Chronicle of a Death Foretold Modern Novel Cecilia

Chronicle of a Death Foretold Modern Novel 當代小說 Cecilia H. C. Liu

Gabriel García Márquez • was born on March 6, 1928 in Aracataca, a town in Northern Colombia • His parents left him to be reared by his grandparents. • studied law and journalism at the National University of Colombia and later at the University of Cartagena in Bogota. • is a novelist, journalist, publisher, political activist. • lived mostly in Mexico and Europe and currently spends much of his time in Mexico City. • His most famous work is his novel, One Hundred Years of Solitude was published in 1967. • In 1982, he won the Nobel prize for literature.

Magical Realism • The term "magical realism" was coined by a German art critic, Franz Roh, in the late 1920 s for painters trying to show reality in a new way. • A Venezuelan literary critic, Uslar Pietri, first applied to it to Latin American literature. • Miguel Angel Asturias used it to describe his novels when he won the Nobel Prize that it really caught on, and then it was used and abused in the 1960 s by just everyone in Latin America. Ivan Albright, The Farmer’s Kitchen

Magical Realism ► Works of magic realism mingle realistic portrayals of ordinary events and characters with elements of fantasy and myth, creating a rich, frequently disquieting world that is at once familiar and dreamlike. Remedios Varo, Creation of Birds

Magical Realism Basics ► ► ► ► Contains fantastical elements Characters accept rather than question the logic of the magical element Emphasis on sensory perception Time is cyclical or absent Inverts cause and effect Repetition Magic vs. Reality

Magic realism in Chronicle ► “He’d dreamed he was going through a grove of timber trees where a gentle drizzle was falling…” (p. 1) ► “when he awoke he felt completely spattered with bird shit. ” (p. 1) ► “When he grabbed her by the wrist with a hand that felt frozen and stony, like the hand of a dead man. ” (p. 13)

Characters ► Santiago Nasar: the man to be killed ► Placida Linero: Santiago’s mother ► Ibrahim Narsar: Santiago’s father ► Victoria Guzman: the cook in Santiago’s home, was seduced by Santiago’s father ► Divina Flor: Victoria’s daughter

Characters ► Angela Vicario: the bride of Bayardo, losing her virginity before wedding ► Pura Vicario/Purisima del Carmen: Angela’s mother, a schoolteacher before getting married ► Poncio Vicario: Angel’s mother, a poor goldsmith

Characters ► Pedro & Pablo Vicario: Angela’s brothers, who are going to kill Santiago ► Bayardo: Angela’s bridegroom ► Mercedes: narrator’s wife ► Luis Enrique: Narrator’s brother

Summary-chapter 1 ► On the day he is killed, Santiago Nasar wakes up at 5: 30 a. m. to wait for bishop’s coming. 1. He is wearing a shirt and pants of white linen like the ones he had worn to the wedding the day before. (3, P 2) 2. He goes to his mother’s room for aspirin (4, P 1, L 2) 3. He had a dream that he was going through a grove. (1, P 1, L 4)

Summary-chapter 1 Santiago is slim and pale with Arab eyes and curly hair. (5, P 3, L 2) ► He is the only child of a marriage of convenience. (6, L 1) ► 1. sixth sense--his mother. (6, L 6) 2. Manipulation of firearms, love for horses, and mastery of falconry-- his father (6, L 7)

Summary-chapter 1 The whole house is awaken by the bellow of the bishop’s steamboat. (1316) --Santiago does not find the warning letter. (15, L 4) ► Everyone goes toward the bishop’s boat except two men (Pedro & Pablo) who are going to kill Santiago. (16) ►

Summary-chapter 1 Narrator’s sister invites Santiago to eat breakfast. Santiago accepts, but he wants to go home for changing clothes (20, P 2 -21) ► Many people on the docks know that Santiago is going to be killed but they also think that he is not in danger. (21, P 5 -22) ► Angela is returned because she is not a virgin. (23, P 2, L 11) ►

Summary-chapter 2 ► 1. 2. 3. 4. Bayardo San Roman is the bridegroom of Angela. Arriving in August (27, L 3) About thirty (21, L 7) Slim waist and golden eyes (27, L 9) Finding someone to marry (28, P 14, L 10)

Summary-chapter 2 ► The first time Bayardo sees Angela(30, P 3, L 2) 1. Crossing the town with her mother 2. Carrying baskets of artificial flowers ► Another version they meet (31, P 4, L 7) 1. 2. 3. Charity Bazzar Singing Birthday

Summary-chapter 2 ► Angela’s family: (33, P 1) 1. Father: Poncio— a goldsmith, losing sight 2. Mother: Purisima— school teacher 3. Angels is the youngest and the prettiest of the family. ► Bayardo’s family: 1. Father: General Petronio San Roman-hero of civil wars 2. Mother: Alberta– a beautiful woman 3. Two younger sisters

Summary-chapter 2 Angela does not want to marry Bayard (37, P 1) ► The house Angel likes best(38, P 2, L 8) ► 1. Farmhouse belonging to the widower Xius 2. The house is not for sale. 3. Bayardo keeps offering more and more money until Xius gives in.

Summary-chapter 2 Bayardo and Angela have a huge wedding. (43 -50) ► The narrator, Luis, Cristo, and Santiago are together all the time at the church and the festival. (46, P 1) ► 1. Four of them were growing up together. 2. Hard to believe that Santiago has a big secret.

Summary-chapter 2 ► At eleven o’clock, Pura Vicario saw Angela and Bayardo. (51, P 1) 1. Bayardo pushes Angela into the home and kisses Pura for thanking her for everything. (52, P 2) 2. Pura hits Angela (52, P 3, L 4) 3. Brothers asks Angela who has taken her virginity. (53, P 1) 4. Angela says it was Santiago. (53, P 3)

A form of literature that incorporates fantasy elements or supernatural occurrences into the narrative and accepts them as truth. Chronicle of a Death Foretold exhibits many of the aspects of a novel written in the magic realist style.

For example, the novel makes oblique references to God and clairvoyance. Additionally, it has the magic realism aspect of a warped timeline. The main plot plays out five times: once in each of the five chapters. While this is reminiscent of the traditional tragic format, it turns its inside out. This incongruity fits with the magic realism style; it may be put down to fate. The opposite of unlikely powerlessness, unlikely endurance, is also present as Santiago Nasar's stench permeates the town even after he dies. The subtle intersection of human values and the supernatural with the physical world is a hallmark of magic realism. (source)

Honor In the culture of the Colombian town in which the narrative takes place, honor is taken very seriously. A person without honor is an outcast in the community. All of the characters in the novel are influenced by this powerful construction of honor. The defense of this ideal is directly responsible for Santiago Nasar's murder. The Vicario brothers kill Santiago in order to restore the honor of their sister. Muerte de Santiago Nasar a manos de los hermanos Vicario. Bayardo San Román conoce a Ángela Vicario.

She dishonors her family by marrying another man when she had already slept with someone else. In order for this wrong to be righted, her brothers must kill Santiago, the man who supposedly took her virginity, in order to clear her name. The twins’ attorney views the act as “homicide in legitimate defense of honor, ” which is upheld by the court. The priest calls the twins’ surrender “an act of great dignity. ” When the twins claim their innocence, the priest says that they may be so before God, while Pablo Vicario says, before God and before men, “it was a matter of honor. ” Santiago Nasar es apuñalado por los hermanos Vicario. El pueblo es mudo testigo de su muerte.

Revenge While the twins say the murder was necessary for their sister’s good name, and the court agrees with them. Many disagree, viewing the murder as a cruel act of revenge--the manner in which they kill Santiago appears to be more vicious than what a simple murder for honor would entail. Intent on making sure Santiago is dead, the twins use the knives to stab him over and over again. Further supporting the view that the twins acted in revenge is the fact they show no remorse for the murder.

Supernatural Through Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Marquez weaves elements of the supernatural. From the dreams that Santiago has the night before his death to the signs that people note foretelling his death, a sense of an unseen force prevails. For example, Santiago has inherited his “sixth sense” from his mother, Placida. Margot feels “the angel passes by” as she listens to Santiago plan his wedding.

The status of virginity is respected and valued in certain societies, particularly when there are religious views regarding sexual conduct before marriage. Female virginity is closely interwoven with personal or even family honor in many cultures. Traditionally in some cultures there has been a widespread belief that the loss of virginity before marriage is a matter of deep shame. In order to be good wives, they spend their time going embroidery, sewing, weaving, washing and ironing, arranging flowers, making candy and writing engagement announcements.