The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Gabriel García Márquez
- First Published: 1968
- Type of Plot: Magical Realism
- Time of Work: The twentieth century
- Setting: A small, barren fishing village, perhaps in colonial South America
- Principal Characters: The handsome drowned man, The villagers, The oldest woman
- Genres: Short fiction, Magical Realism
- Subjects: Villages, Death or dying, Imagination, Fishing or fishermen
The Story
Significantly, “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” begins with the children of the seaside fishing village. They see the drowned man floating ashore; at first they think he is an enemy ship, then a whale. The discovery that he is a drowned man does not dampen their sense of play at all: They proceed, in the beach sand, to bury and dig him up repeatedly. Responsible adults see the drowned man and take over. The village men carry the body to the village, noting that the drowned man is enormously heavy, tall, and encrusted with ocean debris. Even though his...
[The entire page is 1525 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
See Also
