Look into other forms of "fantastic" literature, such as fairy tales, science fiction, mythology, superhero comics, or folk legends. Choose specific works of at least two different types and compare their styles and techniques to those of ''magic realism'' as represented by this story.

Compare the manner in which García Márquez treats the traditional idea of angels in ''A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings’’ with the way angels are represented or interpreted elsewhere, in some other work or media. Potential sources include feature films, television shows, religious or inspirational literature, and advertising.

Be an amateur ‘‘magic realist,’’ loosely following the formula García Márquez employed for ''A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings.'' For this assignment, your "village" is any other story you have already studied; the ''angel'' will be another character you introduce from ‘‘outside'' the story, chosen because he or she seems totally alien to the sense of the story as you have come to know it. It could be a character from outside literature: a pop culture celebrity, a representative from another time or culture - anyone who seems not to belong at all in the world constructed by the author of your story. Rewrite or outline the story, incorporating the view-point of your new character and making the other characters respond to their ill-fitting new companion.