One Hundred Years of Solitude

García Márquez is widely renowned as one of the major figures of the Latin American magical realist literary device. What is the relationship in the text between plot elements and the fantastical?

The book opens with an inciting incident, Colonel Aureliano Buendía's impending execution by firing squad, which is narrated over 100 pages later. What effect does this delay have on the text? Why might García Márquez have chosen to structure the book this way?

Compare and contrast three examples of nonlinear time in the text. How does nonlinearity contribute to character development?

Most of the book is set within the limits of the town of Macondo. What role does setting play in the plot? What might Macondo stand in for, if anything?

Across generations, many members of the Buendía family share similar names. What role does naming play in character development and plot cohesiveness? Why might the author have chosen to repeat names?

What role does fate play in both major and minor plot arcs? Do the characters have agency and free will?

The ghost of Melquíades reappears to different members of the Buendía family across time. What role does he play? What is his relationship to the Buendías?

Compare at least two examples of situational or dramatic irony in this text. When are characters' expectations subverted? How do these ironic moments contribute to narrative tension?