The first thing I noticed was how pretty the writing was ٩(✧ᗜ✧)و the way the words flowed through each passage created such a fantastical image, and each description was really beautiful! I also loved the repetition of the phrase “the day burns hours, minutes, seconds.” It not only felt like a nice transition between memories, but also served as a reminder of how Ana Maria is dead and that these reflections happen in the last moments before her burial.
I read using the pdf that was provided on the RMST page, which included some annotations (it was my first time reading anything that was annotated, and it was really fun!). One that caught my eye and stayed with me throughout the reading was on the interior title page, saying how this book was a look at the artificial, useless lives of upper-class women. I found it interesting because, as I was going through the book, I couldn’t help but agree slightly, in spite of the memories being complex and revealing of Ana Maria’s life.
That being said, I think their lives may feel artificial or useless because of the restrictions placed on women at that time (and arguably still a bit today (⇀‸↼‶)). Just take a look at the opening, where Ana Maria is presented in her coffin, with the utmost care being put into making her look beautiful. Even in death, she is made to be pretty for others at her funeral, which she herself is overjoyed to realise. This objectification is even more prominent in the memories about Maria Griselda, where she is reduced to her beauty alone. The women are compared by their appearances, and the men yearn for the most beautiful, as if she were a trophy to acquire and not a person. This also makes the women put their worth largely in their beauty and result in competition and jealousy amongst them.
(Tangent, but it reminds me of a movie from one of those movie summary Instagram accounts (exposing my scrolling habits here (╥‸╥)) where the main character marries a rich man and is confined to a ledge above the fireplace, and all she does the whole day is wear a pretty outfit and sit prettily (I desperately need a thesaurus). Yes, the message is a bit on the nose, but I think it still stands).
As a result, while there is a lot of seeking affection and connection with men, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of strong connection/friendship between the women. This made the betrayal of Sofia very interesting, as Ana Maria eventually downplays it when she starts missing their friendship. How do you interpret this scene?
This was another very enjoyable book! I’m looking forward to discussing this with everyone ৻( •̀ ᗜ •́ ৻)
See you on Wednesday!
Julie ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ
7 replies on “Bombal – please look pretty even when dead”
“This objectification is even more prominent in the memories about Maria Griselda, where she is reduced to her beauty alone.” Could this perspective be related to the class, perhaps even to Ana María herself?
I really liked your analysis, especially how you connect the idea of women’s lives seeming “artificial” or “useless” to the restrictions placed on them, rather than to the women themselves. Also, i think the movie you mentioned it’s actually an episode from Roar, called the woman who was kept on a shelf!
Hi Julie! I was also pleasantly surprised by the annotations on the pages, it was nice to hear someone else’s input or interpretation while reading (well when they weren’t randomly cut off).
Oh my god I know what movie you’re referring to LMAO I’ve seen it before on instagram as well!! I also agree that the writing style this time around is so refreshing after the books from Breton and Proust. While Breton was easier, I thought his rambling in the beginning made it so difficult to get through. Same with proust, it jumps so much from one point to the other. Looking at Bombal, each story flows well to the next and it’s so much easier to grasp what the scene would look like.
I hope we get more readings like this ><!!
Hi! I totally agree, my first reaction to the book was how pretty and readable the writing style was (especially when compared to Proust and Breton, if you read Nadja). The whole story is very ‘the economy of women’ which is an unfortunately continuous issue but certainly at the time. All of the women and their relationships, with men and with each other, were kind of objectified and monopolized, despite this being by a woman author. She really had social commentary, and I’d say she more than conveyed it. I hope we have more readings of this style!
Hi Julie! Completely unrelated, but I LOVE the colour scheme you have for your blog 🙂
Moving onto actual content now, haha, I also noticed the same themes of objectification and how the main character almost internalized it through my read through. When she was recounted the betrayal, she seemed to even have some character development where she recognized the value in her female friendship (which took some weight away from the focus on male-centered relationships) as she recounted more about Sophia.
Hi Julie! I agree on how natural and fluid the writing felt, especially compared to the last few readings. This one was definitely my favourite so far.