MARIA

María is a novel written by Colombian writer Jorge Isaacs between 1864 and 1867. It is a costumbrist  novel representative of the Spanish romantic movement. It may be considered a precursor of the criollist novel of the 1920s and 1930s in Latin America.

Despite being Isaacs' only novel, María is considered one of the most important works of 19th-century Spanish American literature. Alfonso M. Escudero characterized it as the greatest Spanish-language romantic novel. The romantic style of the novel has been compared to the one of Chateaubriand's Atala. Notable are the description of the landscape and the artistic style of the prose.

The novel has several autobiographical elements, such as both main characters being natives of Valle del Cauca, or Efraín's departure to Bogotá to pursue his studies. It has been claimed that Maria herself is based, at least in part, upon a cousin of the author. The hacienda "El Paraíso", owned by Isaacs' family, also figures as an important location throughout the novel; it is currently preserved as a museum.

The story narrates the idyllic and tragic love between María and her cousin Efraín, both natives of Valle del Cauca. In the middle of a romantic and bucolic landscape, the young characters fall in love with each other but circumstances prevent the full realization of their love. The first hurdle is Efraín's departure for six years to Bogotá, the capital of Colombia, in order to pursue his high school education. After Efraín returns to Valle del Cauca the couple is able to live together, albeit for only three months, before he is forced to travel to London in order to study medicine. Two years later Efraín returns to Colombia to find that María has died of illness. Heart-broken, Efraín decides to leave Cauca definitely, this time without a fixed destination.

1.    Where was Jorge Isaacs born?

A.    He was born in Cali

B.    He was born in London

C.   He was born in Caracas

D.   He was born in New York

2.    Costumbrist  and criollist are

A.    Literary movement in Latin America

B.    People who have many customs

C.   People who were born in Colombia

D.   Literary styles appeared in 1845

3.    Maria is compared to Atala because

A.    their main characters were natives of Valle del Cauca,

B.    The romantic style, the description of the landscape and the artistic style of the prose are similar.

C.   Chateaubriand and Isaacs were writers

D.   Both books were written at the same time

4.    What does Maria’s story narrate to the readers?

A.    The story narrates the idyllic love between María and her uncle Efraín

B.    The story tells the idyllic and tragic love between María and her cousin Efraín

C.   The romantic style of people in 19th-century.

D.   The story narrates the life and customs of  Valle Caucanos in 19th-century

5.    The phrase “the couple is able to live together, albeit for only three months”  means:

A.    They only lived together by three months.

B.    They didn’t live together.

C.   The lived together more than three months

D.   Maria and Efrain never lived.

JORGE ISAACS

JORGE ISAACS 

was born in April 1, 1837, Cali, Valle del Cauca, and he died in April 17, 1895, Ibague. He is a Colombian poet and novelist whose best work is Maria; it is published in 1867; Maria: A South American Romance was one of the most famous Latin-American novels of the 19th century.

The son of a prosperous English Jew, Isaacs received an excellent education. During the War of the Cauca (1860–63) he was reduced to poverty by the destruction of his estates. Settling in Bogotá in 1864, he published a slight volume of Poesies, which attracted considerable attention.

His father was George Henry Isaacs, an English Jew originally from Jamaica. He first settled in Chocó, Colombia, where he made a fortune from gold mining and trade with Jamaica. Then he moved to Cali where he converted to Christianity, bought his Colombian citizenship from Simon Bolivar and paid for it in cows. (There is a plaque on a bridge north of Bogota to commemorate this.) He married Manuela Ferrer Scarpetta, daughter of a Spanish Navy officer. He also owned two haciendas near Cali, called "La Manuelita" (named after his wife) and "El Paraíso". The latter would provide the setting for María. "El Paraiso" has been preserved as a museum, with emphasis upon its relation to the novel.

During the time of the civil wars Jorge Isaacs and his family went through a period of economic hardship. Isaacs tried unsuccessfully to become a merchant as his father.  Then he turned to literature and wrote his first poems between 1859 and 1860. During that time he also wrote several dramas of historical theme. Isaacs took arms again in 1860, this time against General Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera, and saw action in the Battle of Manizales during the Colombian Civil War. In 1861 Isaacs' father died; when the war ended Isaacs returned to Cali to take over the administration of his father's businesses, but he found them deeply in debt.

Choose the correct answer:

Jorge Isaacs was born in

A.    April 17, 1895

B.    April 1, 1837

C.   April 1, 1864

D.   April 17, 1867

How old was Jorge isaacs When he died?

A.    He was fifty-eight years old

B.    He was sixty-eight years old

C.   He was forty-five years old

D.   He was seventy-five years old

How long ago was “Maria” Written?

A.    It was written Ninety years ago

B.    This is the Birthday Number one hundred – thirty

C.   This is the hundredth birthday

D.   It was written one hundred and fifty years ago

The word hardship means

A.    Difficulty

B.    Abundance

C.   Prosperity

D.   Success

His father bought his Colombian citizenship with

A.    Horses

B.    Cows

C.   Estates

House

JORGE ISAACS

Jorge Isaacs is a Colombian Writer, He`s from Cali, He`s a Politician, novelist and poet.  His only novel is Maria. This is a book very famous.  It is a Romantic story. The book, based on romantic experiences tells the story of the tragic love of Maria and her cousin Efrain, in Valle del Cauca.  Maria is a beautiful girl.  She is white, thin and small.  Her hair is always combed with two braids.  Efrain abandons Valle del Cauca to continue his studies in Bogota. He leaves his cousin Maria in Valle del Cauca, he is fall in love with Maria, and he has a romance with her.

Efrain and Maria live together for some months, after Efrain travels to Europe to finish his education. Finally, Maria dies and Efrain returns to Colombia.  He is not happy.  He is very sad.

Choose the correct answer

1.    Jorge Isaacs is not a

A.   Writer

B.   Politicians

C.   Poet

D.   Lawyer

2.    Jorge Isaacs writes

A.   Two Novels

B.   Three Novels

C.   One Novel

D.   Six Novels

3.    Maria is Efrain’s _____________

A.   Cousin

B.   Sister

C.   Aunt

D.   Mother

4.    Maria is

A.   Tall, fat and white

B.   Small, thin and White

C.   Small, fat and Black

D.   White, Thin and tall

5.    Why Efrain is sad?

A.   Because Maria returns to Europe

B.   Because He returns to Europe

C.   Because Maria dies

D.   Because Maria combs her hair with two braids