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María · Chapters

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Chapter companions for María by Jorge Isaacs.

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  1. Chapter 1

    Translator's Note

    The translator's note explains the decision to leave certain Cauca localisms untranslated, as they have no English or Spanish equivalent, and acknowledges the assistance of Señor Carlos Martinez Silva LL.D. in the translation process.

  2. Chapter 2

    María

    This opening chapter introduces the novel's setting and narrator, Efraín, as he returns to his native valley after years of absence. The narrative is rich with sensory descriptions of the landscape, evoking memory and emotion. Efraín's arrival is marked by a deep sense of homecoming, and he is immediately reunited with his family, including his father and his beloved María, setting the stage for the story's central relationships and themes.

  3. Chapter 3

    I

    Efraín recalls his departure from home as a boy to study in Bogotá. The night before, his sister cuts a lock of his hair as a keepsake, and he is filled with sorrow and foreboding. The next morning, his father must loosen his mother's embrace, and María, his cousin, shyly bids him farewell. As he rides away with his father, he looks back and sees María behind the creeper by his mother's window.

  4. Chapter 4

    II

    Efraín returns to his native valley after six years, overwhelmed by the beauty of the landscape and the joy of reuniting with his family. He is particularly struck by María, who now appears as a young woman, and the chapter captures the emotional homecoming and the first stirrings of his love for her.

  5. Chapter 5

    III

    The family gathers for supper, with Efraín seated opposite María. The evening is filled with quiet observations and subtle glances. Afterward, Efraín is shown his room, which María has decorated with flowers. Their brief exchange reveals a growing connection.

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  1. Chapter 6IV
  2. Chapter 7V
  3. Chapter 8VI
  4. Chapter 9VII
  5. Chapter 10VIII
  6. Chapter 11IX
  7. Chapter 12X
  8. Chapter 13XI
  9. Chapter 14XII
  10. Chapter 15XIII
  11. Chapter 16XIV
  12. Chapter 17XV
  13. Chapter 18XVI
  14. Chapter 19XVII
  15. Chapter 20XVIII
  16. Chapter 21XIX
  17. Chapter 22XX
  18. Chapter 23XXI
  19. Chapter 24XXII
  20. Chapter 25XXIII
  21. Chapter 26XIV
  22. Chapter 27XXV
  23. Chapter 28XXVI
  24. Chapter 29XXVII
  25. Chapter 30XXVIII
  26. Chapter 31XXIX
  27. Chapter 32XXX
  28. Chapter 33XXXI
  29. Chapter 34XXXII
  30. Chapter 35XXXIII
  31. Chapter 36XXXIV
  32. Chapter 37XXXV
  33. Chapter 38XXXVI
  34. Chapter 39XXXVII
  35. Chapter 40XXXVIII
  36. Chapter 41XXXIX
  37. Chapter 42XL
  38. Chapter 43XLI
  39. Chapter 44XLII
  40. Chapter 45XLIII
  41. Chapter 46XLIV
  42. Chapter 47XLV
  43. Chapter 48XLVI
  44. Chapter 49XLVII
  45. Chapter 50XLVIII
  46. Chapter 51XLIX
  47. Chapter 52L
  48. Chapter 53LI
  49. Chapter 54LII
  50. Chapter 55LIII
  51. Chapter 56LIV
  52. Chapter 57LV
  53. Chapter 58LVI
  54. Chapter 59LVII
  55. Chapter 60LVIII
  56. Chapter 61LIX