Chronicle Of A Death Death Foretold

1. Chronicle Of A Death
Chronicle of a Death;
Magical Realism as a Device to reflect the times.
Literature is often said to be used as a means of reflecting the times, society and climate the author is
in and experiencing. Values, norms the ethos of a particular culture place or time is often interpreted
through its literature. (Albrecht, 1954)
This is seen throughout many texts that are present; Oedipus, Sophocles and the tragic hero, The
Elephant Vanishes, Murakami and the loss of culture and lastly with Chronicle of a death foretold by
Marquez.
Written in the 19th century, a time in which Colombia prided itself on its Spanish tradition;
Marquez was part of "The Group of Barranquilla" wanting to leave behind the conservative attitudes
of the city to live in a...show more content...
Angela has indeed pointed a finger at the alleged perpetrator with supposed certainty, "she only took
the time necessary", however we are presented with a fantastical and surreal version that does not
evoke the clarity we are promised but not delivered.
In conclusion Marquez' use of magical realism manages to both reflect the times however deflect
information the reader craves to learn.
The device causes digression from facts and whilst interesting and pulling in the reader further into
the plot, once it is over, the reader realizes they leave the chapter with the same questions. The
surreal and often detailed and vivid illustrations formed can confuse and leave the reader in a semi
state of bewilderment as in the case of Maria the prostitute and her description.
Written as a chronicle, from the narrators view point, the writing is presented in a journalistic style.
Magical realism allows Marquez to introduce a reflection of his time whilst still presenting a work of
fiction, sending the reader contrasting concepts that they must find on their own to then effectively
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2. Death Foretold
Research on the life and work of Gabriel Garcia Marquez reveals that Chronicle of a Death
Foretold is based on the true story of a murder that occurred in Sucre, Colombia, in 1951. It is
rumoured that Garcia Marquez was acquainted to the various people who were related in some way
to the actual murder. The real names of GarcГa MГЎrquez's mother, Luisa Santiaga, his siblings, and
his future wife Mercedes Barcha are used in the novel. The narrator, like GarcГa MГЎrquez himself,
is a journalist who interviews his subjects to gather the facts. The tone of the work is extremely
purposeful, leading the reader to expect a straightforward, chronological story where events are just
recounted. Thus, implying a strongly journalistic format of writing, coinciding...show more content...
The vision is so realistic that she believes he has actually entered the house; however, it is soon clear
that the hallucination foreshadowed Santiago's death.
Throughout of Chronicle of a Death Foretold, MГЎrquez weaves elements of the supernatural. Latin
American culture gave birth to the literary genre magical realism. The hallmark of magical realism
is its roots in reality with a tendency toward the fantastic. That is, while everything a magic realist
writes has a historical basis, it also has fictitious elements throughout. Emphasizing this point,
GarcГa MГЎrquez said in an interview with Peter H. Stone in The Paris Review, "It always amuses
me that the biggest praise for my work comes for the imagination while the truth is that there's not a
single line in all my work that does not have a basis in reality." In all, the supernatural in Chronicles
of a Death Foretold accentuates with Gothic elements the already–ever present magical realism that
comes in and out of the story. It is precisely the addition of Gothic and supernatural elements that
balances the themes, verity of the story itself and the literary techniques within the narrative,
producing a truly successful piece of
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