Chronicle of a Death Foretold

Girl with a Flute by Johannes Vermeer 7 7/8 inches x 7 inches

The Human Brain: approximately 3 lbs.

approximately 5.5” wide, 3.6” high, 6.5’ long

This is a “writer’s novel.” As you read, use two sets of eyes:

read for plot

observe how Gabriel Garcia Marquez crafts the story

Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Photograph by Katherine Riley, inspired by Chronicle of a Death Foretold

How is CDF analogous to a detective novel?

• a collection of episodes• a collection of viewpoints• a piecing together• jumbled chronology• must determine who is

reliable and who isn’t

•MARQUEZ SLOWLY UNPACKS THE STORY;•WHAT IS THE EFFECT OF THIS STRUCTURE?

…the narrator’s tone is neutral / journalistic.

The main event of the story is dramatic, but…

Next slides are for later…

Chronicle of a Death Foretold

Student Choice Discussion Topics

• the elasticity of time• the POV; the narrator• bystander effect• what is the climax?• did Angela tell the truth?• Cultural mores:– Gender expectations– Honor code– The role of class and race– Tradition

• why doesn’t anyone warn Santiago??

Anyone confused

???Got

QUESTIONS ??

BYSTANDER EFFECT

• The non-chronological time telling of a tale; when a writer moves plot and characters around in time; past, present, and future.

• Think Einstein’s theory of relativity – the claim that space and time are elastic and can be warped and stretched like taffy.

Chronicle of a Death Foretold is told in a non-linear fashion, moving freely from past to present and back again.

In Slaughterhouse Five, Billy Pilgrim becomes “unstuck in time.” He travels between periods of his life, unable to control which period he lands in.

elasticity of time

MAGICAL REALISM

characteristics• a rational view of reality with an acceptance for the

supernatural• real but with fictitious, mythical, dreamlike or

primitive elements ; symbols abound!• may involve dreams, visions, angels,

demons, time may be skewed; people may not be what they seem or act as they should

• “tension of opposites”

The Persistence of MemorySalvador Dali

Dream by Henri Rousseau

CHRONICLE OF A DEATH FORETOLDTimed Writing Essay – Question #3

theme / meaning

• Ritual• Honor• Denial• Revenge• Gender • Class• Violence

• Responsibility• Fate• Family • Gossip• Machismo• Vengeance• Pride • Conflict

• Redemption• Regret• Betrayal• Assumptions• Memory• Shame• Reputation• Duty• Religion

theme / meaning

• Ritual• Honor• Denial• Revenge• Gender • Class• Violence

• Responsibility• Fate• Family • Gossip• Machismo• Vengeance• Pride • Conflict

• Redemption• Regret• Betrayal• Assumptions• Memory• Shame• Reputation• Duty• Religion

Write thematic statements for three of the above on word themes. You must use “betrayal” and “honor”; then select one more of your own choosing.

MEMORY

BETRAYAL

VIOLENCE

If you like Gabriel Garcia Marquez, you might also enjoy….

Ben Okri (Niger)Isabel Allende (Chile)Syl Cheney-Coker (Sierra Leone)Kojo Laing (Ghana)Allejo Carpentier (Cuba)Toni Morrison (USA)Mario Vargas Llosa (Peru)

Individual Writing: Pre-Discussion(this will go in your Study Log)

• Your personal reaction to the novella, thus far.• 3 things that you think merit group

discussion. • Locate an except to read aloud. Write it down,

MLA style.• Look at the list of themes/meaning in your PPT

notes; highlight 3-5 that seem most prevalent to you at this point in your reading.

Individual Writing: Pre-Discussion(this will go in your Study Log)

• Your personal reaction to the entire novella.• 3 things you think merit group discussion. • Locate an except to read aloud. Write it down, MLA

style.• Look at the list of themes/meaning in your PPT

notes; highlight 3-5 that seem most significant to the novella as a whole.

The Metamorphosis • Franz Kafka expresses

his views on the importance of life in his novel The Metamorphosis by illuminating the idea that a person has no value once he is unable to contribute to the greater whole.

• The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka is a story about alienation and how it can negatively effect the human psyche.

Something to consider….

To what extent can we know the truth about the past?