RMST 202

At first glance, I wasn’t sure what to make of Perec’s book’s title. In class, we previously discussed the influence and significance of a title. We first discussed how the choice to keep “Bonjour Tristesse” in its untranslated form gave the book some context in just two words – i.e. that it is French. We also later discussed how the different titles of “The Time of the Doves” may have affected our perspective of the book, for example, in comparison to the title “Diamond Square”, these titles are completely unrelated to each other but still represent the book. Furthering that discussion, Perec’s title “W, or the Memory of Childhood” was peculiar to me. The latter part of the title is pretty basic and self-explanatory, but the former is quite abstract and made me wonder what “W” is meant to symbolize in the text, and why it is mutually exclusive from childhood memories. “W” is later revealed to be an uncharted island by Tierra del Fuego, from the fantasized imagination of his childhood – something I couldn’t have really picked up on just from the title itself. However, the elusiveness of the title also made me more curious about it. I think it’s really interesting to look back at our childhood memories as an adult and see them differently with a new, more experienced perspective. That being said, I enjoyed following Perec’s journey of introspection and uncovering memories – whether they are the truth or fantasy.
Another aspect that stood out to me while reading the text was the consistent switch between chapters. Half of the book was autobiographical while the other half carried on with the fictional story. I’ve come across this style/form previously not only in literature but also in movies and television shows (though I can’t think of any in particular at the moment), but they typically follow the same genre and relate to each other, whilst also having there own distinct storylines/narratives. Overall, I’m not usually a big fan of this form/structure – but I see how Perec is attempting to piece together these fragmented childhood memories consistently throughout the book. Between these two alternating narratives, we also witness events through the lens of reality and fantasy, which gradually merge into one near the conclusion of the book.
My question is whether you felt like this book was two stories in one, or how implementing the two alternating narratives made the book stronger/meaningful or more enjoyable.