Study Guide Chronicle of a Death Foretold

by Gabriel Garca Mrquez

Working with precision, he [Garca Mrquez] assembles the grotesque, the hilarious, and the
surreal into a mosaic frieze carrying a message: silence, no change.
--Los Angeles Times
According to the Brooklyn Public Library, the story in Chronicle of a
Death Foretold is based on actual incidents that occurred in Sucre,
Colombia, where Gabriel Garcia Marquez lived. On January 22, 1951,
brothers Victor and Joaquin Chica Sales murdered 22-year-old medical
student, Cayetano Gentile Chimento, the son of the richest family in
town. The brothers murdered him because he allegedly deflowered
their sister, who was returned to her family on her wedding night. As in
the novel, the rejected bride continued to live alone for years after the
murder. These events occurred while Gabriel Garcia Marquez was in
college studying journalism (like the narrator of the novel) and he knew
some of the people involved.
The Basics: This book
Has 120 pages and five unnamed chapters
Was published in Spanish in 1981 by Colombian author, Gabriel Garca Mrquez
Was translated to English by Gregory Rabassa
Inquiry:
How does the fact that this book is based on a true story affect your reaction?
What motivated Garcia Marquez to write this novel?
What is the point of the novel? (What is Gabriel Garcia Marquez saying about his culture?)
How does this work reflect the human condition?
Objectives:
Students will analyze and reflect upon this literary work with academic rigor using critical
approaches. They will understand the influences of cultural beliefs on actions and inactions and
consider the implications of social responsibility in their own lives as IB and LAS students.
LAS Assessments:
Formative: Chapter quizzes, discussions, annotations, notes
Summative: Written assignments, LAS final exam
IB Assessment: Part 4 Individual Oral Presentation/January 2016
Strategies:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Closely read and annotate

Keep a readers notebook
Discuss-contribute to conversations and listen actively
Inquire and pursue interests
Complete all assignments on time

Skills:
IB close reading, critical thinking, and analytical writing
Vocabulary and text structure recognition
machismo, marianismo, chronicle, omen, apostolic, clamor, funereal, falconry,
ephemeral, ubiquitous, galvanize, asylum, posthumous, retinue, Saracen
Public speaking and better listening
Presentation and language for appropriate audience and purpose

Digital literacy and technology including google.docs and sites

Schedule: See website calendar for details

Week 1-Chapters 1 and 2
Week 2-Chapters 3 and 4
Week 3-Chapter 5
Resources:
Chronicle of a Death Foretold resources and study guide/materials
LAS Library Database

Based on a true story

Legal Background

Literary Devices

CS Monitor Book Review

NY Times Book Review

jstor scholarly comparison

Scholarly Concerns

EE style Magical Realism

Magical Realism emory.edu

For consideration

Garca Mrquez Style

Analysis/EE example

*Annotate your book as you notice connections, important ideas and any of the following:
Grammar-the relationships of the words in sentences
Vocabulary-the authors choice of individual words
Figures of speech-the rhetorical devices used to give decoration and imaginative
expression to literature, such as simile or metaphor
Literary devices-the devices commonly used in literature to give added depth to the
work, such as imagery or symbolism
Tone-the authors attitude to the subject as revealed in the manner of the writing
Style-the authors particular choice and combination of all these features of writing which
creates a recognizable and distinctive manner of writing
Chapter 1: A first person narrator tells the story of a murder that took place 27-years ago.
The victim, Santiago Nasar, is a wealthy landowner in a small Colombian town
He wakes after a night of partying and dresses in his formal clothes to go see the
bishop arrive. The bishop is coming to bless the town.
Santiago stops in the kitchen for coffee laced with alcohol, and is served by the
cooks beautiful daughter, Divina.
The cook, Victoria Guzman, sees Santiagos interest in her daughter and she
threatens him.
Reflecting back in time, Santiagos mother, Placida Linero, remembers him
saying that "He'd dreamed he was going through a grove of timber trees where a gentle
drizzle was falling, and for an instant he was happy in his dream, but when he awoke he
felt completely spattered with bird shit."
What does all this mean? Keep reading!