I must admit that I have contracted a strange feeling of déjà vu, beginning once more with a system of blogs familiar to these eyes following a similar Romance Studies course taken last year; however, with a change in subject and a more focused look at a single genre, my interest has been fully renewed for this course. My name is Sam Wallace. I’m a third year Arts student currently majoring in English Literature living on the outskirts of Vancouver. Here, I make my living as a musician where my degree finds its use in crafting lyrics for songs on my guitar and paying close attention the rhythm of each line–its flow, poetry as well as its impact. Yet the city is not a permanent residence, as I’m currently seeking to transfer to the University of Sydney for my final fourth year at the end of the term for a change of scenery. News of acceptance is not until the end of January, so I’m looking forward to seeing the result and where I’m able to go in my English career. In addition, this travelling has helped to renew my interest in studying passionate writers across historical and geographical boundaries; and relating to this course, I especially enjoy the magical realism brought forth by Gabriel García Márquez and subsequent authors.

When I think of literature from Latin America, my mind turns to the broadness of the genre. Encompassing every writer in the South Americas who strives to capture their starkly different ethos both culturally and chronologically, they are united by language where experiences may vary. Conversely, the genre might also speak to an overlap in political, economic and social factors inherent in these works. In the lecture I appreciated the distinction made between a work being a historical archive and embellished to reflect the author’s own experience. There is no such thing as the “ideal account” of historical time, and it is impossible to capture the complexities of any event; it will always be told from the perspective of someone who has their own preconceived notions on current affairs, and who will write either favourably or unfavourably dependant on how their beliefs shape perception. Nevertheless, this can make for an interesting study on how literature captures events and how they are perceived through a manifold of unique perspectives. Going forward with future texts, my question would be what overlaps speak to a greater similarity between the Latin American experience, and where do the stories themselves appear to be in opposition? Only time will tell. . . S