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SPAN4703 CULTURAL DILEMMAS II Essay Title:

'El amor el los tiempos del clera is a Realist rather than a Romantic novel. Analyse Gabriel Garca Mrquezs novel in the light of this statement.

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Student Number: 707690

'El amor el los tiempos del clera is a Realist rather than a Romantic novel. Analyse Gabriel Garca Mrquezs novel in the light of this statement. Gabriel Garca Mrquezs El amor en los tiempos del clera (1985) is regarded by many to be the Colombians most accomplished work. It is a novel which dees rigid categorisation by its unique mix of thematic and stylistic features. Some critics, such as Bell-Villada, assert that the work is an intentional return to nineteenth-century realism and that outright fantasy is not to be found in this novel (Pelayo, 2001: 8). Others challenge this, however, pointing out that the text also contains many Romantic notions which make it a pastiche of the two genres (Pelayo, 2001). Indeed, with a close analysis of the text, this latter view is shown to be much more accurate. The clearest way in which the reader can see the novels mix of styles is in its presentation and exploration of love, which is its central motif. El amor can in fact be seen as a compendium of love as it touches on every type of heterosexual affection, from the Romantic notion, which is adolescent and forbidden by the father gure, to the wider realities of life, including aspects of marriage, fornication and old age. Working with this fundamentally romantic theme, Garca Mrquez deals with the subject from new, and at times uncomfortable, angles which reect a Realist attempt at faithfully capturing the world around us. This being said, however, the categorisation of the novel is complicated by other, more Romantic elements which go against this general sense of realism. Although perhaps not as frequent or pronounced as the magical realism of Cien aos de soledad, it should not be ignored that there are various instances and implications in the novel which reect an idealised, non-realistic view of the world. This essay will therefore argue that although El amor follows many of the conventions of the 19th century Realist novel, the adoption of many Romantic elements prevents its categorisation as a purely Realist work. El amor can be said to deal with a Romantic theme from a Realist outlook, subversively combining the two genres in a mix of homage and parody. !
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In one sense, there are many aspects of El amor which might support the statement

in question. It is clear that the work attempts to reect the style of the Realist novel as this was part of the expressed intent of the author, who claimed, Yo trat de escribir una novela del siglo XIX, como si fuera escrita en el siglo XIX (Almera, 1997: 227). The Realist school, exemplied best by Galds in Spain, Dickens in England, and Balzac in France, attempted to provide a faithful and dispassionate reection of reality in their works. As Turner comments, the aim was to reproduce life as objectively as possible, depicting things as they really are (2003: 81). This produced a literary outlook which, in reaction to the idyllic vision presented by the Romantics, sought to include every aspect of life, including many of the less pleasant elements which previous generations of authors had shunned. ! Such a concern is apparent in the way El amor deals with the subject of romance as

it attempts to portray every variety of love which one might experience in life. In broad strokes, the love story begins in chapter two, which depicts the teenage love affair between Fermina and Florentino. This is the section that adopts the Romantic notion of love, which is adolescent, idealised, forbidden and doomed to failure. The romantic tone of the section is perhaps best exemplied in Florentinos learning la direccin de los vientos in order for them to carry the sound of La Diosa Coronada to his beloveds ears (El amor: 97). There is an abrupt and rather jarring break with this dreamy romance when Fermina suddenly comes to her senses and rejects Florentino. This rejection also represents a break with the Romantic conception of love, introducing the perhaps more realistic forms which are to follow. Chapter three, in presenting the rst of these real life scenarios of love, deals with the topic of courtship and marriage. In contrast with the Romantic novel, which in many cases depicted marriage as a loveless prison, El amor shows that husband and wife do share a true and unique form of love. By depicting the nuances of the marriage relationship and the expressions of love which is fosters, Garca Mrquez
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challenges the stereotypical Romantic notion that marriage signies an end to romance. On the contrary, there is just as much sincerity and romantic spirit in Dr. Jubenal as there is in Florentino, yet it is of a less idealised nature. While this chapter deals with the traditionally acceptable and socially sanctioned form of love, chapter four traces Florentinos experience of solitary, selsh love and his foray into the world of clandestine sexuality. Here the novel explores the physical and sexual aspect of love, which is shown in some ways to be an endless search for fullment. Florentinos experience of sexual love outside of marriage is mirrored in chapter ve by Dr. Jubenals adulterous exploits, which from another angle, show the effect of loves which transgress the connes of marriage. The nal romantic aspect which is presented in the novel is that of octogenarian love. This, of all the areas covered by Garca Mrquez is perhaps the least conventional and the most awkward for the reader. With unblushing candidness, the author portrays the unromanticized reality of the human body in the winter of life, such as the unpleasant description of Ferminas body, Tena los hombros arrugados, los senos cados y el costillar forrado de un pellejo plido y fro como el de una rana (El amor: 431). But at the same time as this, he conveys the gentle sincerity of a love which carries with it the wisdom of a lifetime of experiences. The novel therefore in offering this variety of angles on the topic of love, strays from the typical Romantic plot and focuses the majority of the text on less often explored areas. The wide view which the novel adopts in an attempt to capture the totality of real life, can therefore be seen as the outworking of a Realist agenda. !

Apart from betraying a Realist outlook that attempts to reproduce the full variety of

life, the novel also perpetuates many of the specic thematic tendencies of the genre. Firstly, the Realist novel conventionally represented the life of the newly formed middle class, which according to Benito Prez Galds was, la ms olvidada por nuestros
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novelistas, es el gran modelo, la fuente inagotable (Correa, 1964: 99). This was in contrast to the Romantic novel which tended to be xated on the nobility and the upper class. As Galds outlined in a lecture on his technique, the Realist novel took la sociedad presente como materia novelable, and this for 19th century Spain largely meant the depiction of a society in ux: moving from agrarianism to industrialism and from feudalism to capitalism (1897: 2). This concentration on the rise of industrialism and the middle class is evident in El amor when one considers the types of characters which it contains. The principle characters of the story are all members of the edgling middle class and any working class characters that do appear are kept peripheral to the story. The reader is presented, for instance, with the modern businessman in the character of Lorenzo Daza, who represents the desperation of the middle classes in their aspiration for upward social mobility. It is clear that Ferminas success is Lorenzos ticket into the upper echelons of society as he is driven by la posibilidad de volver a nacer con un matrimonio de fortuna (El amor: 110). This unfavourable view of the aspirations of the middle classes is in keeping with Galds philosophy that the Realist novel should depict both the positive and negative aspects of contemporary society (Correa, 1964). The growth of industry, and specically the rise of steamboat transport, is also depicted in Florentinos job a the Compaia Fluvial del Caribe. His ascent to the top of the company depicts another avenue of social mobility which emerged in the 19th century. The fact of Florentinos illegitimate birth is also highlighted in typical Realist fashion in order to point out the struggles and stigmas of a society that still bore the weight of tradition. This focus on the middle classes and the rise of industrialism therefore reveals another fundamentally Realist feature to be found in the text. ! ! In terms of narrative technique, El amor can also be seen to reect the Realist

genre by its descriptive detail and exactitude. In the context of the 19th century, the Realist
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school was heavily inuenced by the advance of scientic methods, and its extremely detailed descriptive style can be seen to be an attempt at literary empiricism. Galds formula held that la novela ha de basarse en la observacin y mantenerse el a la realidad (Correa, 1964: 100). This translated in practice into the proliferation of minute details, long descriptions and the provision of dates and times. Such a style is perfectly exhibited in novels such as Galds Fortunata y Jacinta (1886) and Clarins La Regenta (1884) with their lengthy descriptions of characters, clothing, customs and speech, which are placed in a denite time period by the inclusion of exact times (Turner, 2003). We see a similar style at work in El amor where, as Wilson comments, Garca Mrquez makes an endless array of lists, lists of objects left by men in a brothel; lists of what doctors did in the the old hospital to ward off germs; lists of exotic fruits in a market (1989: 280). We also see it reected in the exactness of time in the novel, such as the statement of Florentinos waiting cincuenta y tres aos, siete meses y once das con sus noches (El amor: 443). Although the narrative of El amor cannot be said to contain the same amount of copious detail as La Regenta, for example, it nonetheless reveals an attempt to present an authentic and somewhat complete reality. These technical elements, along with the themes discussed above, appear to place the novel within the Realist style versus the Romantic. ! " However, having proven that the novel reects many of the conventions of the

Realist novel, in order to give a balanced view of the text it is necessary to point out that it also contains many distinctively Romantic elements. It can be claimed that the novel, at its core, exhibits a fundamental perpetuation of a romantic view of love. Although the novel purports to adhere to a realistic vision of the world, there are various instances which disrupt the texts supposed verisimilitude. Firstly, in considering the novels discussion of the topic of love, it has been shown that the typically Romantic view is presented along
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with various other expressions and forms. It may be argued however, that although the other aspects are depicted, the Romantic view is the one which is vindicated as being the most enduring. This is supported by the fact that the novel seems to come full circle in its depiction of love. It beings with the adolescent delirium of romantic perfection, then is broken up by fty years of marriage, solitude, adultery and death, only to come back to an idealised, happy-ever-after conclusion. The couples literal sailing off into the sunset can be taken to show that their teenage love affair was the most genuine expression of love to be found in the novel. This reading is supported by the fact that neither of the two main characters appear to have found true love in any other place throughout the course of their separation. It is revealed that Fermina Daza was never truly in love with Dr. Jubenal, and Florentino, despite all of his escapades, never forgets his rst love, in a way justifying his claim, me he conservado virgen para ti (El amor: 432). The ultimate implication of the novels presentation of love can therefore be seen as the afrmation that the Romantic conception is indeed the most enduring. Marriage can last for decades, and sexual encounters can offer momentary pleasure, but the undying, enduring and eternal love is that decidedly Romantic affair between Florentino and Fermina in their youth. ! ! Through the course of the novel there also other elements which reveal a Romantic

inuence. Firstly, the reader sees the perfect reection of the typical Romantic poet in the characterisation of Florentino. Garca Mrquez may be seen to pay homage to the genre in the portrayal of the protagonist as the stereotypically languid, sombre, pale Romantic artist. But at the same time as this, he also imbues the character with the deathly seriousness and loving desperation typical of the Romantic hero. In the same way as Avellanedas Sab (1841), the novel makes it clear that Florentino is willing to die for his love, and indeed that not being united with Fermina puts him in danger of death. The symptoms of Florentinos lovesickness bear a striking resemblance to those of cholera,
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proving, as Kline comments, that el amor para Mrquez es una peste (2003: 176). The desperation of Florentino, reecting the Romantic norm, is best exemplied in the statement, No hay mayor gloria que morir por amor (El amor: 111). It can also be claimed that the characterisation of Fermina fulls the typical Romantic glorication and idealisation of the heroine. Her chastity, elegance and beauty are typical of the heroines of the Romantic novel. ! ! Perhaps the most important element, however, in the disruption of a Realist style in

the novel is the apparently non-mimetic conclusion which is presented in the nal chapter. Whereas the novel up until this point has progressed in a supposedly realistic manner, with the constant breaking of Romantic expectations, the ending of the story does not do this. In contrast to Ferminas rejection of Florentino in chapter two which introduces other Realist aspects of live, the ending of the story allows the Romantic dream to play out. There is an open ended, idealistic tone in Florentinos nal afrmation that their love will continue toda la vida (El amor: 443). Borland argues that it this non-mimetic ending which ultimately subverts the novels traditional design (1991: 175). This can be seen as an example of fantastical elements in the story, alongside such instances as the ghost spotted on the river and Florentinos purchase of the mirror which once reected the image of his beloved. Such elements function to splinter the Realism of the novel and introduce a certain romanticism into the text.

In conclusion, it has been shown that the statement in question is not wholly

accurate. Although the novel does indeed exhibit many of the conventions of the Realist genre, it cannot be said to t entirely into this style as there are a variety of Romantic elements apparent throughout. On the one hand, the novel shows a Realist agenda in its attempt to present a compendium of love. El amor touches on almost every kind of
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heterosexual affection, from youthful infatuation, to marriage and nally old age romance. In this survey the novel displays both highly romantic notions, such as Florentinos love songs and letters, and lifes somewhat grotesque practicalities on the other, such as the wilted skin and pungent odours of the ageing human body. This inclusivity can be seen to be an expression of the Realist desire to capture the realities of the world. Apart from this, the novel also fulls Realist conventions in its particular narrative style and thematic focus on the virtues and vices of the middle class. But even though El amor does show all these signs of a Realist agenda, it ultimately betrays this genre by perpetuating certain Romantic topoi. Of all the expressions of love, the one which is ultimately enduring is the Romantic one. It is the youthful, forbidden, idealised love between Florentino and Fermina that eventually resurfaces and is vindicated. Other elements, such as the characterisation of the protagonists, also t in with the Romantic genre. Ultimately, as it has been shown, the novel displays a unique mix of the two styles. It deals with the great Romantic topic, love, deconstructing it and showing it from all the pleasant and unpleasant angles, in order to nally reafrm its virtue. El amor en los tiempos del clera is neither purely a Romantic nor a Realist work, but is a modern pastiche of the two.

! Bibliography

Student Number: 707690

Almeria, Luis, La parodia en El amor en los tiempos del clera, Revista de Crtica Literaria Latinoamericana, No. 46 (1997), pp. 225-234 Borland, Isabel, Interior texts in El amor en los tiempos del clera, Hispanic Review, Vol. 59, No. 2 (1991), pp. 175-186 Bloom, Harold, Love in the Time of Cholera, in Blooms How to Write about Gabriel Garca Mrquez, (Infobase: New York, 2010), pp. 205-223 Correa, Gustavo, Perez Galdos y su concepcin del novelar, Thesaurus, Vol. 19, No. 1 (1964), <cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/thesaurus/pdf/19/TH_19_001_103_0.pdf> (Accessed 30/04/2011) Fiddian, Robin, A Prospective Post-Script: Apropos of Love in the Times of Cholera, in Gabriel Garca Mrquez: Blooms Modern Critical Views (ed. Bloom, Harold), (Yale, 2007) Gacra Mrquez, Gabriel, El amor en los tiempos del clera, (Mondadori: Madrid, 1985) Kline, Carmenza, Los orgenes del relato: Los lazos entre ccin y realidad en la obra de Gabriel Garca Mrquez, (Salamanca, 2003) Prez Galds, Benito, La sociedad presente como materia novelable (Lecture given at the Real Academia Espaola), (Madrid, 1897) Pelayo, Ruben, Love in the Time of Cholera, in Gabriel Garca Mrquezs Love in the Time of Cholera (ed. Harold Bloom), (Philadelphia: 2005), pp. 3-28 http://books.google.co.uk/books? id=TiWp5cQpyuAC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Turner, Harriet, The Realist Novel, in The Cambridge Companion to the Spanish Novel, (Cambridge, 2003), pp. 81-101 Wilson, Jason, Happy Endings, Third World Quarterly, Vol. 11, No. 4 (1989), pp. 279-282 Watt, Ian, Realism and the Novel Form, in The Realist Novel (ed. Walder, Dennis), (London, 2005), pp. 219-230,<http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=FE1G7mrmDrkC&lpg=PA219&ots=8l2ua8Cqgh&dq=realist %20novel&lr&pg=PA222#v=onepage&q&f=false>

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