First Thoughts on Marquez

As I mentioned yesterday, I'm three days into One Hundred Years of Solitude and thought I could give some first impressions. It may be a while before I write about the book again because my reading is about to be interrupted by about 110 essays that will need grading starting tomorrow. I mean, what genius scheduled papers due from ALL of his classes on the same day? This leisure time for reading and writing is about to get cut a tad short.

I'm enjoying it. It's certainly not a page turner. Like Bolano's 2666, another Latin American novel I recently read (most of), Marquez has a thing for drawing out his story with detailed descriptions of seemingly not-so-important events. This is not a complaint - I actually like it when authors fully develop the world of the novel, unafraid of details that do not explicitly move the plot forward. This is a book about a family, and the only real stumbling block so far is getting the names straight. For instance, so far there are three characters all named Jose Arcadio. It's realistic that traditional families would pass down names like this, just not super-convenient for the reader.

What sets this novel apart from 2666 is that it's not all about gritty realism. Marquez is the most famous example of an author who writes in "magical realism," which, from what I can tell, translates into awesome. In otherwise realistic stories, elements of the fantastic are thrown in without explanation. In my favorite part of the novel so far, an entire village catches the "disease" of forgetfulness. Nobody can remember what anything is, so labels are attached to everything. For instance, that unfamiliar mooing quadruped chewing grass out in the field is labeled with a nice helpful sheet of paper explaining that it is, in fact, a cow, and that it needs milking every day. A gypsy comes to town with a tonic to cure the forgetfulness. No other explanation is given, and the story of this very real family continues. I love it. Growing up on fantasy literature, I have always had a fascination with these sorts of stories, and I'm already in love with the way Marquez weaves these magical elements seamlessly into the deeply emotional lives of this family. Unlike many fantasy novelists, Marquez does not feel the need to explain exactly how/why all of these fantastical events work; the effect is mysterious and subtle. Makes me want to look into more magical realism books.

Some favorite lines so far:
-The way this book talks about sex is great, hilarious at times. Marquez describes one boy's first sexual encounter by telling the reader that the boy now "understands why men are afraid of death." When the boy's younger brother asks him what sex feels like, he responds, "It's like an earthquake." It's just such a serious and dramatic way of talking about sex that I can't help but smile, even if that's not the desired effect.

- This book covers 100 years, so we begin quite some time ago, probably in the mid 1800s. The invention of the daguerreotype, a precursor to photography, comes into the village (when thinking about daguerreotypes, my mind always pictures THIS famous daguerreotype of Poe). The mother in the story refuses to have her picture taken. Her reasoning? She "did not want to survive as a laughingstock to her grandchildren." Ha. So true. I'm reminded of the Ghosts of School Picture Day Past that haunted my aunts and uncles from my grandparents' fireplace mantle. Embarrassing 70s eyeglasses and haircuts. Laughingstock indeed.

Anyway, I look forward to reading more, even if my pace will be slowed by my mound of student writing. Possible venting in the forecast. Stay tuned.