Faculty News

Literature & Writing: Manuel Gonzales

Meet faculty member Manuel Gonzales, who is teaching Reading One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez as part of the Bennington Early College Program

Image of Manuel GonzalesBennington Early College Program: Literature and Writing 
Fiction: Reading One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Taught by Manuel Gonzales
Tuesdays, 6:00-8:00 pm EST | October 13, 20, 27, and November 3

 

Q&A with Manuel Gonzales

What excites you about teaching Reading One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez?

One Hundred Years of Solitude was the first novel I read that made me realize that the world of fiction is limitless.

I knew you could have magic and horror in storytelling, but those notions, as far as I knew, belonged in fantasy and horror novels, and to see these same elements allowed in such a big, fabulous piece of literature blew my mind, and I'm looking forward to blowing everyone else's minds and having my own mind blown again. 

Marquez is a brilliant, gorgeous writer—bold and brave and exciting—and I can't wait to dive in again.

One Hundred Years of Solitude was the first novel I read that made me realize that the world of fiction is limitless.

What do you hope students will gain from this course?

I hope students will learn just how much you can do within the world of fiction, how you can create a piece that spans generations and space and time, but how that work can also focus on the smallest moment, the emotional weight of people and relationships, and it's funny and full of heartbreak and magic. All contained in one incredible book?

Even just looking closely at this novel, being part of a discussion of it with other enthusiastic students, I believe they'll gain loads through that alone.

What are you reading right now?

This summer, I've read Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead (one of the most satisfying reading experiences I've had in a long long time).

I'm teaching a spy novel/detective fiction workshop in the fall and am reading and re-reading in preparation for that: When with there be good news by Kate Atkinson, The Likeness by Tana French, Fadeout by Joseph Hansen, and Bluebird Bluebird by Attica Locke.

I'm listening to the debut novel The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman, and it's a delightful cozy mystery to listen to while cleaning house and running errands.

What publications have you had recently?

My short story Neon Lights was recently produced by Audible Originals.

Do you have any pets?

Two! A cat, Fred (short for Winifred), and a dog, Georgia.

About the Bennington Early College Program

The Bennington Early College Program is a suite of one-credit online courses for high school, gap year, and college students. Programs are offered in Literature and Writing, Social and Environmental Justice, and Politics, Power, and Society. 

Bennington Early College Program course fees are refundable for students who later apply to Bennington's undergraduate program.