Of Love and Other Demons

I am about 2/3 of the way through this book by Gabriel Marquez and am really enjoying it. He has a very distinct writing style in this book. Marquez uses flowery language and writes in long, winding sentences. The following is a classic example: "She ended with a furious denunciation of Cayetano's Delaura's arrogance, his free thinking, his personal animosity toward her, and the abusiveness of his bringing food into the convent in defiance of the prohibitions of their rule." (94). I love Marquez's diction. However, (I am not sure I'm allowed to admit this as an English teacher) I tend to lose patience with such elevated diction in longer texts. This story seems to be an exception to my general boredom with excessively flowery language. Somehow Marquez's slow-rolling sentences fit the twisted plot well. The lofty words he uses make it easier for me to put myself into an 18th century South American setting. They help me to believe the story of a golden-haired girl who has been inprisoned in a convent as a result of a rabid dog's bite. They help me feel compassion for Father Cayentano Delaura as he falls in love with the girl he is sent to perform an exorcism on. Marquez's words lull me into his odd tale and keep me reading for more. This is a strange strange story. But I am eager to find out what happens in the end...