January 2024

María Luisa Bombal, “The Shrouded Woman”

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Bombal’s “The Shrouded Woman” presents a complex perspective on love. Written from the perspective of a deceased woman, Ana María takes on a variety of roles to unfold her memories and complicated relationships around her. Being a wife whose marriage is disastrous and lifeless, a mother whose children all encounter troubles of their own, and a selfish lover who manipulates Fernando, I find Bombal’s depiction of Ana María captivating. In particular, I like how Bombal parallelizes Ana María to Ricardo while Ana Maria is in an affair with Fernando. In both cases, Ana Maria and Fernando’s unrequited love are vivid. It is interesting to see the transition from Ana María’s despair owing to Ricardo’s abandonment to her selfishness, allowing Fernando to pursue her. Having gone through abandonment, I wonder if Ana María’s behaviour here reflects her inclination to elevate her self-worth about men.

Bombal’s peaceful portrayal of death highlights the transcendence of the soul. She writes, “But now, now that I am dead, it occurs to me that possibly all men once in their lifetime long to make some great reunifications…” (166), and “The woman in the shroud did not feel the slightest desire to rise again. Alone, she would at last be able to rest, to die…” (259). It seems to me an epiphany occurs within Ana María in the sense that her death brings about insights that she would never have gained when she was alive. Having re-figured the fragments of memories in her life, she ultimately embraces death and liberates herself from the chaos, sorrow, and resentment in her lifetime. I find this amazing because she rejects the binary concepts of life/death, and implies that her life is not complete without the said mental process.

I like how the relationship between Ricardo and Ana María makes multiple references to nature. Physical intimacy between them, such as arms touching and Ana María’s cheeks pressing against Ricardo’s chest, took place in nature. I think the plainness of nature here connects to Ana María’s emotional nakedness to Ricardo. Ana María shows her side of fragility when she begs Ricardo not to leave her, and her physical submission to Ricardo. I find this connection very beautiful and vivid since it enables readers to experience her infatuation with Ricardo through readers’ senses.

I also noticed how Bombal contrasts Ana María’s relationship with Fernando with Antonio’s relationship with Sophia. The moral lines become complicated to me; Ana María retains the reputation of being a “loyal” wife since Fernando never kissed her; on the other hand, Antonio was seen kissing Sophia. Their unfulfilling marriage, marked by jealousy and suspicion, connects with Antonio’s indifference toward his infidelity. He says, “For a few kisses I took from her (Sophia), she is now treated like nothing at all and you even ignore the great affection she had for you” (245). I see Antonio’s behaviour as a sign of vengeance, alluding to patriarchy. Ricardo’s presence in Ana María’s life humiliates Antonio and is perceived as a threat to his manliness. His desire to re-assert control over his wife displays his insecurity. Women also develop emotional dependence on men; their sense of identity derives from their husband’s affection and attention. Bombal writes, “Indeed, as a woman, she understands Silvia’s frenzy, her desire to measure herself against Maria Griselda” (189). Alberto also says, “There is always something that escapes out of everything… It’s just like Maria Griselda! As soon as she moves, I feel her already distant…” (198). Lateral oppression among women owing to insecurity shows how they yearn for their husbands’ affection to reinforce their self-confidence. At the same time, patriarchy indoctrinates men into thinking that they must look dominant; possessing their wives is seen as a symbol of success and manliness. In this case, I think patriarchy oppresses both women and men.

My question is: What roles do religion and gender play in depicting the miseries of male and female characters in “The Shrouded Woman?”

Robert Arlt, “Mad Toy”

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Reading Arlt’s “Mad Toy” left me with a heavy heart. As I read through the chapters, I feel that Arlt’s narration of his life only gets more depressing. It seems to me that Arlt has never had a genuine connection with anyone before he met Rengo, yet he loses him in the end. From joining the band of thieves, and working at a bookstore, to his attempt to commit suicide, they all ended in failure; toward the end of these chapters, they all manifest loneliness in Arlt’s life. Just when I thought that Arlt finally had a connection with other people, as evidenced by Rengo’s disclosure of his plan to rob Vitri’s place, the chapter ends with Arlt’s betrayal of Rengo, which makes me feel more upset. He says, “…inside of me there is joy, a full, conscious kind of joy” (150). After everything that he had been through, I feel his calmness in the end makes the atmosphere even more sinister.

I like Arlt’s structure of his novel into four different parts, with the previous three ending with illicit behaviour, and the last one ending with a seemingly righteous act. I also interpret that Arlt centres his novel on the idea of justice, and its relationship to society. In the first chapter, Arlt says, “I don’t remember what subtleties and twisted reasoning we used to convince ourselves that robbery was a noble and beautiful act…” (29). He also mentions, “Don’t talk about money, Mama, please!” The financial pressure he is burdened with diminishes his happiness in his childhood. Coupled with his critique of the affluent young ladies who exploit the working class yet call them “riffraff” on p.40, arson, and the insults that he has to bear while working at the bookstore, they all instigate his deep-seated resentment of the highly classist society where people in the working class, like Arlt, have scarce social mobility. The oppression that Arlt feels channels to retaliation, hence his criminal behaviour as he seeks justice for himself. I see Arlt’s behaviour not only as a symbol of rebellion, but a desire to deconstruct the system that almost everyone he encounters seems to adhere to. The sarcasm in the end is that the righteous act, which is normally embraced by society, in his case entails a brutal betrayal, which makes me question the binary opposites of righteousness/betrayal, and whether they are in fact interconnected.

Another feature that I noticed was the dysfunctional relationships between people and their constant reference to life in the novel, which I found interesting. For instance, Maria shouted at Don Gaetano multiple times, “I was beautiful. What you done with my life” (68). This reminds me of Senora Naidath as she tells Arlt’s mother about her arguments with her husband and says, “What a life, Frau, what a life…” (87). Toward the end, Arlt says, “I know that life will always be extraordinarily beautiful for me…” (162). Though Arlt does not have a partner, all these people seem to detest their stages in their lives, and they all feel repressed in different ways, thus depriving their abilities to express their true identity. Despite being an adolescent, I think the case for Arlt is more complicated than the adults. At a young age, he already knows that poverty is despised by society, the harshness of reality, and the volatility of life while he is still trying to make sense of where he is situated in society.

My question for this reading is: How does Silvio’s tranquillity toward the end reveal his outlook on life?

Marcel Proust, “Combray”

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Proust’s “Combray” was definitely challenging for me to follow along, with its lengthy sentences and extremely detailed descriptions of his own memories. I found the plot dreary at first. That said, I appreciated how Proust depicts the scenes where he drowns in his own thoughts, creating a gloomy atmosphere right from the start that signals readers that they are about to immerse in his mind. The constant references to darkness and light, exemplified by the blown-out candlesticks, midnights, and moonlight connect with both Proust’s and readers’ sense of sight, hearing, and imagination, enabling readers to visualize Proust’s struggle to make sense of everything. Proust writes, “I would go back to sleep, and would sometimes afterward wake again for brief moments only, long enough to hear the organic creak of the woodwork, open my eyes and stare at the kaleidoscope of the darkness…” (4). Proust also evokes a sense of loneliness which I deemed as a key feature in the section.

I noticed that the setting of the novel is almost always centred on his bedroom and his childhood residence. This made me think about how we would associate bedrooms with comfort and solace, yet Proust’s portrayal of his bedroom is somewhat depressing. It becomes the place where Proust ponders the question of his state of mind; specifically, whether he was in the state of wakefulness or unconsciousness.

The blurriness of memories is another theme, and I liked how Proust inserts fragments to express his confusion about identity, instead of simply outlining his memories chronologically. “I lost all sense of the place in which I had gone to sleep, and when I awoke, not knowing who I was, I could not even be sure at first who I was…” (5). Proust delves into his own mind, and it seems to me that he is tangled by his own thoughts. His mind was like a labyrinth. While reading Proust’s work, his boundless mind intrigued me because when it comes to memories of his mother and his times spent in Combray, he regains consciousness again.

I adored how Proust depicts his relationship with his mother. Proust rarely uses phrases such as “love” and “affection”, yet he effectively conjures up heartwarming scenes of intimacy. He writes, “So much so I reached the point of hoping that this goodnight which I loved so much would come as late as possible…” (15). The fact that they were written from a child’s perspective was interesting to me because they contrasted with Proust’s delineation of the adults as a world of hypocrisy. For instance, his great-aunt and others are portrayed as opinionated adults as they often gossip about Swann, such as his love life and his social circle. Such a contrast thus magnifies the simplicity of Proust’s childhood life and innocence since he only ever covets for his mother’s love. Also, I loved how Proust seamlessly injects the complexity of emotions, rejecting the binary assumptions of love/misery. He says, “My body, conscious that its own warmth was operating hers, would strive to become one with her… I would abandon myself altogether to this end” (5). While I interpreted the use of strong diction as his way of connecting with his memories, I thought this could be viewed as misery emerging from love. His sense of longing features both melancholy and love in the section, and I must say that Proust’s sophistication in his writing was inspiring.

Hence, this leads to my question: What is the significance of sensorial experiences to Proust’s depiction of his memories?

Introduction

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Hi everyone! My name is Janae Lam, and I am a first year Arts student. I plan on majoring in Anthropology, specializing in archaeology. Ever since I was small, I have always wanted to become an archaeologist and live in either Egypt or Scotland. Seeing the fascinating artifacts, I feel that they are more than just lifeless objects, but powerful portrayals and indications of the past waiting for people to unveil their secrets. Not only do they tell us about their origins, but they also reveal their respective social structures, which are closely related to how modern society is formed.

Apart from my studies, I am also a passionate badminton player. Having played competitively throughout my high school years, I am volunteering as a badminton coach at my former high school since I genuinely wanted to give back to the community. To me, it is meaningful to support children with the skills that I have once acquired.

My expectations for the course are that I would eventually discover novels/books that appeal to me, and connect their themes to my life, as well as our society. I view the habit of reading as a way to mould my personal values. Oftentimes, we may resonate with the text, which allows us to foster connections with the novels. Applying these connections to our lives, I believe that they can help shape our original thoughts.

The introductory lecture was interesting! I really appreciated the flexibility of the course structure. Also, the lecture introduced some new perspectives, which changed my interpretation of the phrase “Romance Studies”. Before, I would associate the phrase with European culture and well-known literature. Now, I understand that “Romance Studies” knows no limits. It is the interconnectedness of languages and cultures across countries that matters.

I am looking forward to this semester, and I am excited to know what everyone’s thoughts are regarding the texts!