This week’s reading The Society of Reluctant Dreamers by José Eduardo Agualusa revolved around dreams. Dreams have always fascinated me, as it probably should for any psychology major. The lecture mentioned how dreams are often considered to be opposed to practicality, and while I believe that can be true at times (with all of its […]
At first glance, I found this novel quite interesting. Keeping the title from being translated seems to make it appear more authentic and true to its originality. As a student who is also currently taking french classes this term, I was able to interpret the meaning of the title. Nonetheless, I can see why readers […]
Since Alberto Moravia’s novel, Agostino, was a relatively short text in comparison to the past novels we have read, I thought it would be light reading. However, upon beginning the book I quickly came to realize the heaviness of the text and how packed it was in its lesser pages. Agostino’s relationship with his mother […]
Reading Bombal’s novel The Shrouded Woman, as a woman, I felt deeply appreciated that a book like this existed in such a time. I’m not quite sure how prevalent female authors were at the time or how popular their works were, but I’m glad that Bombal had the opportunity to share her perception of a […]
Aragon’s “Paris Peasant” was a strange experience to read. The text describes venturing through the Passage de L’Opéra, which includes cafes, theatres, and small shops. The journey is rather imaginative due to its ambiguity. A consistent theme in this book is its surrealism. There are illogical scenes combined that make the text so unordinary. For […]
Proust’s novel “Swann’s Way” was a bit difficult to follow at first. Though I was able to pick up on a few main themes through the first and second sections, I often found myself lost in the text – and not in the form of fantasizing or escapism, but rather in confusion. I felt like […]
Hi everyone, my name is Aliyah (she/her) and I am from Vancouver, British Columbia. I am a third-year student, though I am a transfer student, so this is my first semester at UBC. This course, in both its structure and content, seems very refreshing from my usual classes that involve papers, projects, and exams. The […]