I would say that this piece by Teresa De la Parra is a nice way to start off the course for a couple of reasons. First, it is a piece that shows varying waves of emotions, from the expression of Mama Blanca all seemingly lovable and jolly, to the stressful and potentially frustrating situation Blanca Nieves faces at home with her mother being unaccepting of her hair, and fighting with Violeta. This took me on a rollercoaster ride not being able to predict what would happen next.
Another thing is how the main theme of it is about family. When I think of Latin American literature, heavily influenced by another Spanish class (Span 280) I took a couple years ago, I think of bloodshed, war, separation, and death. Having this read was a breath of fresh air from all of that. I mentioned in my previous blog post that my Filipino culture has a lot in common with the Latin American culture due to the colonization, and having close family ties is definitely one of them.
In the beginning, I found the read to be overwhelming as it used a lot of words, and more highfalutin words at that, to describe such a simple thing. It reminded me of what one of our classmates mentioned of how literature can be somehow pretentious and unnecessarily complex. And in true fashion of how my group did in the first day activity, I was overwhelmed and confused by it. However, I guess we could say that it grew on me as I thoroughly enjoyed being able to imagine the events that were happening as the scenery it was paired with.
Lastly, it was also nice to note how despite this book being published almost 100 years ago (though please correct me if I am wrong), it was already evident how a person, in this case Violeta, was deep inside a man who is the supposed son of her father. Juan Manuel the Desired is who she would name Violeta instead. Although this understanding of gender and sexuality is something quite shallow compared to what we are having now, it is still nice to see that it was already present during that time.
All in all, I enjoyed the story and it took me to places I only could have imagined. It was nice and light, however I’m looking forward to seeing how the themes progress and differ throughout the course.
For my question for this blog post: What is your favorite childhood memory that you think still has a great impact on you to this day?
“this book being published almost 100 years ago (though please correct me if I am wrong)”
You’re not wrong! As I say in the lecture, it was published in 1929. My question for you, given what you say above: is this a feminist text?
(NB please add the category “de la Parra”. Thanks!)
Hey! I really liked your reflection. It is true that even though the story lightly grazed on war, that the overall theme was not as heavy as I was expecting. I also found myself to be quite overwhelmed in the beginning! I found the first two pages to use abnormally large and overly complex words, and I found myself feeling frustrated and worried that the entire book would be like that. I also felt the book grow on me, and the descriptions turned out to be really beneficial to my imagination. My favourite childhood memory… hmmm… similar to Mama Blanca’s childhood, I had a lot of fun outside. My favourite memory is probably one that involved hiking through the forest with my dog and family on some up adventure I had made up about finding and saving this mysterious frog king hidden in the forest. I remember putting some sap on my dogs forehead to “knight” him in a sense, and it didn’t come off for weeks. Moral… Being creative and goofy is the cherry on top to life… and don’t put sap anywhere near a golden retrievers coat (haha!)
Hi! I loved how you mentioned family in your blogpost, as I totally agree with you. Being from Mexico I have always been taught that my family comes first, it is my core and most important part of my life. Reading texts like this, in which family is also a “core” to the characters, an environment where they share their life (for good or for bad) makes me think of the other aspect you also mentioned in your analysis about family. Because of bloodshed, war and separation Latin America has suffered and continues to suffer, having something as stable and safe as a family is what brings us (or at least me) a sense of safety in the midst of changing factors in my life.
Really enjoyed reading your post! I also enjoyed that the first book was light and centered about memories of childhood family and play. I also enjoyed thinking about the question you posed, and how sharing childhood memories is a very private thing. Even Mama Blanca herself wrote this for her children and then gave it to the narrator who was told never to show it to anyone!