Narrative Style in the Modern Latin American Novel

The modern Latin American novel addresses the dehumanization experienced by people in the city. It is characterized by the use of magic, dreams, and fantasy, experimenting with new narrative techniques and the search for special items in everyday reality.

The Incorporation of the Subconscious

Sleep plays a very important role in these novels because it is the means of expressing the subconscious. This requires the use of new techniques like interior monologue.

The Presence of Death

In most Latin American novels of this stage, death is at the core—a central idea or a very significant element. It highlights the transience of earthly joy and, at the same time, underscores the value of life. This requires addressing issues of life and the mysteries of its end.

Temporary Break of Linearity

Chronological time is supplanted by psychic time, which is measured only by moments of anguish or happiness, resulting in a fragmented narrative on several levels. As in any narrative work, we must distinguish between:

• The time of the story: The period in which events unfold.
• The time of the narrative: The way in which the narrator makes the action known.

The Irrational

"Irrationalism becomes a specific attribute of the novel and an essential indication of reality," in the words of Ernesto Sabato. It involves losing coherence and clarity in favor of a greater truth about man.

Experiments with Language

Through the rhythms of popular speech, without becoming too regional or local, these works reflect the Hispanic-speaking countries they belong to. The narrative avoids clichés and orderly syntax to suggest ambiguity and a plurality of meanings. It also seeks the complicity of the reader, who must decode the novels as they read.

Sense of the Sacred Body

Sex is presented as completely free from inhibitions. It is a means to attempt a level of communication that wards off the terrible loneliness of man. Through it, the character makes a supreme attempt at communication through love.

All these features are present in the novels and stories by Gabriel García Márquez and, of course, are also covered in Chronicle of a Death Foretold.