Hopscotch: Topics in Hispanic Literature

Phew almost forgot about writing this blog post.  I was thinking about how funny (to me) it would be if I did what Jon brought up in class before (how to his surprise, no student has just written cuss words 400 times to meet the word count for the blog) but I have decided against it! I thought it would be an injustice to how far I’ve come throughout this course, and the amount of literature I can reflect on in this post.

To start off, one of my favourite novels we explored this term was definitely Clarice Lispector’s “The Hour of the Star.” The novel’s theme of poverty and identity really stuck out to me, and I felt quite sad for Macabéa as the story of her life was laid out in front of me. Tragedy after tragedy, until finally something good was coming out of it for once, and as she was happy, she suddenly dies. Unfortunate. This term has been quite the rollercoaster for me but the end of this course is bittersweet. Sure, I’m happy I don’t have to deal with any of my other courses I’m taking this term (I’m looking directly at you macroeconomics!) but I am going to miss the chats we had in class, and the people I have met and connected with through these books. I also want to show some appreciation for Jon and Daniel, who have made this course an amazing experience. When I first registered into this course, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. I was not too familiar with reading literature, and the usual texts I encounter are in the form of articles and papers assigned in class. This class has reignited my interest in novels as I have forgot how much joy comes with reading a novel, and connecting with the imaginative characters in the stories.

These blog posts have also been a joy of mine. At first, I kind of dreaded having to write a blog post every week for every book I read, but over time I found myself wanting to write down my thoughts, and just spilling out any ideas that came to my mind. I’ve never really gotten a chance to do this, so thank you.

My final question to you all is: nothing. I hope you all have an amazing summer break and get to enjoy the things you love. Take care everyone!

Okay I lied, I am actually interested in which book you would recommend reading from this term? As I only got to read 1/2 of the books each week.

Well, what a way to end the course! With its mentions of fairytales, while also stating it wasn’t a fairytale in the book (17), Cristina Rivera Garza’s “The Taiga Syndrome” was an interesting, but often times confusing read due to the theme of time and what was real or not. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the book and was first drawn in from the fact it was a quest novel, in which the narrator has to find a man’s wife who has disappeared with another man.

Just like in many novels we have explored this term, we never get to know the name of the narrator. Before taking this course, I probably would not have thought much about not knowing the names of the narrator, but I have learned that names are indeed important and can be a central theme to the book, as names carry a lot of weight.

The novel reminded me of “Papi” by Rita Indiana, in the sense that there are certain parts of the book where reality is blurred and it’s hard to differentiate the real from the fake. Past memories of Lupe haunt her, and she frequently questions whether they’re real or not. And in”Papi” the narrator’s innocence and view of her father as a superhero cloud her judgement, and we are unable to know if some of the things she is saying in the novel are true, or are a figment of imagination through the lens of an 8-year old child.

I found the conversation video with Rivera Garza to be very captivating. I enjoyed how she explored the theme of distance, and how far she can take it, through the location of the novel in the boreal forest. Her use of “que” or “that” in the novel really caught my attention, as she explored the use of its repetition and importance in the novel to get her point across. I also found it interesting that the novel was translated to English many years after being first published in Spanish. I wonder how translation affects the power of the words seen in Spanish, and then translated into English. I am also looking forward for her new book that just came out in February, “Liliana’s Invincible Summer” will definitely be in my future reading list!

My question to you all this week is, how does the taiga landscape function as a metaphor or symbol in the novel? And what themes do you think it represents?

I quite enjoyed reading Papi this week. Rita Indiana does a great job of narrating through the lens of a little girl who enjoys any moment she can have with her father. I found it funny how in the beginning, the narrator describes her father as being “like Jason, the guy from Friday the 13th. Or like Freddy Kreuger” (p.1). Even though people are fearful of him, the daughter has him on a pedestal. I guess she doesn’t understand why he does the things he does but she likes how he is very wealthy and can buy whatever he wants, even multiples of the same things. “My Papi has more of everything than your papi, he’s stronger than yours, he has more hair, more muscle, more money, and more girlfriends than yours” (p.8). Weird flex but okay. Her father is a tough gangster that acts like a caudillo, but she can’t wrap her hear around that and I applause it as it feels authentic, like I’m reading the work of a young child who just loves her dad.

Papi is like a well know celebrity in his hometown, and crowds form to swarm Papi everytime he comes back to visit. He is a superstar, and is treated like one. To the narrator, Papi is like a superhero, and does whatever he needs to provide for his family to live a lavish lifestyle.

As the narrator grows up, she realizes that her dad is not who she once thought he was. This coming of age realization happens to just about every child. Their role models are flawed just like any other human being, and that can be upsetting and is like a loss of innocence for the child. In reality, Papi was an irresponsible father that neglected his child.

Due to the imagination of the narrator as a child, she thought the father’s neglect was like a game. How you wouldn’t know when he was coming back was sort of like a messed up version of hide and seek, but it wouldn’t take a few minutes for him to come back and “find her” – more like weeks/months. Play is seen throughout the book, from the narrators creative imagination as well as through the way the story is written.

My question to you all this week is do you think if Papi was not a superstar in his hometown, but still neglected his daughter to the same extent, would the daughter still feel so excited to see him everytime he came back?

This week I chose to dive into “Distant Star” by Roberto Bolaño. I enjoyed this week’s reading as it felt like I was reading some sort of mystery crime novel filled with thrilling scenes. As we’ve all realized throughout the weeks, names have importance, and at first glance I thought the novel would be in a similar realm to “The Hour of The Star” by Clarice Lispector. Sure there was violence in both nooks, but nothing to the extreme of the Distant Star.

I then thought about what the title of the book meant. Since in “The Hour of the Star” we questioned what the title’s literal meaning was, and if Macabéa had her hour of the star moment. In “Distant Star” the narrator remains unnamed and I think the “star” refers to Carlos Weider, the poet and killer to whom the narrator is obsessed with. Although the star is distant, it still is important, and its light still shines and affects the world its in.

Although “Distant Star” was a much easier read for me as compared to some previous books in the course, it still tackled complex themes and problems occuring at the time. It explored the political and cultural climate of the Pinochet regime in Chile, with a focus on how art and literature can be used to fight against oppression.

The structure of the novel wasn’t the easiest to follow in terms of time, since it did jump back and forth between the past and present similar to “100 Years of Solitude,” but I did appreciate the different characters we were able to meet even if they were shortlived and involved in violent murders. One that stuck out to me was the photo of a severed finger just laying on the grey cement (p.89).

After reading the lecture transcript (It’s whisky this week Jon) I too was not satisfied with the ending, like the narrator. Although it allowed for an ambigous ending which is popular to some readers, I found it leaving me wanting more of a definitive ending in reagard to the narrator. I liked the way Jon put it, as “brushing history against the grain will always leave some sense of discomfort, as we realize our inevitable complicity in its ongoing violence” (p.10). Powerful stuff Jon.

My question to you all is: did you enjoy how the story wasn’t exactly linear, but had a narrative structure that jumped between time? (Bonus question: did you find the ending of the novel to be to your liking?)

This week’s reading was a bit tougher to digest, not only because it was a longer read than I am used to, but also because of the content involved. Rigoberta Menchú highlights key interactions that Indigenous communities face across the globe, through accounts occurring in her “own” life.

After watching the lecture, I would like to focus on the idea of secrets. What perfect timing to read this testimonio, right after reading “The Hour of the Star” by Clarice Lispector. Through watching Lispector’s eery, yet captivating interview, I can gather similar ideas of “secrets” and how crucial it was for the reader to remain captivated and hooked for the rest of the story. There was something so captivating about Lispector that I can’t fully put my head around it. Maybe it was just how free she spoke her mind, and didn’t care what anyone thought of her. Secrets are important in captivating the audience, and Menchú’s accounts of secrets did leave me wanting more, but I respected the fact that to her, some things are better kept as secrets and that we all need something for ourselves, or for our community of people that no one can take away. However, certain secrets are better told to the public if it can break the silences of injustice that may be occurring. Menchú incorporates these ideas and breaks the silence of the indigenous people in Guatemala. This is beneficial in order to promote change in the world. I do have to say that sometimes the line between whether or not it is worth sharing with the world or keeping it as a secret can be quite blurry, and it can be difficult to draw the line and set up boundaries.

I found Menchús stories to be very touching and even though some of her stories may not have been true ( her brother passing away) I still found it valuable in getting her point across, as this does happen in indigenous communities she is involved in. I did enjoy how Jon described Menchú as using literary games to draw us all in, and through her captivating storytelling, we were all intrigued in hearing her opinions on the silenced indigenous communities. These gruesome and violent scenes painted a picture of what is really going on in our indigenous communities around the world.

My question to you all this week is: Do you think Menchú was in the wrong when she told her “own” stories of the indigenous communities facing oppression and being silenced?

This week’s reading was drastically shorter than 100 Years of Solitude, but it did come with a price. Although it was short, it did take me quite a bit of time to finish the book as it was filled with metaphors and vivid imagery through the eyes of Macacbéa.

I enjoyed the beginning sentence of the book, “all the world began with a yes. One molecule said yes to another molecule and life was born”. I watched the lecture before reading the book so I can appreciate where Clarice wanted to start off from. It does seem tricky to identify where exactly to start the book, so why not start it from the beginning of time!

It took a while for Clarice to start talking about Macabéa but when she did, a recurring theme that I noticed was the prominent social injustice occurring to Macabéa. First off, she has terrible taste, and Olímpico is not what she needs. His values align with the majority of society at the time, and all he wants is to be upper class, which was clear in the choice of his new fling Gloria, who was white and had blond hair. Even though he came from humble beginnings like Macabéa, all he wanted was someone who looked ‘luxurious.’ I guess we all want what we do not have.

Macabéas life was far from extraordinary, but it portrayed a simple life that had its fair share of spectacular sprinkled in.

Throughout the story the narrator’s voice was prominent and at times I wanted to just know what happened next, especially when Macabéa was laying on the floor after being hit by the car and the narrator had the audacity to ask if the story should just end there. Macabéa’s death was sudden, and just like how the world began with a yes, Macabéas life ended with a yes. Macabéa had her hour of the star, although she didn’t get to meet the man of her dreams who was blond and rich. Maybe for good reason, as he could have ended up being just like Olímpico.

My question to you all this week is: did you enjoy having the narrator’s voices and opinions throughout the story? Or would you have rather appreciated a more linear and straightforward story of Macabéa?

*While looking for an online pdf. of the story, I found out that Clarice Lispector died shortly after writing the story, so she had her hour of the star moment.

Wow, what a read. 100 Years of Solitude was a great novel, one that I am very pleased we got to read in class. The second half of the book wasn’t as great as the first part in my opinion, but that may be due to the fact that reading break is over and I was occupied with other assignments that deterred me away from reading the novel in less sittings. This lead to confusion between who’s who, and that made me less interested in this novel. Having said that, I enjoyed how the themes explored in the first half of the book such as time and memory playing a continuing role in the rest of the book. Macondo was now not what it once was; due to many reasons such as the war, and new technology.

The end was bleak, with a Buendia descendant being born with a pigs tail, suggesting that the family’s curse will continue in the future. The brief  detail in this “scene” could be too much for some, but I personally thought it was useful in understanding just how devastating this curse was. The fact that the baby was just described as having a pig tail goes to show the style of magic realism, and that the baby symbolized much more than what it was.

There was some positive aspects to the book as well, especially when there was some hope when the rain of yellow flowers occurred after destructive rains and floods devastated Macondo.  Although bad things are occurring at the moment, there will also be good things up ahead, or at least that’s how I look at it. The good things may not be for the descendants of the Buendia family, but perhaps for Macondo in the future. I appreciated this magical realism due to its uniqueness and creativity.This intrigued me as I connected it to the cyclical nature of things and how history will probably repeat itself.

I was also brought back to the idea of play in literature, and how well magical realism can be a part of play. I now understand how powerful tools like these are in literature, especially when exploring complex ideas through innovative ways. It just makes reading much more enjoyable!

My question to you all is what other aspects of magical realism did you find connected to the overall theme of time or memory throughout the book?

I quite enjoyed reading the first half of 100 Years of Solitude during my reading break. I found it to be an easier read than some of the previous novels we have dived into, except for the fact that the family tree at the beginning was not much help in understanding who the characters were, as there were some characters with the same names! Zoning out was not an option for this novel.

Just like others have mentioned, this novel contained some disturbing qualities; incest, and pedophilia to name a couple. At times I found it hard to follow, and it was a prevalent occurrence throughout the novel. I tried to focus on other themes of the novel, such as the repetitiveness of words and wordplay.

Something that stood out to me while reading the novel was the amount of times i saw the words “no one.”

“… no one was over thirty years of age and where no one had died” (p. 11).

“…. to head toward the land that no one had promised them” (p. 24).

“…. so that she (Rebeca) could eat when no one was looking” (p. 42).

*I’m reading from an e-text so the page numbers may be janky.*

I found it related to the overall theme of the novel of loneliness and isolation, as depicted in the title of the novel. This was very important and prominent throughout the novel , as Macondo is a town that is quite isolated.  Due to Macondo’s distance from other places, you would think that family members of Macondo would stick close to one another, as often times they only had each other, but that was not the case for José Arcadio Buendía. “José Arcadio Buendía spent the long months of the rainy season shut up in a small room that he had built in the rear of the house so that no one would disturb his experiments” (p.5). José isolated and alienated himself from his family in search of new knowledge. José spent most of his life pent up in his laboratory, and distanced himself from his wife and two sons. This obsession of new knowledge reminds me of mad scientists that go cuckoo over their life’s work.

What an interesting first half of 100 Years of Solitude. I am looking forward to the second half, and my question to you all is: were there any other key words that you saw repeated throughout the novel? If so, how do you think these words affected the themes of the novel?

Hey everyone,

This week’s reading was a little better to analyze than last week’s Labyrinth. I enjoyed Juan Rulfo’s use of memory in the novel and allowed us to focus on how powerful it can be.

The use of memory alongside death were quite strong in the novel and. The dead residents of Comala are stuck in their memories, and they are unable to get rid of these memories that involve their past relationships. This can be a good and bad thing for the residents of Comala. For some, it can be comforting to relive these beautiful moments in time, but for others, they have to relive pain and suffering, and that is just horrible. Memory is so important in our lives, and it shapes how we think of our past and I find that so fascinating. Rulfo’s play on memory allows us to open up our minds and really challenge our ideas of what we think a memory should entail, because in the novel we can see that memories can change, for the better or worse. If I have the time I think I would benefit from a re-read of this novel due to its complexities.

Something that stuck out to me was the use of “I remember” a bunch of times in the novel. This reminds me of the class we had where we had to find a word of importance and figure out why the author decided to use it so often. It then played with my mind as I was using memory to figure that out and how important memory is to me. I then went down a rabbit hole of realizing how important memory was and how people who suffer with Alzheimer’s are not able to relive memories as much as I do. I am very grateful and I feel sympathetic for them.

Although the story wasn’t linear, after watching the lecture video I was able to understand the story a lot more clearly and that made it much more enjoyable for me. This week’s reading has showed me how powerful a novel can impact your understanding of something such as memory, and how creative these authors are with their work. I for one have not read a ton of books during my time at university that weren’t research papers so actually engaging with a book like this one was amazing for me.

My question for you all this week is how important are memories to you?

This week’s reading was a different experience for me, and I did not enjoy it as much as I have with the previous books. Luis Borge’s collection of stories were at many times very confusing and hard to follow. Similar to the title, his work put my mind into a maze and made it feel all jumbled up trying to follow his stories. I will give him credit, as the stories were interesting but I did find it hard to wrap my head around it all. I’d like to focus on one of the stories, “The Garden of Forking Paths”

“The Garden of Forking Paths” was an interesting read, and at times I found myself having to reread the lines as for some reason I would zone out or get lost in what was happening with the storyline. After reading it, I noticed the use of the labyrinth as a metaphor in the book Dr. Yu Tsun was searching for. The idea of time and space having multiple paths was intriguing to me, and the overall idea of mazes struck out to me. By the end of the story, Dr. Tsun realizes that the book he is searching for to connect with his ancestors is a novel, and how his choices throughout have been a part of the story in the book and it determined the outcome of his own life and others consequently.

After watching the lecture, I do agree in that the stories seemed to be like games with the reader, and that the idea of a labyrinth was fitting for the title, as the stories were just like that; a maze if you will, to make. You get lost until finally you start to understand what is going on.

I did appreciate the collection of short stories, as it was something I could read for a bit and be able to set down the book after finishing a few short stories, without having to remember what was happening at that point in time of say one longer story altogether. These collections of stories are memorable in a way that I can’t explain. I may be lost at times trying to understand what is happening, but I’m here for the ride, and it’s just like I am in a labyrinth; I don’t know what is ahead but I am curious to take the next turn.

My question to you all is: did you enjoy the way Labyrinths was written? Or was it a challenging book to continue reading?