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.
Tag: reality
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Thoughts on Moravia’s “Agostino”
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 resembles that of the classic Oedipus tale in which Oedipus is strongly attached to his mother and views her lovers as his rival. Similarly, Agostino is a young boy who spends a great deal of time with his mother at the beach, he looks up to her and in his eyes, she can do wrong. That is until his mother starts seeing another man which makes Agostino envious. This causes an awakening in Agostino that makes him realize his mother is more than just a mother, she is a woman and she has had a life before him. I found this aspect of the text really interesting because it made me think about when I went beyond viewing my parents as only parental figures – when I realized they were/are also a student, co-worker, friend, etc. I think that as children, it is natural for us to think that the world revolves around us because we know so little about the world at that point. We think we are entitled to certain liberties and possessive of what we have – such as our parents because we cannot imagine anybody else needing them like we do.
Moravia writes a coming-of-age story in which Agostino sees his mother in a new light, as a real person beyond motherhood. The novel is about when we, as children, start viewing people, relationships, and the world differently, when reality hits us. I used to think that this discovery came simultaneously with our maturity – when we learn our actions have consequences and that in fact, the world does not revolve around us and we must choose our battles. However, given that Agostino is thirteen years old at the time and does not fully portray this level of maturity quite yet, I suppose that we may have to be exposed to the reality or harshness of the world before we can fully develop our maturity – which in itself is a long ongoing process. Once we have learned the reality of the world, we can also understand our role in society and our relationships, as Agostino does with his mother.
I was also surprised at how accurately Moravia was able to portray this confusing and almost awkward time in our adolescent lives as we were coming of age. My question is, did you find Agostino’s struggles somewhat relatable in terms of how he started viewing his mother as a real person and learned about the real world?