Last Blog

Welcome back guys for the final blog! Oh my god, the last blog!! I cannot believe this is the last time I will be sitting on my desk and writing a blog for the class. This time, though it is a little different, considering I don’t have to write one on a book. But honestly this class re-woke the inner reader in me. I used to read so much when I was a kid. I read a lot now too, but those are mainly textbooks (ugh!). Taking this course was refreshing and so much fun because it is about reading, which is my favourite thing to do, next to listening to music.

The contract grading was obviously very much different than the other courses, and I thought that since I would be choosing my own grade I may not have to put in so much effort. However, I was totally wrong. This actually encouraged me to work even more harder, and I am glad that I did because I loved doing so so much.

While I did take this course to fulfill my literature requirement, it was actually a really fun and engaging class, and I am definitely going to miss it. Especially watching the lectures and waiting to see what the drinks pairing for the week was, and then realizing it is the middle of the day, and that drinking alcohol in the middle of the day will probably do me no good.

I went back and read my first blog post again, and realized that I had said that I am most looking forward to reading The Hour of the Star, and it turns out that I did enjoy that book the most. It was definitely my top book, however I did also enjoy Nadja.

I was actually nervous about other students reading my blogs, but I actually liked reading the comments I got. It helped me understand how other students viewed and interpreted what I had written. I also liked other students’ blogs. This is because reading a different perspective on the same book really helped to understand the book better. Plus, I enjoyed reading them because they were so creative, and had so many unique ideas. I also really appreciated the weekly videos our professor used to make, because it just made comprehend the book in a way that I would not have unless I had another source, who had interpreted the book in a different way.

I loved this course, and I am sad to write this last blog post. I hope you guys liked all of my posts! Thank You.

Question: What was your biggest takeaway in terms of lessons from this course?

Faces in the Crowd

Hello everyone. Welcome to the last book of this class. This week’s book was Faces in the Crowd, by Valeria Luiselli. This was, without a doubt, the most difficult book I read in this course. I honestly did not like it so much, but I got through it.

In Mexico City, an unnamed narrator, stifled in her marriage with two children, yearns for control over her life. We, as readers, are not really informed the names of her children, since throughout the book they were just called “the boy”, and “baby”, but I don’t understand why we weren’t told their names. Her husband, on the other hand, reads everything his wife writes, and then he too ended up questioning what was real and what wasn’t. He became skeptical on whether his wife was cheating on him or not, but she just tells him that these characters are not real. Regardless, she aspires to write a novel, creating a world of her own. Among her circle of peculiar friends, Gilberto Owen, a minor figure from the Harlem Renaissance, stands out. Initially interested in him professionally, she becomes fixated on him. After spotting him in the subway, her life takes a turn, mirroring Owen’s own existence.

As Owen’s narration enters the story, he obsessively weighs himself daily, noticing a puzzling loss of weight despite his growing size. While traversing the subway, he encounters the narrator, a “woman with sad eyes,” on an adjacent train line. However, his vision progressively worsens, and his presence becomes increasingly elusive. The boundaries between the narrator’s and Owen’s worlds gradually blur as their realities merge.

So basically, the woman was writing a book about a man she worked with, Owen, who was writing a book about the woman. So they are both writing about each other, but they don’t even know that. It’s kind of like two storied intertwined in the form of one.

This book was confusing sometimes. There were certain moments while I was reading the book, when I did not even know if we were in New York or Mexico City, and who was narrating. It did take me a couple of reads to finally figure it out. However the good thing was that the paragraphs were all very small, and that made it easier for me to go back and read a part again. I then realized the only way I could know who is narrating, is focusing on who is being referenced, and that made it easier (it was still a difficult read nonetheless) to figure out the storyline.

Question: Was the book a little confusing for you all too? Did you find a way to make it easier to decipher between the changes in narration?

Death With Interruptions

Hello everyone. Welcome back to this week’s book. This week we delved into José Saramago’s Death With Interruptions. The impression I had of this book before I read it completely changed after I finished reading the book. The outlook death had in this book was completely different from all the other books we have read this semester. There was a point in the book where I was like “Why am I reading a book full of death?”, however to be honest, it was not that bad. It did make me think about death in a whole other way.

The book was about what would happen if people stopped dying. Now while this would make everyone happy at first, it would certainly come with a lot of problems. The entire life system would quickly stop working efficiently. Something that I had mixed feelings about was the fact that the necropolitics were the ones who decided who lived and who died. It represents that the people with power will be the ones who decide other people’s faiths.

The second half of the book is what made me change my mind about it. The storyline is so interesting, wherein the people start getting letters informing them that their week has arrived. Another thing that I really liked was that Death was then written as a character, a woman, who falls in love. However I quickly realized that she was just like us, a normal person. She just wanted to be appreciated, and that is why she stopped death.

The writing style was something that I really didn’t like. The sentences were too long, which made it difficult for me to concentrate on what it actually meant. His limited punctuation was not very easy to keep up with, especially quotation marks, and him directly incorporating dialogues into the text. I think he wanted to blur the lines between speech and narration, which did happen, but it also confused me to no end.

This definitely made me think about death, but in a different way. Fear is something most people fear when they hear about death, however reading this book made me appreciate it. This was mainly because death makes us value and respect our life even more. We stop taking it for granted, and we start living more. This book made me realize that if death didn’t occur, then people would stop appreciating the small things.

See you all in the next and final book!

Discussion Question: Did this book change your perspective on death, or did you feel the same all the way?

Money to Burn

Hello everyone. Welcome back to this week’s book. This week we delved into Ricardo Piglia’s Money to Burn. It’s safe to say this was definitely my least favourite book. The jump from reading books about childhood, romance, and death, to violence was weird, but honestly the change was good. 

The story has several main characters but the ones I was able to remember while reading the book were the “twins” at the start of the book, Dorda and Brignone, the boss, Malito, Twisty Bazan and Mereles. However the one I found most amusing was Malito, especially his obsessions, that ranged from not being able to stand sunlight, to phones and them being trapped. He also surprised me with his degree in Engineering, and he seemed to me to be a gaslighter considering he got others to do what he wanted, and then made it look like they wanted to do it in the first place.

One line that I found relatable was “And in the end, daughters always do what their mothers want” (16), and although I cannot relate to it in the context that the line was being said in, I can relate to the sentimentality of it. It always ends up with the daughters agreeing and following what their mothers want!

One of the most predictable storylines in most thriller books, is someone from the main group being a traitor. This was fulfilled by Malito, whose intentions about the heist became clear gradually.

One thing I noticed was that there was a violation of the societal norms when the men were burning the money, but not when they actually robbed it. Apparently the bigger crime was burning the money and not stealing it. That was quite weird according to me.  But I did understand why they did that. The hidden, symbolic meaning behind it is totally justified. Who would have thought they wanted to make a statement about societal norms and the true meaning of wealth by quite literally burning money. One line that got me thinking was the one on page 158 “Burning innocent money is an act of cannibalism”. This comparison is very subtle yet its meaning is so deep. It shows how money is a symbol of how burning that money literally killed other human beings, since that sum of money could have helped so many people in need. I feel like a more impactful statement would have been if they would have donated the money or given it to people in need instead of burning it.

Overall, this book gave me mixed emotions, but the action was a good change.

See you all in the next book!

Question: What other way could the robbers have chosen to deliver a message? Do you think the burning of money communicated what the robbers wanted to say?

The Lover

Hello everyone, and welcome back to this week’s book. This week we read another book written by a female author, The Lover, by Marguerite Duras. This book was a lot more different than how I thought it was going to be. It is a story about a young girl who has an affair with an older guy. It was just a little uncomfortable for me, because as I read on, everything became clear.

To start off, the age gap was quite weird, and honestly a little agonizing for me, but regardless of that, the author portrayed the characters and storyline so well that I couldn’t stop reading it. However what intrigued me was how subtly and implicitly Marguerite showcased the ongoing racial and cultural rifts between the people in that era. She also did a good job at highlighting the gap between societal expectations and personal desires. The ending left me with a lingering feeling of loss and longing, which I think was the point (although I am a little confused on that). I think that Duras let go of the final opportunity of having a childhood when her affair with the older man from Cholon began.

I think one of the main attributes of the story was depicted in terms of poverty. At first I thought that Duras was only with the Chinese man for his money, however I was wrong, because he did love her. Turns out I have the same thinking as the Chinese man’s father, who also thought that this was the case.

There was one part of the story that I felt really uncomfortable reading. It was when Duras’s mother scolded her and beat her naked for having an affair with the older man. It is definitely saddening and embarrassing. However to be honest I am not concluding a negative image about her mother considering at that time something like this seemed normal, though definitely wrong. Nevertheless I also feel like as I read on I realized that every character was going through something, and they were trying to be okay.

There were some parts that were unclear for me. I felt this way especially when the point of view changed, because I was confused as to whose life I was learning about. It obviously did get clear for me as I read on, and then I reread the part where I was confused so that I could understand that part again.

See you all in the next book!

Question: Do you believe that the method Duras’s mother used was correct? What could she have done instead?

The Hour of the Star

Welcome back to this week’s book, The Hour of the Star. I had mentioned in my first blog post that I was most excited to read this book, and I genuinely did enjoy this book and it is one of my favourites till now. This book is written by Clarice Lispector, and it revolves around the life of a poor woman named Macabéa. She is socially awkward and lacks social-awareness. She has been described by the narrator, Rodrigo S.M. as a nobody, and unremarkable. According to me the narrator was just a lonely and bored man considering his writing in the beginning of the book.

While reading the book I was a little bit concerned as to how the narrator was speaking about Macabéa, by saying things like “scarcely has a body to sell, nobody wants her, she’s a virgin and harmless, nobody would miss her”. He also said this line “A male writer, that is, because a woman would make it all weepy and maudlin.” which was a little weird but I guess that was his style.

The beginning of the book kind of felt like a long poem, but it really did get very interesting after that. I liked how she really liked her job as a typist, as well as really loved her boyfriend. I felt bad for Macabéa when she was genuinely trying to learn and understand what her boyfriend was saying because she didn’t have as much knowledge as him, and he got irritated by her asking him every time, and told her to be quiet. Her life especially saddened me when she was diagnosed with tuberculosis but she didn’t take it seriously because she didn’t know much about it and didn’t have a lot of knowledge regarding its treatment, but regardless she was never disappointed by her life and always seemed to be happy and in content. Her positive attitude kind of astounded me considering she could only eat hot dogs because she was so poor. The ending was sad and kind of expected, and I was a bit confused about it, but after reading it a couple of times I got it.

Reading this book made me realize the importance of education in a person’s life. Education is the utmost necessary thing to keep a person up float, and so that they can live a good life, and not live in poverty. I am grateful that all of us have the opportunity to get a good education, and we should not take that for granted.

See you all in the next book!

Question: What do you think would have been different if Macabéa had even a little bit of knowledge about the world and her disease?

The Time of the Doves

Welcome back to this week’s book, The Time of the Doves, written by Merce Rodoreda. This story tells the story of a young woman who was first engaged to Pere. It also shows how her life changed when she accepted a man named Quimet’s invitation to dance at the Placa Del Diamant and was informed that she would marry him by New Year’s. It seemed a little ridiculous to me when I first started reading this book for Quimet to tell Natalia something like that because it was very random.

Quimet is one character that I viewed as somewhat humorous in a tragicomic sense. Throughout the book, Quimet, a multifaceted character, experiences transformations.His behaviour and demeanour occasionally might make the reader feel ironic or humorously gloomy. He is presented as a charming but imperfect man, and there is tension and sensitivity in his relationship with Colometa. Quimet’s choices and goals might be viewed as tragic and humorous at the same time, particularly given the difficult historical setting. His activities frequently have unforeseen effects since they are motivated by a desire for achievement and social mobility. Despite the challenges the protagonists experience, Rotoreda crafts a moving story, and the humour in the book frequently reflects the complexity of life at a turbulent historical moment by being bittersweet.

The book is presented in the first person, and Colometa’s narrative style—a stream-of-consciousness—offers a very intimate and reflective look into her life. Colometa’s thoughts and feelings flow together in a way that mimics the complexity of her existence, which at times gives the story a fragmented aspect. This helped me to actually imagine what she was going through. The author very subtly included the fact that Natalia was depressed by saying that she wanted to kill her children and then herself.

One thing that I really did not understand and was a bit confused about was the war that was apparently taking place. The saddest thing that I read was that Natalia was so desperate that she intended to murder herself and her children in order to save them from the conflict and Quimet’s absence.

The end of the book was a little unexpected for me since I thought no one could save her, however the grocer helped her so that she could feed her children and actually be able to provide for them. Plus she deserved better than Quimet, since he just wanted to marry her to wash her clothes. Antoni really wanted to marry her to start a family with her.

See you all in the next book!

Question: Do you think the choice of breaking off the engagement with Pere was the right choice just to marry Quimet?

Deep Rivers

Hello! This week’s book is called Deep Rivers and it is written by José María Arguedas. The story is narrated by Ernesto, a young child of mixed blood (both indigenous and white), who is taken to a Catholic boarding school. Ernesto’s coming-of-age experience is chronicled in the book as he struggles with his identity and makes an effort to make sense of the divergent cultural influences in his life.

Arguedas provides a deep and nuanced depiction of Andean culture by incorporating language, mythology, and folklore from the region into the story. The influence of modernization on traditional ways of life, prejudice, and social injustice are some of the topics I found while I was reading the book.

This is actually the first book I’ve read that has words in the original language and is then translated then and there. This is honestly something I really like because it gave me a sense of the language the book was portraying and that was really cool for me. This use of languages displays the cultural divide and helps to enhance the authenticity of the language.

What really got me thinking was why the it was named Deep Rivers, and as I read on, I realized the true meaning behind the title. The true meaning behind “Deep Rivers” is that it is a metaphor for the depths of culture and psychology that the story delves into. it also symbolizes Ernesto’s journey of self-discovery, and figure out his place in society and his identity. This book surprisingly reminded me a little about Agostino. This is because both of these characters symbolized growing up and searching for their real selves.

As he struggled with the conflict between indigenous and Western influences and worked through the complexity of his identity, Ernesto developed a close bond with the Pachachaca River. Ernesto and the Andean community got a sense of connection and belonging from the river, which turned into a potent symbol of culture and continuity. Also, the way that Arguedas depicts the difficulties that the indigenous people encounter adds to a larger conversation about social justice, cultural identity, and the effects of structural and historical injustices.

I enjoyed this book, however it may not be one of my favorites. I did relate to some parts of the book, and the rest of the book kind of inspired me to learn more about my culture.

See you all in the next book!

Question: Do you have a place that you connect to, like how Ernesto had the Pachachaca River? If yes, what is it? And why do you have a special connection to it?

Agostino

Welcome back everyone! This week’s book is Agostino, written by Alberto Moravia. This is one of my most liked books, mainly because the story line captures the essence of the boy’s feelings. Another thing that struck me was the connection between this book, and The Swann’s Way, by Marcel Proust, because of the resemblance of their yearning for their mother.

I recently learned about Freud’s take on this in terms of the Oedipus Complex, and to be honest, this book is a perfect way to understand this concept! The author very carefully captures the boy and his love for his mother, which is not reciprocated, and therefore this leads to this affecting him in his teenage years, followed by adulthood. This is exactly what Freud explains, and it translates to the plot of this book.

Agostino’s take on his mother from his point of view makes us believe that she is perfect and has no flaws. Honestly though I feel like his mother was the obvious problem, I mean how can you not notice the boy’s feelings for you?? Of course it could be that she didn’t want to notice it considering that it isn’t right.

Regardless I felt like this book is slightly more complicated than it seems. The gang of boys he met were not the best people (obviously!), and he was very confused by their antics. Like he really liked the freedom, independence, and maturity they were showing but he was also witnessing behaviour that did not quite fit with his morals and the societal norms he knows and grew up around. The story does however explore themes that could be prominent in today’s day, for example peer pressure, and finding independence. These are things that every teenager goes through, and although what teenagers nowadays go through and what Agostino went through is very different, it is valid in both times.

Saro was very clearly my least favourite character, and I am guessing he was for everyone. He didn’t quite sit right with me, and I didn’t like casually him and his actions were discussed in the book.

This book is not something I would ready just for fun, because the scenes and storyline are quite disturbing. This plot is also not something authors nowadays would write about, but I liked that I got a chance to read it, because I really got to read a different book.

This book made me a little uncomfortable, but I actually enjoyed it. See you all in the next book!

Question: Have you read any book written in today’s times that have a same or similar theme? What do you think would be people’s opinions on such books being made right now?

The Shrouded Woman

The Shrouded Woman is a book written by Maria Luisa Bombal. It was a book that was a little difficult to understand at first, but as it started progressing, it got better to read. The author’s style of writing is very different from what I have read before, because it was much more perceptive. This book was obviously very strange considering that it was a book about a woman who was dead, and was narrating her experiences and interactions with her family and friends. To be honest the plot of the book being her being dead and sharing the experiences was a little frightening to me, but once I started enjoying the book it became less disturbing.

however as you read on, the book starts becoming less strange and more and more interesting. The woman, while recounting her past experiences, also gives us certain facts about men that are obviously true! The story was a bit confusing to follow, but it slowly started making sense. I enjoyed the transition between the short and long paragraphs, as it helped me with understanding the path the story was taking.

One of the phrases I really connected with and understood is “What do our brothers matter to us anyway? They are like extensions of ourselves, prickly extensions falling back on us in the great moments of our lives, wounding us even though they are trying to protect us”. I relate to this line because I have an older brother and I get what she is trying to communicate to the readers.

One thing I really liked was how the book did not only explore nice, positive topics about life like passion, love, etc., but also explicitly mentioned the problems of that day, in terms of the constraints imposed on woman in a conservative society. Another thing that was mentioned in the book that represents how real life actually is, is when she continues telling us about her problems with her family, and lovers, norms of the society, and finally how the choices she made and her actions had huge impacts on her life, and how it changed it completely. Her thoughts and experiences gives us an insight on the lives of women in that century, and how the rules and regulations affected all the women in the society.

I actually did enjoy this book, and I feel that I would have chosen this if it wasn’t a compulsory book. Although I wasn’t able to connect a lot to her and her experiences, the author made the book very imaginative and lovely.

See you all in the next blog!

Question: Do you think the things that Alberto’s mom said were valid, or do you think she could have gone about it differently?