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Satire
Definition of Setting
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the city of New York, or it can be an imagined... read full definition
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the city of New York, or... read full definition
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the... read full definition
Setting
Explanation and Analysis:
The novel is primarily set in the fictional town of Macondo, which is loosely based on Márquez's childhood town Aracataca in Colombia. Before writing One Hundred Years of Solitude, Márquez set a number of other stories in Macondo, and he also references it in his other novels. Macondo therefore establishes a connection between his various fictional works.
In the novel, Macondo is founded by José Arcadio Buendía and his wife, Úrsula Iguarán, as they leave their hometown, the real municipality of Riohacha in Colombia, after José Arcadio kills a man named Prudencio Aguilar for insulting him. With a small group of friends and followers, they travel for 14 months hoping to find the sea, but instead only reaching an enormous swamp. After having a dream about a city of mirrors, José Arcadio announces that they will found their city on the spot, and he gives it the name Macondo, serving as its first leader and carefully drawing out a design for the city in accord with his own idiosyncratic values and theories.
Initially, Macondo is a utopian if unusual village with about 20 houses, clear skies, and fertile land. Its geographic isolation from the outside world allows Macondo to develop its singularly unique character, as extraordinary events are as commonplace as daily life. Updates in science and technology often reach Macondo quite late, brought to the town by a group of travelers, identified as "gypsies" in the novel, who set up an annual fair to demonstrate new inventions, both technological and magical.
As the novel progresses, Macondo undergoes significant transformations that reflect the complicated history of Colombia. The town evolves from a minor settlement to a bustling hub influenced by the arrival of outsiders and technological advancements. The introduction of the railroad, the telegraph, and the banana company mark periods of rapid modernization and ultimately violent exploitation, leading to significant social and environmental changes. The once-isolated town becomes the site of political struggles and social upheavals, mirroring the tumultuous history of Colombia and Latin America at large.
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