I really enjoyed reading “My Brilliant Friend” by Elena Ferrante for this weeks novel. It feels a bit like a nice little break and a good way to end of this class’s reading list with a novel like this one. The writing style was so nice and easy to follow. I found that Elena didn’t bother with as much of the unnecessary and “unique” writing techniques that many of the other authors we have read from did. I think that this added simplicity makes the storyline very clear and lets this become a more enjoyable read where the plot line and characters all seem to have a place and make sense without excessive amounts of reader interpretation which much other novels have done. Even though this novel gives you the information slowly of what happened to Lila, the author does this in a straightforward way where the reader is still understanding what is going on.
I found the relationship/friendship dynamic between Elena and Lila to be quite interesting. First of all they have a large gap and difference in lifestyles. Lila comes from a world of less money and less opportunity however Elena has much more opportunity and support financially. This obviously creates a divide between the two however they are friends despite this difference. I do however think that this difference is what causes their relationship to feel a bit abnormal at times. I often thought that the relationship felt slightly transactional and almost as if they were using each other a bit and things between them were always up or down. However even though the nature of their relationship seemed to (me at least) have transactional and a bit unpredictable or unstable, they still had a deep care and appreciation of one another which makes me believe that their friendship is based off of real connection too.
The competition between the Elena and Lila, is partly what I think makes their relationship so meaningful and deep yet also so toxic and confusing. Clearly they both envy the other meaning that they are inspirations to each other, however they let this go too far and turn into competition which is when the friendship becomes toxic.
My question for the class: How do you think that Elena and Lila’s relationship dynamic,ic would’ve changed if they were to have the same socioeconomic status which would eliminate a lot of the differences and jealousies.
Hi Daelyn. I agree with you regarding the reading of this novel. Although the prose is more straightforward than other readings, the number of characters and the story make it a bit complex, although intelligible to the reader. I also enjoy that.
Regarding your question, I’m not sure there is a huge difference in status between Elena and Lila. It is true that Lila has a slightly less supportive family than Elena, but not that much either. I think the path they take is due more to their choices. But this is to discuss in class.
Hi Daelyn!
I really enjoyed your blog post. I like what you said about Elena and Lila’s relationship being transactional, I hadn’t thought about that. To answer your question, I think their socio-economic status impacts the opportunities given to the girls to a certain extent. While Lila is more clever, Elena is more determined. I think that is what ultimately leads them to end up in different places. However, I think their friendship is not completely affected by their life paths. The respect and love they have for each other seem to get stronger and stronger throughout the novel.
Hi Daelyn,
I agree with you about being able to understand the book better than others, though I still found this one hard to understand at times due to the large number of characters. I agree with your comments on the friendship between Lila and Elena, though I am still trying to figure out if I would consider it “toxic” or not. I think that the girls’ socioeconomic status’ allowed for different opportunities, and ultimately forced Lila to follow a different path. I think there could have possibly been more tension between the two if Lila had continued with her schooling, though I can’t be sure.
Thanks!