that begs the reader to search for answers. From the get-go we are introduced to Malquíades, a gypsy with mysterious powers and knowledge far beyond the borders of the land in which the novel is set. I’m not talking about mysterious powers like Brad Pitt as the “pikey” from Snatch, with his supernatural one punch knockout ability and superhuman alcohol tolerance; rather, I’m referring to gypsies of the magical variety. Malchíades is truly a badass gypsy. I mean really, this guy survived every plague and epidemic known to man at the time and kept on going. Despite being twisted and mangled from his travels and experiences, he somehow manages to miraculously grow a new set of teeth and return to a youthful version of himself. No big deal. This is the type of magical realism I’ve been waiting for – the seamless and innocuous juxtaposition of the magical in an everyday setting. Although the tales of Malchíades were firmly captivating, the element I appreciated the most while reading was undoubtedly the humor that runs through Marquez’s prose. The boiling soup that skitters off the table after a comment from Jose’s son was a good for a chuckle, but the details of how José Arcadio Buendía consummated his marriage was truly mirthful. I just can’t help but get the ridiculous image of Jose bursting into the bedroom with a bloodied spear, throwing it to the ground and ordering his wife to take her pants off – pretty romantic if I do say so myself. The most striking feature of these “ridiculous” comedic moments is that they seem to downplay the reality of what, by all standards, should be considered “real” in this novel. There is a stark contrast that becomes apparent when the text is viewed in this respect. The so called “real” elements of the book are downplayed with comedic devices; meanwhile, the magical elements are written about with an air of seriousness and rigidity. In all respects, my first taste of this novel has been delicious.
Although Marquez’ prose is known to be a difficult read, even for native speakers, I found that the pages went wizzing by, and surprisingly, I didn’t feel completely lost. Granted, my vocabulary deficiencies are still are source of frustration at times, it was easy to keep trucking along and enjoy myself while doing the reading.
Mar
3
Cien años de soledad
Posted by: | March 3, 2010 | Comments Off on Cien años de soledad
Cien años de soledad comienza con un tono muy misterioso y tiene un estilo de escritura muy compleja: cómo Márquez describe sus personajes y la ciudad aislada de Macondo. Comienza con un escena, cuando el coronel Aureliano Buendía se acuerda de los gipsy que aportan tecnología nueva a la ciudad aislada. Fue interesante ver cómo José está casi obsesionado con estas nuevas tecnologías mágicas y se limita a explorar la magia y los metales, y por tanto, con esta obsesión por los nuevos materiales que los seres a explorar para encontrar nueva civilización. Sin embargo, lo interesante es que su mujer tenía un poder sobre él, y de acuerdo con él y dejar por eso se quedó. Yo esperaría que la mujer habría nada que decir y él iría adelante con su deseo de una aventura.
Desde un enfoque estilístico de la historia evoluciona de una memoria del pasado al presente y luego se mueve hacia atrás en el tiempo, tanto como la historia Crónica de una muerte anunciada. Hay mucho dicho sobre la historia de la familia y sobre Ursula está preocupado por tener relaciones sexuales con su esposo debido a que sus hijos se deforme. Desde este momento creo que Buendía se somete a no ser suficiente y por lo tanto masculino mata y debido a que se mueven en la ciudad de Macondo.
Por último, hay un montón de descripción y un tema constante del sexo y el amor erótico que participan en este libro hasta ahora. Las mujeres son responsables y tienen poder sexual en los hombres casi, o en los hombres por otro lado son fácilmente seducidos. Por ejemplo, cuando el hijo de José Arcadio se seducido por una mujer de la localidad del Pilar, y él se dejó embarazada sin embargo luego se enamora de una gitana y deja a su propia familia con la chica.
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