A flashback (in Spanish, analepsis) interrupts the action to tell something that happened earlier. Sepúlveda uses this device in Un viejo que leía novelas de amor: the story opens with a gringo's body on the dock in El Idilio, and only later, in chapters 3 and 4, do we learn about Antonio José's past.
In this activity, pairs create a two-row storyboard. On top, they illustrate the moment in the present when the memory begins; below, the memory itself and what it reveals about the character. Then they answer: why did the author choose to tell the old man's life story at that point rather than at the beginning?
With students learning Spanish, use the activity to review the preterite and the imperfect: the memories are full of completed actions and descriptions of the past.
| FLASHBACK | WHAT IT REVEALS |
|---|---|
| The Wedding in San Luis | Antonio José and Dolores marry very young. Having no children, and the gossip that follows, push them to leave the highlands. |
| Arriving in the Amazon | They arrive in El Idilio as settlers, but the rains and disease defeat them. Dolores dies of malaria. |
| Life with the Shuar | The Shuar teach him to survive in the jungle. This explains how the old man can read an animal's tracks and wounds. |
| Nushiño's Death | Gold prospectors kill his friend. Antonio José avenges him without following the Shuar ritual and has to leave. |
| Discovering Reading | In old age, he discovers he can read and finds the romance novels that stay with him to the end. |
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Create a storyboard that shows the flashbacks in Un viejo que leía novelas de amor.
After chapter 4, have pairs find the exact sentence where the narration leaves the present and goes back to the past. That moment goes in the top row of the storyboard; the memory goes in the bottom row.
On the board, draw two lines: the present (the gringo's body, the ocelot, the hunt) and the past (the wedding in San Luis, arriving in the Amazon, life with the Shuar). Students see how the novel jumps between them.
For each flashback, pairs write what we learn about the character that we wouldn't know otherwise. For example, his life with the Shuar explains why the old man can read an animal's tracks and wounds.
The memories are full of completed actions and descriptions of the past. Have Spanish learners underline one example of each tense in the text; ask heritage speakers to explain why the author chose one or the other.
Close with the question: Why does Sepúlveda tell the old man's life story at that point and not at the beginning? Grade whether each flashback is correctly identified, distinguished from the present, and explained in terms of what it adds to the character.
The main ones are in chapters 3 and 4, which interrupt the present-day story to tell Antonio José's past: his wedding to Dolores in San Luis, their arrival in the Amazon, Dolores's death, life with the Shuar, Nushiño's death, and discovering he can read.
Plan for 45 to 50 minutes. Ideally, do it right after chapter 4, while the memories are fresh, and review it when students finish the novel. If you're also teaching the character transformation activity, do this one first: students will already have Antonio José's life in order.
Check that each flashback is correctly identified, that the top row shows the present and the bottom row the past, and that the explanation says what the memory adds to our understanding of the character. Since it's pair work, have each partner write at least two of the explanations.
For learners, provide the flashback titles and accept one-sentence explanations in the past tense. For heritage speakers, have them find the signals in the text that mark the jump to the past, such as shifts in verb tense or time expressions, and copy them into their storyboard.
Try: Why does the author start with the gringo's body instead of Antonio José's youth? Which memory best explains the way he hunts? Does your opinion of the old man change after chapters 3 and 4? The last one works well as a short written response.