I’m really glad I had the opportunity to take Romance studies and learn about the romance world. We read a lot of great novels and to be completely honest, I have never read that much in my life before. However, I am happy that I did because at the beginning of the semester I had doubts about my ability to read this many novels and novellas! I learned a lot about romantic literature this term which made me realize how beautiful it truly is. My favourites were definitely Italian literature like Agostino by Alberto Moravia and My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante. To me, these writings really embodied the Italian culture and I loved learning about it. Before reading Ferrante I was scared by the length of the novel, however shortly after beginning it was fascinating to read. The words complemented each other and the novel flowed in one piece. The storyline was also interesting because of the different characters’ unique relationship between Lila and Elena. It makes sense that that turned it into a series on HBO.
Furthermore, the most challenging novel’s to read for me were The Passion According to G.H by Clarice Lispector and W or the Memory of Childhood by Georges Perec. Lispector’s novel was particularly difficult because of the lack of plot and climax in the novel. Also, the imagery that the novel portrayed was sort of horrific because she in detail explained her crushing a cockroach and tasting it later on. More, the novel was difficult to read because of its repetition and the main character’s continuous self-dialogue. Perec’s novel was amazing, I just found it challenging because of the two stories that continued throughout the novel. But the connection between the stories was necessary to understand the pain and suffering that occurred in nazi concentration camps. One of my favourite moments during class time was when Norman Manea came and spoke to us about his book The Trenchcoat. After Manea explained the hidden meaning of the trenchcoat it makes so much sense why the abandoned trenchcoat instilled fear in the characters. Amulet by Roberto Bolano was also a really good novel. It taught me a lot about Mexican riots between political power and students. I liked how Bolano shared the narrator’s terrifying experience without consuming the novel with complete horror of what happened in UNAM. I am really going to miss this class, and I want to say thank you to the T.A’s and the professor for making this class so fun!
My question: What was the favourite part of your favourite novel we read in this class?
Thank you for sharing such a great post! I agree with a lot of your points. I was also skeptical on being able to read a book every week; however, I managed to do it and it certainly was enjoyable and helpful. To answer your question, my personal favorite book from the class was “The Shrouded Woman” by Bombal. The biggest reason for that is because it made me heavily reflect upon my own life. The “special realm” of the narrator (between life and death) placed me into that same setting, allowing me to reflect upon my own life and the relationships I have with those around me.
– Daniel Choi
Hello 😀
I think my favorite novel was The Shrouded Woman, I don’t quite no what part in specific, I guess just in general the vibe of the novel as a whole. The journey the reader is taken on throughout the novel really captured my attention and like many of the books we read I found myself relating a lot at times which made it interesting to read.
Hi! I think my favourite novel was W, or the Memories of Childhood. It is hard to chose a favourite part as the entirety of the story is so crucial to understanding it. My favourite aspect of the novel was how the two stories were interconnected and a reflection of each other.
Hi!
I think my favorite novel was The Shrouded Woman because of how engaging the storyline was. I can’t recall one specific favorite part but I really liked the way they presented Sofia and Ana Maria’s friendship and the twists and turns that broke it. I’m really glad I took this course because it gave me a whole new range of genres to read from, all coming from the Romance World!
– Vidushi Singh
Hello! Off the top of my head, one of my favorite parts was in the shrouded woman when the woman wants to hold on to her anger because it meant that she was alive but eventually she feels her anger dissipating and her returning to the earth. I thought that was beautifully written and it reminded me of the poem “Do not go gentle into that goodnight”.
Hi!! I think Bonjour Tristesse was one of my favourite novels! Although the main character was a bit annoying at times, I found her inner monologue very entertaining to read! The best part was the ending because it felt so unexpected!