A Note About Time in 100 Years of Solitude
Gabriel García Márquez does not
number his chapters in this book. A reader may wonder why? Perhaps this is the author's way of making us notice time. You do not necessarily notice your life passing day by day. Taken into consideration the flow of human experience we notice that which is important or life altering, but the days themselves slip fluidly away. This experience is likely to become more pronounced as your life continues. The bewilderment of the older generation looking back and saying: "where did my life go?" is a very human experience.
An author not using the traditional fiction conventions draws attention to a work. Without chapters readers think of a book as a single entity. In 100 Years of Solitude Marquez presents us with twenty unmarked subdivisions (chapters) that are "not [treated] as discrete segments but interlinked members in a unitary whole: one text."
The work is fluid, with descriptive, detail-filled paragraphs interspersed with minimal dialogue. From word choice (diction) to sentence and syntax, Marquez builds his paragraphs to include both the normal activities of his characters along with the episodes that remain relevant and dynamic. The chapters flow into one another to create a full text of seamless narrative: time does not stop until the very end (as is the way of all things).
What is confusing for a reader or a student is that the book is not linear. An author can choose to write either chronologically (time events happen one after the other in a normal and expected cause/effect fashion) or use a non-linear narrative, utilizing flashbacks, flashforwards, and fragmented events which build suspense (but may be confusing for weaker readers). If you, as a young writer, need a challenge or are bored with the same ol' chronological narrative, try a nonlinear plot design in your fiction. You will find it much more interesting (as does a good and skilled reader).
An author not using the traditional fiction conventions draws attention to a work. Without chapters readers think of a book as a single entity. In 100 Years of Solitude Marquez presents us with twenty unmarked subdivisions (chapters) that are "not [treated] as discrete segments but interlinked members in a unitary whole: one text."
The work is fluid, with descriptive, detail-filled paragraphs interspersed with minimal dialogue. From word choice (diction) to sentence and syntax, Marquez builds his paragraphs to include both the normal activities of his characters along with the episodes that remain relevant and dynamic. The chapters flow into one another to create a full text of seamless narrative: time does not stop until the very end (as is the way of all things).
What is confusing for a reader or a student is that the book is not linear. An author can choose to write either chronologically (time events happen one after the other in a normal and expected cause/effect fashion) or use a non-linear narrative, utilizing flashbacks, flashforwards, and fragmented events which build suspense (but may be confusing for weaker readers). If you, as a young writer, need a challenge or are bored with the same ol' chronological narrative, try a nonlinear plot design in your fiction. You will find it much more interesting (as does a good and skilled reader).
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