Nadja – Andre Breton

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My first impression of Breton’s Nadja was that it was a novel with a lot of illustrations, to the point where the illustrations took up quite a bit of space. This reminds me of the children’s books I read as a child, which also had many animated images. The significance of the existence of illustrations is not only to a large extent can help to understand the reading content, and can be done to imagine things for the materialization, that is to say, will only exist in the virtual world of a kind of image formulated a specific image presented to the reader. On this basis, even a fictionalized story can seem more real with the presence of illustrations.

Although I am not sure why Breton adds a lot of images to his work, I can perceive that he visualizes the people and things he discusses directly through images. It is interesting to note that the appeal of literature in most cases is because it gives the reader enough room for imagination, and it is because of this unrestricted space for imagination that the reader can fill in the storyline with a colorful filter on top of it. For instance, if I were to say now close your eyes and picture in your mind a cup of water on the table, I’m sure every answer that could be given would be very distinctive, and that’s what I mean when I say that imagination adds color to the story itself. What Breton does, on the other hand, is the exact opposite. For instance, Breton refers to “the Lovers’ Flower” in the text. In fact, the name is very abstract and imaginative, but soon we see the image of ‘the Lover’s Flower’, and it is here that the reader’s imagination is suspended by the image, and is replaced by a figurative understanding of ‘the Lovers’ Flower’. Therefore, I began to think again, could it be that Breton is trying to tell the reader that the facts are the facts, and that there is no need for imagination, and that the reader’s subjectivity might jeopardize the objectivity of the work? Or perhaps, by using illustrations instead of descriptions, Breton introduces a new dimension to his work. The images are like open windows through which the reader sees the real world in which the writer lives. They build a bridge between literature and real life, thus constituting another way for the reader to understand the work? But at the same time, some of these drawings are somewhat abstract and even surrealistic. As a result, the drawings seem obscure to me.

Question for Discussion: What would be your interpretation on these images/illustrations in Nadja?

“Combray” – Marcel Proust

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Since this is my first blog, I’d like to share what I think are the highlights of my reading of Proust’s “Combray”. I’d like to focus on two broad aspects of my reading of the story: the writing style and the central theme of the novel.
First of all, it is obvious that the story is telling from the perspective of the narrator, “I”, who sees, hears, thinks, and feels, and focuses on the real social life and human situation. It is because the story is told in the first-person perspective and describes the senses pretty much in details, it makes the readers more immersed in the plot; the readers can also feel the author’s self-seeking, self-reflection and inner experience from the author’s self-narrative, and giving more space to think, although it is often puzzling! It is also worth noting that the story timeline does not adhere to a clear linear narrative, but rather is intricate. This means that there is no central character, no complete story, only plot threads that run throughout the work. The story is generally centered on the narrator’s life experiences and inner activities, through which a large number of characters are depicted, such as mom, dad, aunt, grandparents, etc. I would like to compare this style of writing to a large tree with intertwined branches, the trunk of which can be extended in any direction. Of course, it’s also because of the disorganized storyline that it can somewhat increase the difficulty for the readers to interpret the story as a whole, as the readers need to piece together a seemingly complete story from the tiny fragments of the story. Secondly, Proust intentionally accentuates the narrator’s half-asleep, half-awake mental state. However, I personally feel that this can also be combined with the intermittent memory fragments, symbolizing the turbid and impenetrable nature of life. Proust also uses these fragmented memories to expose the complexity of social conflicts and human relationships, as well as to reflect deeply on the vicissitudes of the world and on life and death.

Question for discussion: 

“Thus I would often lie until morning thinking back to the time at Combray, to my sad sleepless evenings, to the many days, too, whose image had been restored to me more recently by the taste-what they would have called at Combray the “fragrance”-of a cup of tea, and, by an association of memories, to what, many years after leaving that little town…”(Proust, 190)

Proust’s “Combray” specializes in sleepy memories. For instance, goodnight kisses from mom, little Madeleine cake from aunt, etc. pull the narrator into memories over and over again. I’m curious what memories symbolize to you? If you had to describe your memories in terms of an object, scent, or anything, what do you think it would be? and why?

Introduction :)

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Hello Everybody！Please allow me to make a brief self-introduction. My name is Cici Zheng and I am a fourth-year student, majoring in Asian Studies. I rarely read books in my spare time, and I usually choose to watch dramas, singing, or do some outdoor activities(e.g. hiking). Since, my daily school and part-time job have taken up most of my time, so I spend my free time avoiding things that require the use of my brain and thinking, so that my brain can be in a state of emptiness as much as possible. Therefore, this class is not only a way for me to fulfill the literature requirement of the arts department, but also a way to help me read more. For me, reading should be a process of developing independent thought and learning/discovering new things. However, people today live in an impatient, fast-paced, and internet-based society, where our attention is often drawn away by fragmented information. So, my expectation for this class is that it can bring back my interest in reading. Because, I was also a little girl who loved to read when I was little, I even read Romance of the Three Kingdoms secretly during my Chinese class, LOL. Moreover, when I was little, I used to go to the public library on weekends to read books that I was interested in, and in a way, it made me feel satisfied from the inside. Therefore, I feel that this class will allow me to pick up the habit of reading again. (Although, I can’t guarantee that every book will be one that I like and enjoy reading. But at least it will allow me to be able to take a moment to feel the written word again.) In addition, the contracted curriculum is a format that I have never experienced before, and I think it will be a very interesting course. Not only is it a refreshing change from the rigid, typical education system, but it also provides students with plenty of options. I am very much looking forward to this course! Regarding the question “where is the ‘Romance World’ ‘”, I subconsciously thought about European history and tried to remember a few territories that were once ruled by Rome. After watching the lecture video, I realized that Romance literature is a complex topic because it is connected to more complex issues of race, languages, culture, and thought/ideology, religions, ects. So, I’m very much looking forward to being able to read again to think about and discover how these questions are presented.