Hi everyone!! This would be my last blog post for this class. I honestly feel proud of everyone and myself for reading all the books that we had contracted for, and I hope that we have at least found one novel that we resonate with!

This course was definitely one of my favourite classes for the entire year. I have never taken any literature courses at UBC before, but I genuinely hope that other classes can adopt the same structure as well. Apart from its flexible grading structure, I find the class discussions generally help generate precious, insightful ideas. While I already had some thoughts on the novels in mind, it was a great experience to exchange thoughts with our peers in small groups as well as listen to what others had to say in class. Class discussions have immensely broadened my preconceived conceptions of the novels. In particular, I really liked our discussion of the significance of bodies in “Black Shack Alley”. While I only thought about how the bodies of Black people were viewed as economic assets that were instrumentalized to fulfill white settlers’ financial needs, I had never given much thought to the aesthetic element of it. I vividly remember that some of my classmates gave impressive analyses regarding the aestheticization of Black bodies when the labourers are swimming in the sea, and how bodies symbolize the temporary repossession of autonomy under a white supremacist societal structure. This notion strikes me as an extraordinary one, and I am truly grateful that their insights have deepened my understanding of the novel.

Most of the books that we covered in class had somewhat a grim yet realistic worldview. I find the novels “Mad Toy”, “Black Shack Alley”, and “The Shrouded Woman” speak to this the most. These three novels depict the harshness of reality, human nature, and societal themes such as poverty, patriarchy, the continuity of white supremacy etc. Among them, my favourite book would be “The Shrouded Woman”. I am confident to say that I have achieved my goal set in my introductory blog post as Bombal’s novel very much resonates with me. I appreciate how Bombal deconstructs the conventional, rigid dualism of life and death. Since it is written from the perspective of a deceased woman, it very much reminds me of how death illuminates Ana Maria in the sense that she gets to re-configure and reflect on her relationships, which is something that she wouldn’t have a chance to do so while she’s alive. It is as if death is only a stage, but not the termination of life. I also admire Bombal narrative style as she collectively depicts the struggles of women under patriarchy, and at the same time reflects on her dysfunctional relationship with her husband, highlighting her own conflicted emotions as well.

As for my least favourite novel, it would be “Combray” by Proust. Though Proust exemplifies the intricacy between love and melancholy in that relationship, adding complexity to emotions and rejecting binary assumptions that misery cannot be associated with love, it is a bit challenging for me to follow along with the lack of commas and lengthy sentences. I would lose track of the plot and narration and had to re-read it afterwards.

I never once regretted my decision to take this course, and I would definitely recommend this course to my friends 😀

Thank you for everything, and hope you have a restful summer!

My question for this final blog post is: Which book do you resonate with the most and why?