About The General in His Labyrinth, by Gabriel García Márquez: The Ritornello of Disease

Abstract

This article seeks to expand the literary criticism on Gabriel García Márquez’s novel The General in His Labyrinth (1989) about the last days of Simón Bolívar (1783-1830). First, I describe the context in which the novel was created and examine the most established interpretations of this work, which read the novel either as an exaltation or as a de-mythification of Bolívar. I also consider more complex interpretations of the novel that combines these two perspectives. Finally, I examine use of the trope of ritornello to show how García Márquez brings us a political teaching on the need for reconciliation.