Argument for the Inclusion of 'One Hundred Years of Solitude' Into the Canon of Literature.
Argument for the inclusion of ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ by Gabriel García Márquez into the canon of literature.
F.R Leavis stresses the ‘importance of characteristics such as complexity, aesthetic unity, literary language, subject matter’. By examining the themes and patterns in ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’, we can see the complex effects created by the author, a mix of comedy with tragic irony whilst still retaining inventiveness throughout the plot and characters. I think a prominent part of the novel’s success is because of how time is portrayed in it, and also how the style of magical realism is utilised. It has been said by critic Gerald Martin that ‘the story of the Buendía family is obviously a metaphor for the history of the continent since Independence... it is also... a narrative about the myths of Latin American History’- Gerald Martin, Gabriel García Márquez: New Readings, Cambridge University Press, 1987. Indeed, in some Spanish-speaking countries it has been speculated that ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ sold more copies than the Bible in the years after its publication, I think the strength of this statistic speaks for itself. Furthermore, many critics of the literary canon state their anger at the all ‘white, male’ authors included in the canon; surely a Latin American contends this trend?
The novel itself shows the history of the discovery, evolution and death of the Macondo settlement and most importantly, the Buendía family depicted in ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’. This isolated settlement is what is so interesting about this literary work and the audience watch them as they build and organise their life.
Similarly to other classic novels included in the canon of literature, this novel has links with historical events. The novel depicts the history of the Latin American country of Colombia, and presents an image of what appears to be an endless civil war which countless generations of the Buendía family take part in. It is true
F.R Leavis stresses the ‘importance of characteristics such as complexity, aesthetic unity, literary language, subject matter’. By examining the themes and patterns in ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’, we can see the complex effects created by the author, a mix of comedy with tragic irony whilst still retaining inventiveness throughout the plot and characters. I think a prominent part of the novel’s success is because of how time is portrayed in it, and also how the style of magical realism is utilised. It has been said by critic Gerald Martin that ‘the story of the Buendía family is obviously a metaphor for the history of the continent since Independence... it is also... a narrative about the myths of Latin American History’- Gerald Martin, Gabriel García Márquez: New Readings, Cambridge University Press, 1987. Indeed, in some Spanish-speaking countries it has been speculated that ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ sold more copies than the Bible in the years after its publication, I think the strength of this statistic speaks for itself. Furthermore, many critics of the literary canon state their anger at the all ‘white, male’ authors included in the canon; surely a Latin American contends this trend?
The novel itself shows the history of the discovery, evolution and death of the Macondo settlement and most importantly, the Buendía family depicted in ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’. This isolated settlement is what is so interesting about this literary work and the audience watch them as they build and organise their life.
Similarly to other classic novels included in the canon of literature, this novel has links with historical events. The novel depicts the history of the Latin American country of Colombia, and presents an image of what appears to be an endless civil war which countless generations of the Buendía family take part in. It is true