ist ▁style ▁his ▁port ray al ▁of ▁The ▁Z any ' s ▁psych ic ▁processes ▁in ▁which ▁" language ▁sometimes ▁breaks ▁apart ▁into ▁in com pre hens ible ▁sounds ". ▁This ▁allows ▁Ast ur ias ▁to ▁present ▁the ▁real ▁and ▁imag inary , ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁the ▁communic able ▁and ▁in communic able , ▁as ▁non - contr ad ict ory . ▁Him el bla u ▁also ▁highlight s ▁how ▁ ▁projects ▁" re ality ▁in ▁relative , ▁fluid ▁terms — that ▁is ▁it ▁allows ▁its ▁characters ▁to ▁disc lose ▁the ▁temporal ▁setting ▁of ▁the ▁novel ' s ▁fict ional ▁events ". ▁In ▁this ▁regard , ▁then , ▁Him el bla u ▁notes ▁that ▁ ▁" is ▁also , ▁as ▁far ▁as ▁we ▁are ▁aware , ▁the ▁first ▁novel ▁in ▁Spanish ▁America ▁that ▁see ks ▁to ▁render ▁fict ional ▁reality ▁of ▁time ▁as ▁a ▁function ▁of ▁point ▁of ▁view ". ▁The ▁novel ▁def ies ▁traditional ▁narr ative ▁style ▁by ▁inserting ▁numerous ▁episodes ▁that ▁contribute ▁little ▁or ▁nothing ▁to ▁the ▁plot ▁as ▁the ▁characters ▁in ▁these ▁episodes ▁often ▁appear ▁incons ist ently . ▁Instead ▁of ▁relay ing ▁the ▁book ' s ▁them es ▁through ▁characters , ▁Ast ur ias ▁uses ▁repet ition ▁of ▁mot ifs ▁and ▁a ▁myth ical ▁sub structure ▁to ▁solid ify ▁the ▁book ' s ▁message . ▁ ▁Ast ur ias ▁emp lo ys ▁figur ative ▁language ▁to ▁describe ▁dream ▁imag ery ▁and ▁the ▁ir r ational . ▁Liter ary ▁critic ▁Hugh es ▁Dav ies ▁points ▁out ▁that ▁Ast ur ias