Chapter 2: One Hundred Days of Solitude

Today's Agenda:

1. Share with a partner what you found interesting or important about Gabriel Garcia Marquez

2. Take care of any questions on the ending of the first chapter

3. Reading Check

4. In small groups read pages 21-23 (read up to the word "rumor" on page 23)

5. Briefly discuss the reading in connection with a short passage about Columbia's regional make-up. What connections do you see?

6. Reflection Template for hint fiction project

7. LABWORK: Hint fiction projects to be worked on in the computer lab

HOMEWORK: Read the rest of chapter 2 (ends at page 40).  On a piece of paper, briefly write about how the scene between Jose Arcadio and the Pilar (pages 28-30) is an example of magical realism.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez And Pressing On With Hint Fiction Project

We are going to begin reading arguably Latin America's most celebrated novel, 100 Years of Solitude (1967) by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. When talking about magical realism, it is essential to know who this Noble Prize Winning author is and why his work is adored by many in Latin America and the rest of the world. Here's a great resource for understanding the cultural and historical events that color Garcia's work, as well as a biography of the man himself.

In class,we are going to do a reading activity with about half of the first chapter of 100 Years of Solitude. Afterward, you will resume work on your hint fiction projects. You are required to have at least 2 done by the end of class, to be handed in. Note the instructions for the project on the previous blog for any clarifications on the assignment.

HOMEWORK: Please go to the Gabriel Garcia Marquez website and write out three interesting things you learned about Marquez. It will be collected next class.

Thanksgiving and Hint Fiction Assignment

In honor of Thanksgiving, we're going to take a look at a couple of videos that present two drastically different interpretations of Turkey Day's history.

Native American view

American view

We're going to read two more short stories of maigcal realism by Julio Cortazar and Luisa Valenzuela. Please refer back to the previous blog for information on Julio Cortazar. Here is some info on Luisa Valenzuela .  


LABWORK: We're going to embark on the hint fiction project today. We will have read many examples of magical realism by this time and you should begin brainstorming and even drafting a couple of these stories. If you need a reminder of the characteristics of magical realism, check out Mr. Craddock's blog here. Your productivity will determine how much time you will have to work on this in class.

If you're stuck, I would pick an aspect of any culture ( such as religion, tradition, politics, music, fads, gender roles, etc.) and begin doing some research. This can be the focus for your collection.

Argentine Authors Overview

Julio Cortazar
-Born in Argentia, 1914-1984
-Grew up in Buenos Aires
-Taught French literature at the University of Cuyo
-Jailed briefly for political activities during Peron administration
-Left Argentina in 1952--move to Paris, France
-Worked as a free-lance interpreter


Major Themes:
- Concerned with problems and intangibles of human life (that part of the human condition we can't easily explain or define)
-Uses fantasy and surrealsim to stir up the realities buried under the habits of daily life
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Jorge Luis Borges
-Born in Argentina in 1899, died 1986
-Ancestors fought in Argentine wars for independence
-Spoke both English and Spanish (leanred French, German, Latin)
-Worked as a librarian; in 1955 was appointed director of National Library in Buenos Aires


Themes and Tropes:
-Borges's most important symbol of life is that of a circular labyrinth
-"What if" tales (what if we were all immortal? what if we had simulataneous vision of all things?)
-Often works are about the art of writing itself
-Stories within stories
-complex plots / puzzles / traps to symbolize the chaos of reality

Hint Fiction Project

Magical realism is often perceived as an unconventional genre because it “messes” with traditional storytelling structure. For example, oftentimes characters will acknowledge they are being written and authors will constantly remind their readers that they are merely reading a story, purposely exposing the illusion of fiction. Literature that incessantly pulls the reader out of the story is called metafiction. Magical realists employ metafictional techniques to draw attention to the “truth” embedded in their art—to keep readers from getting too absorbed in the plot, and thus miss the point of the art form.

In this class, we’re going to take magical realism to an even weirder place! Over the next couple of classes, you are going to brainstorm on and eventually compose a short collection of magical realism stories in the form of hint fiction. Hint fiction is a story that suggests complexity, yet is no longer than 25 words! You may have heard of flash fiction or micro fiction, which ranges anywhere from around 10 to 1000 words. All three genres are relatively new (hint fiction is reaching its 3^rd birthday) and fairly experimental, which will naturally give your magical realism pieces a hint of abstraction. For our intents and purposes, your hint fiction pieces should be no longer than 50 words because writing strong, sophisticated hint fiction is challenging, and having an extra 25 words to play with will still give you the opportunity to write with extreme brevity, while giving you a greater chance to succeed.

The nitty gritty:

-You are to write a collection of at least 5 pieces of magical realism in the form of hint fiction.

-Because these stories are part of a collection, you need to establish an overarching theme or aspect of culture that you wish to focus on. This focus will provide unity among your pieces.

-Each story should have a title, as well as the collection as a whole.

-Write a 2+ page reflection on the following:

a. How you incorporated characteristics of magical realism into each of your stories

b. The theme or aspect of culture that unifies the collection

c. How your theme is explored in each story (explaining your symbols, metaphors,  setting, images, etc.)

Brainstorming for this project is of utmost importance. I would start with the theme you are going to focus on. Write about what you believe in.  Take the time to visit the provided links and learn some tricks of the extremely short fiction trade. 

 Brief introduction to hint fiction

 Robert Swartwood, common mistakes, examples of hint fiction

Tips for writing extremely short fiction

More tips

Making the Mundane INSANE!

You have a list of mundane activities. Now it's time to make 'em magical, literally.

You're going to put on a skit. Here's what you do:

·         Pick a mundane activity (ex. reading the paper, watering the garden, riding the bus, etc.)

·         Add a supernatural element to that activity (ex. the words keep falling off the paper, it’s a garden full of human beings, the bus moves but doesn’t go anywhere)

·         Prepare a short dramatic skit ( no longer than 3 minutes) to act out your scenario.

·         Be able to explain the following: What does your scenario reveal about culture, human nature, life, etc.? What truth or reality are you trying to portray by using magical realism?

Some Helpful Resources for Magical Realism

Here is the link to the Argentina and magical realism Prezi: Argentina Background and Magical Realism

Here is a good, succinct interpretation of magical realism by author Salman Rushdie: What is magical realism?

Finally, here is a brief history of magical realism and some of its most significant characteristics: Magical Realism Characteristics