Markers of Colombian National Identity in Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s «One Hundred Years of Solitude»

This research article conducts a comprehensive analysis of the markers of national identity in Gabriel García Márquez’s novel «One Hundred Years of Solitude». The primary objective is to identify and interpret the linguistic and cultural parameters that shape the artistic embodiment of Colombian and, more broadly, Latin American identity. The methodological framework is based on linguocultural commentary, textuality analysis, and the examination of the interaction between semiotic components. The study systematizes key markers representing the hybrid nature of Colombian society: autochthonous lexemes from Wayuu, Nahuatl, and Taíno languages; anthroponyms and toponyms; religious and expressive vocabulary; phraseology; and symbolic imagery. Particular attention is paid to the role of the Colombian national variant of the Spanish language, including the use of regionalisms and Anglicisms. The study’s scholarly contribution lies in interpreting the novel as a linguocultural code where the dialectical interaction of historical memory, cultural synthesis, and linguistic diversity constructs a unique model of «Colombianness». The research demonstrates that the fictional space of Macondo serves as a microcosm accumulating collective experience and ethno-cultural stereotypes. The identified markers — ranging from historical and political allusions to linguistic peculiarities and cultural symbols — function not merely as cultural realia but as profound symbols organizing the novel’s artistic space. The findings contribute to philological and cultural studies by proposing a systematic approach to the analysis of Latin American literary text through the lens of identity. The study demonstrates that «One Hundred Years of Solitude» can be understood as an artistic model of Colombian identity, in which the macrocosm of national history is concentrated within the microcosm of Macondo.

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