Also, in the Caribbean, we are capable of believing anything, because we have the influences of [Indian, pirate, African, and European] cultures, mixed in with Catholicism and our own local beliefs. I think that gives us an open-mindedness to look beyond apparent reality (Sidelights, 2006). Similarly, Love in the Time of Cholera, set between the decades f the 1870s and 1930s, tells the story of a man who waits over fifty-one years to be with the woman he loves. Not only is this a story of first love and its ability to transcend time and space, but of the true nature of that love and how, despite any number of intrusive events (wars, political issues, other relationships), this celebration of such feeling goes to the very heart Marquez's optimism about the human spirit.

Aging then, is what seems to make Florentino and Fermina, our Romeo and Juliet, understand that it is the very cyclical nature of humans (aging, decay and death), that come into everyone's life regardless of their social status, political leanings, or wealth and heritage. It is also a testament to the power of sensuality and the notion that indeed, youth is wasted upon the young. As well, despite the eventual bliss the two lovers attain, they are not the same people they were when they made their vow of love. The world, too, is not the same, and for Marquez, is somewhat apocalyptic in nature. As their love is finally set free to grow, the fluidity of the external landscape has changed so much that even nature has been reduced to a series of altercations and disambiguity. Magically, though, it is this transversal...

He has served as a role model for thousands, and indeed brought the plight and world of Latin America to millions. His importance to the literary world is untenable, and his inclusion in the literary canon of influential writers of the late twentieth century should be a foregone conclusion. "No one can deny that Garcia Marquez has helped rejuvenate, reformulate, and decontextualized literatyre and criticism in Colombia and the rest of Latin America" (Sims, 1994).
REFERENCES and WORKS CONSULTED

Abrams, M. (2004). A Glossary of Literary Terms, 8th ed. Heinle Press.

Bell-Villada, G., ed. (2005) Conversations with Gabriel Garcia Marquez. University Press of Mississippi.

Esquivel, L. (1998). Like Water for Chocolate. Anchor Books.

Hamilos, P. (April 2, 2009). "Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Literary Giant, Lays Down His

Pen." The Guardian. Cited in:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/apr/02/columbia-gabriel-garcia-marquez-books

Martin, G. (2009). Gabriel Garcia Marquez: A Life. New York: Knopf.

McCurry, J. (2003). "Review -- the General in His Labyrinth" Tryst3.com. Cited in:

http://www.tryst3.com/news/archives/news_reviews2.html

Nichols, John. (2000). The Milagro Beanfield War. McMillan.

Perkins, G. And B. Perkins. (2008). The American Tradition in Literature. McGraw

Hill.

Sidelights. (August 9, 2006). "Love in the Time of Cholera." Caboodles Book Club in a Bag. Cited in:

http://www.library.pima.gov/books/caboodle/guides/marquez-love-bio.pdf

Sims, R. (1994). "Dominant, Residual, and Emergent." Latin American Research Reiew.

29 (2): 223-4.

Zamora, L. And W. Faris. (1995). Magical Realism: Theory, History, Community.