Colonel Aureliano Buendia between irony, apocalypse and mythology

Employing Julie Sanders’ theoretical frame, which sets a clear-cut distinction between adaptation and appropriation, this paper argues that Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude, as represented by the idiosyncratic pursuits of the character of Colonial Aureliano Buendia, appropriates the Narcissus myth. The proposed appropriation of the Narcissus myth invokes the myth of grounding, which ultimately situates the novel in an apocalyptic world that not only resonates with irony but also helps negotiate the social and political implications of the history of Colombia, which serves as a macrocosm that mirrors the disillusioned life of Colonial Aureliano Beundia. The Narcissus myth, capturing the capricious narrative of grounding in miniature, dramatizes García Márquez’s ironic representation of a hero and a nation who, like Narcissus himself, internalize a deterministic reality.