Hope everyone had/is having a good Halloween. So about 100 Years of Solitude. One thing that stood out to me as I started to read this book was that it didn't feel like it was required--that sounds bad. But basically I really enjoyed reading this book because it's themes and the way it was written. Although I do respect and like William Faulkner and The Sound and The Fury, it was pretty rough getting through the first section as well as other parts. This was not the case with 100 Years of Solitude. However, after I finished reading it I did pick up on some similarities between it and TSATF. One major similarity was that although it flowed clearly there were a couple of times in which I said wait, when is this taking place. Other things that stood out to me were the themes of family and story telling. Symbols or what I believed to be symbols also kept popping up, such as ice, money, and birds.
I agree with what Russell said. However, I don't think it crazily moves around time like The Sound and the Fury. It is fairly linear. The only thing that I was confused about regarding time is when this actually takes place. It seemed to me that it stays in one time (it doesn't jump around like TSATF but when does it happen?) Is this the eighteenth or nineteenth century? Earlier? Later?
ReplyDeleteTHe thing that stood out for me most is the blatant magical realism. I remember Ms. Siegel pointed it out in class, but it was interesting to read it. People are born with pig's tails, and it is just accepted. Ursula's belief in the myths and legends of her cultures is a reality. (Does she believe in those legends because they are a reality?) I also thought it was interesting how every modern European invention takes so long to reach Macondo, but Melquiades is determined to have them. I never thought about how long it takes for things we take for granted to reach villages around the world.
I have to admit I really don't love this book so far. Although I find the genre that Márquez created really compelling, the plot moves incredibly slowly. It seems as though the themes and messages Márquez is trying to share with the reader take great priority over the plot and I find myself getting lost in his long passages. Like Russell, I see the similarities between One Hundred Years of Solitude and The Sound and the Fury. Márquez's creation of an ambiguous time and context is obviously deliberate and makes the setting of this novel very other-wordly and fantastical. Again, although I do not love it so far, One Hundred Years of Solitude is so different from anything I have read before which makes it really fascinating.
ReplyDeletethe book is ehh to me so far, i understand the story and all and its way easier to understand than TSATF but nothing has really happened yet that made me interested. Ive noticed a fair amt of catalog in the story as well as a decent parrallell between Aureliano and Quentin. They both die virgins and struggle with their sexuality throughout the book. (and in aureliano's case the 3 chapters). the magic and imagery is cool, and i look forward to seeing where the story goes, but so far its not "THE BOOK TO SAVE ALL BOOKS"
ReplyDeleteHappy Halloween
RIP JCC
I agree with Hannah and Justin, this book has not yet struck me as fabulous. However, I do appreciate Jose's admiration of all things ordinary. I feel like he may not be such a reliable character though, he is extremely passionate, but kind of flaky. It seems like he gets so wrapped up in an idea when it hits him that he just drops everything else around him and goes after that one focus, then when he's ready to move on, he just jumps to the next thing. He appears to lack any real regard for anything other than his "best invention in the world" or whatever current focus he is intent upon. I was not as confused with time in this book, I think it is pretty linear, but (being sort of mathematical here) it has like a negative slope and as the plot progresses, time seems to be going backwards. I'm pretty sure the second section took place before the first one, and then the next one may have been before that, but also like Shweta, I was unable to figure out what time period this is all going on in.
ReplyDeletei think the major similarity is the use of flashback. what do you think the significance is with the ice?
ReplyDeletealso... why do you think he didnt number the chapters? i think it might be to confuse us in a way- and to blend everything together - especially since events are not told in order.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Hannah's post. I too found that it took me quite a long time to turn each page. I thought the plot moved fairly slowly, and overall not that much happened. Of those 58 pages we read, all we really know is that JAB is fascinated with the instruments that the gypsies bring, Ursula is upset that her husband (JAB) doesn't pay attention to their children, JA has a son with Pilar but doesn't see the child, Arcadio, being born because he runs off with a gypsy, and a distant cousin's child named Rebecca shows up at the door and acts as a sister to Arcadio and Ursula and JAB's third son, Amananta. In my opinion, Marquez could have covered that information in half the pages that he actually used.
ReplyDeleteBut -- even though it went by slowly, I was still fascinated about how the characters all accept what is fantastical as what is real. The following stood out to me the most: the snake-man, Melquiedas comes back to life, and the fact that Ursula and JAB see the man who JAB killed because he poked fun at JAB and Ursula's relationship (this happened before they came to Macado). I'm really curious to see how the plot develops and why soo many people called this "the book the saved all books."
Elizabeth, I think that one of the major reasons for which Marquez chose not to number the chapters is indeed rooted in the events told out of chronological order...and that, while the plot so far seems different then say, Benjy's first observations, the structure's emphasis on time seems similar.
ReplyDeleteIn a way, Buendia reminds me of Marquez...especially when he locks himself in his alchemy lab, or tries relentlessly to realize some sort of unrealistic goal over and over again.
In terms of time structure...I think that after the first chapter's flashback, the next two are linear.
...and for those of us who don't really like it so far...I do not doubt that it will start to get much better very quickly.
I thought that the use of diction is really beautiful in the novel. Every description is far from generic and so they are more interesting to read. I agree Austin that Buendia reflects Marquez. I imagine his interactions/conversations with his wife the same way i imagined them when Ms. Siegel told us the story about them.
ReplyDeleteI dunno, I liked it. I can't pin it on a particular reason, but I think Marquez has had the most aesthetically pleasing language of the books we've read so far, both in terms of the imagery he creates (magic realism indeed) and the words themselves. And that's only more impressive to me since this is a translation. I agree it may seem slow, but we've only read 58 of 417 pages, so I'm willing to give it a chance.
ReplyDelete@Liz, I think the ice just further demonstrates JAB's ignorance. It's natural and abundant, but he thinks it's diamond and ironically declares it "the greatest invention of the time".
On a side note, "by November 1st" means 11:59 tomorrow, yes? Serious question.
Even though this book is much easier to understand than The Sound and the Fury, the plot moves so much slower. Regardless, knowing the impact that this book had on literature before reading it makes the story more compelling to me. I enjoy picking out the different components of the novel that make it the book that "saved all books"- especially those relating to magic realism. Similar to what Erica and Austin have said above, I completely imagined Buendia and Ursula's relationship to be the same as Marquez's and his wife's in real life; their disagreements about the (useless?) spending of money reminded me of the fight Ms. Siegel described in class about Marquez's epiphany and his wife's decision to leave him on the side of the road.
ReplyDelete@clark - Everything I've read says 11:59 on November 1st. At least google says that. (btw, I like this @ idea, and will proceed to steal it)
ReplyDelete@Erica, Austin, and Ariana. I was also really interested in the dynamics between JAB and Ursula and the parallels to Marquez and his wife. I know Ms. Siegel says she doesn't believe in literary analysis based on biographical info, but I thought the connections were too close to be unrelated.
I'm kind of wondering what's driving JAB's constant changes in hobbies and ideas. I understand that he lives in his imagination, but what driving force makes him go "From a clean and active man" to "a man lazy in appearance, careless in his dress, with a wild beard" (9).???
i don't think the plot was particularly outstanding in the section that we read, but it's okay because i was totally preoccupied with how simple objects were described so beautifully and how fantastic events were nbd. like if the book had a personality i think it would be "someone dies and then comes back to life? ok thats chill". the beginning of this book is interesting because it makes you go, what the hell. i've never thought to describe anything like this before. that's what makes this book "the book to end all books". it's not the same old boring descriptions, its really cool!
ReplyDeleteI think that 100 Years of Solitude is easier to understand than The Sound and the Fury was at first, but it still is a little confusing with many similar names and the way the reader is immediately plunged into the plot. So far I really like the fast-paced action of the story and the rich relationships and interplay between the characters. The parts about proving whether God really exists in chapter three – with putting up the sign – really intrigue me in particular. Moreover, the story seems to have aspects of realism but with certain aspects of something supernatural (like the fortune teller, Melquiades). I think that the story will show us really well the effects of colonization on Macondo, especially since the text mentions Sir Francis Drake. Typically, we learn about colonization and its impact from an Anglocentric perspective; it will be fascinating to see the South American perspective and Garcia’s take on colonization.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the magic realism and descriptions in the book make it exciting and fun to me. But one thing i was curious about while reading, was the setting. I think that is it very different to make the setting of the town in the middle of nowhere with no connection to the outside world, but i also think that this adds to the mystique and magic realism of the book. Yet, if i was one of the men who founded Maconda I would not have picked a random spot next to a giant swamp, and i certainly would not have settled anywhere without reaching the intended destination. Other things that surprised me about the setting were the fact that no one in the population was under thirty, and also that all of the houses were built in the same fashion.
ReplyDeleteI appreciated the linearity of the book because it made reading a whole lot more enjoyable for me. I also didn't think the plot of the first few chapters was particularly exciting or special but that may have been because the book was so built up in class. However, the depth of the descriptions was intriguing and I found the magic realism of people coming back to life different and refreshing.
ReplyDeleteI also noticed that the theme of time was present (!) in 100 Years of Solitude just as it was in The Sound and the Fury. On (my) page 19, when talking about the eventual settling of Macando "so they would not have to go back," the narrator notes that "it was therefore a route that did not interest him, for it could lead only to the past." This seemed to parallel Quentin's preoccupation with time and the past.
ReplyDeleteAnother line that struck me was on (my) pages 22-23: "he had the impression that only at that instant had they begun to exist." This reminded me of the George Carlin (?) thing we watched and the difficulties of pinning down the "present" or, I guess in this case, an "instant"