A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings | Essays and Criticism

  • Effects of Magic Realism

    In the following essay, this author explores the peculiar effects of magic realism as a literary style employed in ''A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings.''

  • Aspects of Narrative Structure in The Incredible and Sad Story of the Innocent Erendira and her Heartless Grandmother

    In the following excerpt, this author provides an overview of the symmetrical structure of the stories in The Incredible and Sad Story of the Innocent Erendira and her Heartless Grandmother, including ‘‘A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings,'' detailing the opening of each story with the arrival of an invading presence which causes widespread change in the life patterns of the characters, and the conclusion with a departure which completes the natural cycle.

  • The Logic of Wings: Garcia Marquez, Todorov, and the Endless Resources of Fantasy

    In the following excerpt, Gerlach examines ‘‘A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings’’ as a fantasy in which Garcia Marquez employs language, similes, and satire to both destroy and evoke an appropriate reaction to a mythic subject. Gerlach also offers his interpretation of the role of the narrator, asserting that the narrator uses two levels of distortion to contrast the human folly of the villagers with the more desirable traits (such as patience) of the old man.