Quotations in Spanish literature

Question

I'm attempting to read Cien Años de Soledad. I find quotes annotated in two ways with (« ») and with what I can only call long dashes. What is the difference? Why use two different methods?

I'll give you a vote just for the animation je je :) - Kiwi-Girl, Jul 17, 2011

Answer 1

The angular quotations are often commonly used to replace quotation marks in English. However, the em dash marks are used frequently as well, mostly to indicate a change in speaker (to begin a new paragraph of dialogue). Still, the two are often used interchangeably.

http://spanish.about.com/od/writtenspanish/a/angularquotes.htm

Answer 2

Todo respeto. Cien años de soledad un libro muy dificil. Seguramente Lalo sabe español muy bien.

I agree it is a challenge for spanish learners - pacofinkler, Jul 17, 2011