April 9, 2024 · 12:34 pm

RMST202 in a nutshell: Shitty men, intrusive thoughts, nameless characters, and death

Alas, we have reached the end of this course! This course was strangely nowhere near what I expected but in the best way possible. I think the texts we have read and the discussions we have had, truly make me think about literature in different ways which was one of my main goals for this course. Often times I usually just take the text for what it is, but it was interesting to apply the context of the environment and time period to truly understand some of the intentions of these novels. 

I think if I had to pick a favourite novel for this course, it would be Nada by Carmen Laforet, which is strange because I remember that not many people chose that book. I felt like I experienced every emotion possible while reading that book. Seeing such a significant change in Andrea’s character and her own narrative perceptions of herself truly stuck with me the most. I also think it was so interesting how Laforet’s writing made me love a character on one page, but then absolutely despise them on the next. Usually, I feel like when I have a perception about a certain character, it is really difficult for a book to change my mind about them because I either want to defend them or absolutely trash their entire existence, but for some reason, this book gave me whiplash the entire time. I found myself being able to justify certain characters who I know deep down are still horrible people, and despise characters who I initially liked. Looking back on it now, Andrea’s friendship with Ena kind of resembles Elena’s friendship with Lila in My Brilliant Friend in terms of dynamics, jealousy, and reliance (although I will admit I liked Andrea and Ena’s friendship way more).

My least favourite book without a doubt has to be The Time of the Doves by Mercè Rodoreda. Honestly, I feel like I don’t really have a good reason for hating this book other than I simply just didn’t like it. I felt like I was so frustrated the entire time that it just wasn’t enjoyable for me. Every single character made me angry to the point where I didn’t really care much about them or about what happened to them so I never got invested in the novel. I noted how it has similar themes to Nada regarding changes in perception and character after one goes off to fight in the war, but every time I think about that damn tapeworm in a jar I need to take a few minutes to meditate. 

I mentioned this in one of my previous blogs but I literally had to start keeping track of how many Judas metaphors there were in these books and out of the 11 books that I read there were a whopping 6. Which doesn’t seem like a lot but it’s quite interesting to notice. I realized that most of the times they would pop up as metaphors regarding betrayal obviously, even though it could be recognized as one of the more subtle themes across these books. I am not a religious person myself, but I do enjoy the Lady Gaga song therefore to describe my experience of this course, I would use that song.

Question: What song would you pick to encapsulate this course and why?

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April 2, 2024 · 9:30 pm

Ferrante; These two would not pass the buzzfeed friendship quizzes

This week’s reading of Elena Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend honestly left me quite confused and a little bit frustrated. Funnily enough, my brilliant friend actually lent me the physical copy of this book when I told her I was reading it for this class so I find that kind of ironic. She loved it, whereas I feel quite indifferent. Where to begin on this novel. I think that overall, this was one of my favourite writing styles. I found that ideas and sentences flowed really nicely and I would like to give a greatly appreciated shoutout to Ferrante for including a character list because I don’t think I would have been able to keep up with the abundance of names otherwise. 

Regarding the actual story, I am honestly kind of dissatisfied. Everything felt like it was always moving in one big circle. First, Elena would achieve something and then Lila would be jealous causing her to achieve something more which would then cause Elena to be jealous and so on. Honestly, for me, this constant repetition of always wanting what you can’t have and being constantly almost hostile to one another got really repetitive. I would have liked to have seen a deeper connection between the girls. Here’s my explanation of this. For me, Elena and Lila are simply friends of a circumstance of proximity and nothing more. This constant tension of envy between the two for me, isn’t friendship. It’s merely a reliance to achieve a form of self-satisfaction and that yearning for pity yet also superiority. Yet I think that this concept could have been more effective if there was this sense of raw vulnerability with each other that you would see because of their differentiating circumstances regarding education and work. The idea that at the end of the day, they still come together with the truth, not this constant need to paint their own lives in a way they think would satisfy or one up the other. This for me was frustrating.

I would say one of my favourite parts of this book was that really short moment when Rino becomes especially violent and Lila gains this certain interest regarding the preservation of her younger childhood with Rino. I think it showed a certain vulnerability in her by recognizing that things always don’t have to progress in a forward motion, rather sometimes it’s ok to find comfort in the past. Part of me also thinks this comfort could be represented in naming her son Rino. This part lasted only like a page but I wish there were more moments similar to this in the story. I also found it hilarious that Elena practically planned Lila and Stefano’s wedding which again was like less than a page but was quite comical. Overall Ferrante’s book was very interesting, but I do think that I can talk more about my frustrations about this novel than I can my enjoyment. Perhaps my recognition of friendship today is so different that I simply cannot see these two as true friends which is why I struggled engaging with this novel.

 

Here is my discussion question for this week: There are a lot of different narratives that change throughout this story about people, education, and wealth. How do you think that compared to this book, the narrative of friendship has changed over time?

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March 26, 2024 · 9:47 pm

Saramago; The feminist text we didn’t know we needed?

This week’s reading of Jose Saramago’s Death With Interruptions definitely interrupted my daily thoughts. I listened to this book via the audiobook online as to appear mysterious listening to the philosophies of death while gazing at the various forms of life around me (the only accurate way to read this book in my opinion). This book started off very interesting to me when discussing the political, and religious aspects of a nation without death, and the family taking the grandfather and the baby across the border, but then slowly started dragging along more with the discussion of the Maphia and the border soldiers. However, for me, it picked back up again when death made her cameo again.

I was definitely annoyed at some parts of this book because truly sometimes the suspense was very frustrating and repetitive. It felt like so many of the plot points would set up something climactic like with the Maphia’s tactics about charging to take people across the border and then bringing them back to get buried, and then also the whole ordeal with the mysterious violet letter showing up to the Director General of television’s office. I understand the need to build up suspense and tension but honestly, these felt like they dragged on quite a bit. But regardless I did still enjoy this book (I realized over the span of this course that it doesn’t take much for me to enjoy a book, I think I am impressed quite easily. Except with The Time of the Doves, I wish death would interrupt my thoughts about that damn tapeworm.). It felt like quite a different dynamic to the books we have read about upbringing, yet still touches on themes like family dynamics, politics, and religion.

The use of flags was also very notable in this story for me. Flags start off as this sort of nationalistic representation as people initially post them in front of their houses reveling in the fact that they have now unlocked eternal life. However, upon hearing that deaths are going to begin to reoccur, flags go on to represent a mark for doctors to arrive at certain houses and announce the dead. death herself is a very interesting character in a world where dying became not only a crime but also a miracle to those suffering. Whether writing her note of return on violet-coloured paper or writing another letter as to correct everyone on the proper capitalization (or perhaps lack thereof) of her name, was pretty girlboss behaviour. She still gets called heinous names as she tries to carry out her job but is still romanticized as this beautiful young skeleton. And yet, she even finds love and her smile while experiencing a lot more shenanigans along the way. She had civilians, politicians, religious actors, and practically everyone else in her grasp. But perhaps that’s just life. Does death have us in her grasp too, regardless of whether she is here or not?

My question for this week would be as follows: Does death have you in her grasp? Or perhaps like Saramago possibly suggests, have you escaped her with love?

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March 18, 2024 · 10:00 pm

Piglia; To quote Abba, “money, money, money”

Where to even begin on this whirlwind of a novel. Ricardo Piglia’s Money to Burn was genuinely one of my favourite reads of the course thus far. I think this has to do with the writing style in part because it felt very engaging to follow along but also I felt as if I could visually watch the story unfold in my head. The plot at times was extremely graphic and wicked, especially towards women which definitely threw me off, sometimes this makes me question if such violence is necessary to the story and adds to the plot, or perhaps it is only trying to represent the narrative of the truth. I also felt like we were reading this story as if it was the future of when these events took place and at times it similarly felt like we were reading the police report of the accounted events (“witnesses say…”, etc.). Overall, the narration felt very fragmented because of this which I quite enjoyed.

I also noticed that this is now I believe the fifth book I have read that uses a Judas metaphor somewhere in the book. This makes me think that perhaps the theme of betrayal is a common theme throughout some of these novels. But it could also be a common literary tool used to keep the reader more engaged. You typically expect those in a group to be loyal to one another however there are also hints of betrayal lingering in this story like Blanquita ratting out her accomplices or forcing Yamandú out the window after their altercation with the police. I wouldn’t say that betrayal is necessarily a central theme throughout these books, but it is one that I noticed has constantly lingered in the background. I also think that goes to show how the thieves crave violence which becomes their source of power not necessarily the money. It was their “taste for evil” that ultimately made them “degenerates”. It is crazy to me that with all that they have done, it is the burning of the money that becomes personified in the story — ‘burning innocent money is an act of cannibalism’ — but also makes the thieves “immoral beasts” as if the violence and killing wasn’t enough and instead this became their noted act of “terrorism”. They state that money holds this neutral innocence however just like people, I would argue that money also holds political ties whether to the capitalist or the communist. In a way, money represents the government, whatever that government may be. 

I don’t know much about Argentina so I feel as if there is not much I can speak about it’s political context, however, I feel as if I can add to the conversation in terms of mate, specifically yerba mate which I know is a typical Argentinian drink and mentioned a few times in the book. Therefore, if I had to pick a drinks pairing for this week, it would be Yerba Mate (specifically the mint or blueberry one). If you’re a fan of iced tea or tea in general I definitely recommend. Just in time for reading this book they recently came out with two new flavours berry lemonade and peach!  (update: DO NOT get berry lemonade and peach it was absolutely atrocious) (update 2: I found out they are atrocious because they are supposed to be a new “low calorie” formula. We demand the calories back!!!)

 

My question for this week would be: Do you think that certain themes of violence in books are necessary drivers for the plot or the environment? Or perhaps that in itself is a genre?

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March 11, 2024 · 10:10 pm

The Trenchcoat: I’d like to see the conspiracy theorists try and tackle this one

The Trenchcoat by Norman Manea has me feeling uncertain, and confused. So, I can only say that Manea has achieved his goal. The writing itself was a big contributor to this as it often consisted of run-on sentences as well as repeated words that almost felt like ad libbing in my head. Not to mention the Kid/The learned/The researcher/The guileless, one who honestly still remains a mystery. At one point I thought that everyone thought the trenchcoat belonged to another woman that Bazil was seeing behind Dina’s back, but looking back, even that I may have misinterpreted. 

 

I think it is interesting how the trenchcoat was described as being so bland with no features that made it stand out, yet it was those very attributes that made the trenchcoat a central piece in this novella. In a way, it also compels the reader to become fixated on this trenchcoat and uncover its true position in the book. Everything feels so tense and uptight in this story because of the political context of Romania at the time and the ominous presence surrounding the characters that the presence of a bland, simple coat, even put me on the edge as a reader. I found myself so hung up on trying to overanalyze the trenchcoat so that I can understand the theme and meaning of this novella as a whole. I think that in itself is quite ironic because now I question my approaches towards books as it almost felt like I was forcing myself to view it as a symbol rather than as a simple trench coat. I think over-analysis in some instances can be good because it can help uncover hidden themes or things that other people may have not thought of and elicit conversations and questions. In the case of the trenchcoat, I think it was far more impactful to see the way that Manea had described. Simply as a coat, but one that represents such a prominent symbol to the characters in the novella.

 

Watching the lecture with Norman Manea really helped enlighten some of my thoughts of the novel. He mentions how the trenchcoat was the emblem of the security office that controlled and manipulated everybody and that in itself is representing dictatorship. My favourite part was when he mentioned that it was often worn by those of the secret police which were so common that ¼ people were part of it. This makes me question now that maybe everyone in the novella was so uptight and freaked out about this overcoat that they were questioning if Bazil or Dina themselves were an informant. Perhaps at the end it is revealed that Dina and the nameless pupil are both informants, but I am still uncertain. Watching the lecture also helped a lot with this book as well, especially given the political context of Romania at the time. I think overall I quite liked the trenchcoat, but even that I am unsure of.

My question for this book would be: How would you say that you like approaching novels, and how did you find that affecting your reading of The Trenchcoat?

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March 5, 2024 · 9:23 pm

Calvino; I too got vertigo while reading this book

I’ll start off by saying that without a doubt I LOVED Calvino’s If on a winter’s night a traveler. It felt new, it felt refreshing, it felt different. In one of my other classes, we have been discussing the concepts of tropes and how they are effective mechanisms in writing. Essentially, what makes a story good is that it uses these tropes to its advantage as providing a resolution or reaction to some form of a climax. However, as we have so evidently seen in this book, there is no such thing as a resolution to a climax for the reader. I think that’s what makes this such an interesting read because it uses the concepts of tropes to its advantage to build a climax, but yet the reader is constantly faced with a sense of dissatisfaction. The protagonist does eventually get some form of a resolution at the end (although one that can be debated to continue), but I found the constant frustration of yearning for that satisfaction to be highly entertaining.

 

I think if I were to pick a favourite story that if I was the reader I would also hunt down Ermes Marana and demand answers, it would definitely be Looks down in the gathering shadow. I really want to know more about the drama between the protagonist and Jojo and simply just read more about Bernadette being a girlboss who I think betrays him at the end. I also particularly liked how that story was narrated because there was almost this sort of nonchalance with the protagonist yet you could still feel how his character was driven by the need for revenge due to his past with Jojo. (However the mention of the tapeworm in this chapter gave me ptsd from the time of the doves).

 

This line is particular I loved from Looks down in the gathering shadow

“Because even remembering evil can be a pleasure when the evil is mixed with I won’t say good, but with variety, the volatile, the changeable, in other words with what I can also call good, which is the pleasure of seeing things from a distance and narrating them as what is past.” (94).

 

In reference to the title of my blog, I think that I actually enjoyed the dizziness and the jumping around from climax to climax more than I thought I would. This is because I was equally invested in the reader’s endeavors and found his story equally as interesting as the stories he would read. I found the whole theme of the boundaries between the reader, the text, and the audience to be extremely intriguing. I think this was reiterated throughout the book with the emphasis of using the form of tu instead of usted. From my understanding, you would typically use the usted form when addressing someone you don’t know or as a form of respect to an elder or authority figure as a more formal conjugation whereas the use of tu would be used in more informal terms. I feel like the use of tu created a more intimate and personal experience and engaged my role as the reader in this novel even though technically I was not meant to be Calvino’s target audience as the reader. I know this novel was originally published in Italian so that also makes me wonder if this distinction is recognized in Italian as well?

My question for this week would be: Which story in the book would you consider continuing to read and why?

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February 27, 2024 · 8:47 pm

The Time of the Doves; So… who was Maria?

This week’s reading of The Time of the Doves by Mercé Rodoreda was definitely a very interesting read yet unfortunately not one of my favourites. I felt the writing style was a bit exhausting to keep up with because such grand and seemingly important plot points would be spoken of in a single sentence with few words, whereas descriptions of the house Natalia worked at as a servant, for example, would take up whole chapters. It was interesting to kind of have those breaths of description however I still wish there was more emphasis on plot points such as Quimet going to war, and Natalia having to enroll Antoni at an abusive school. I just wish there was more time spent on these pivotal moments so that someone reading the book who has no knowledge of the Spanish Civil War, could further comprehend the lifestyle and circumstances of the war.

“I felt very surprised listening to him because I was seeing another Cintet, and I thought how war changes men.” (126).

What I did like about this book however was how similarly to Nada, it emphasized the change in perception and character after one goes off to fight in the war. Before Cintet dies in the war he has a change in perception where he discovers that war is better to be read with history than to be made with guns, therefore I think that this line does a good job of implicitly stating the atrocities and brutalities of the Spanish Civil War and their lasting effects. I think that Cintet’s character at this time can be contrasted with Juan from Nada. Whereas Juan returns from the Civil War as a more violent and abusive character, there seems to be a more calmness manifested in Cintet. This makes me wonder about what changes in character there would be in Quimet had he survived the war. Would his trauma manifest more violently than it was before, or would he become a more gentle character as opposed to the Quimet we see throughout the whole book? Similarly to Natalia, I do wish he came back from fighting so we could really feel that change in disposition since we had become so familiar with Quimet’s personality before he enlisted.

I also really enjoyed Julieta’s character even though she was only mentioned a few times. Specifically, when she’s talking to Natalia about her experience with love, Natalia realizes what different lives they have led and yearns to experience love like Julieta but is then hit with the realization that her reality is one that involves cleaning, and dusting, and taking care of her kids. It felt really heart-wrenching that Natalia doesn’t believe that her life is capable of the lovely things in life she admires such as the gardens, wind, and the living ivy.

My question for this week would be as follows: What do you think is the relevance of the title of this book?

(I personally think that it’s because the representation about how important the doves were to Quimet. Arguably more important than his wife and own kids. Therefore, as the book highlights Natalia’s struggles and unfortunate circumstances, from Quimet’s point of view, it still becomes all about the doves.)

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February 12, 2024 · 11:49 pm

Black Shack Alley; a story about struggle and resilience

Joseph Zobel’s Black Shack Alley was an incredibly moving and eye-opening story that I thoroughly enjoyed. Zobel does a really good job at eliciting emotions throughout the book as I felt myself becoming more and more attached to the story as it actually felt like watching a documentary about José’s life. This book was written in quite a bit of detail which I think is reflective of José’s constant curiosity about narratives and the experiences of others. 

One of the themes that I enjoyed about this book, was the idea of storytelling. José has such a fondness for the stories told by others and the imaginations that come along with them. In Part One, it is evident that he loves the daytime and the sun because that’s when he can play with his friends freely, however, the night also brought him enjoyment because that was when Mr. Médouze’s stories were told. This theme carries on throughout the rest of the book however José himself is not the one telling the stories because he always felt like his stories were inferior to tell when compared to the ones of Jojo’s or Carmen’s. However, I think upon reading José’s story throughout this novel, I beg to differ.

“And in his tragic position there, on the cross, seemed to me as incomprehensible as Mr. Médouze’s. And yet, he wasn’t black…” (88)

One of the more obvious themes of this book is racism and classism and we see it portrayed from the very beginning to the very end of the book. This quote specifically stood out to me because José is seeing Jesus’ suffering on the cross, and attributing this pain to being black, something he inherently grew up with and sees as the norm. He becomes more aware of this segregation as he grows older however I think that this childhood innocence of questioning why someone outside his own race has to be in pain was incredibly impactful. You see this slow realization span throughout the whole book until near the end of Part Three where he is questioning Adréa at the bar about her prejudice towards his race and the roots of where it derives from. I found this moment extremely interesting because you can see the progression from him being younger and simply understanding racism as the way the world works, to him being older and questioning why these prejudices exist.

The question I would ask this week would be the following; How does Jose’s journey from the Black Shack Alley to the Lycée help form his understanding of racism and oppression?

 

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February 6, 2024 · 8:44 pm

Nada; 1945’s reality TV

This week I read Nada by Carmen Laforet and oh boy was that a journey of drama, pain, and chaos. I did find myself really enjoying Laforet’s writing style, it felt like I was reading Andrea’s diary so that made me feel like I was more connected to the character. I was so confused about what to feel about certain characters. I liked them on one page and then they would go do the most outrageous action completely changing my perspective on the character. I kind of liked it though, it kept me on my toes while reading and made me think about what necessarily makes a character ‘good’ and what makes them ‘bad’. Something I have been noticing as a common theme that brings me back to Swann’s Way is the love and admiration for architecture. Andrea is constantly talking about the beautiful cathedrals of Barcelona and they are always described in such detail it feels like taking a long breath after reading through such rich dialogue.

I think one of the main themes of this book was the idea of rebellion. At first, Andrea seems like such a people-pleaser, she always wanted to validate the opinions of her family around her. However, it was in those moments of rebellion that I found Andrea to be the most comfortable with herself. For example, she knew that sleeping in Angustias’ bed would definitely make her angry, yet she continued to sleep in her bed during the time Angustias was away. Similarly, I think her need for rebellion also made her more independent when she no longer ate food at home and rather discovered foods such as dried fruits and nuts. I think Andrea strived for this careless happiness that she could only find in rebellion.

“I was taking nothing from the house on Calle de Aribau. At least, that’s what I thought then.” (244)

This quote is so interesting to me because I interpret it as meaning how someone’s environment and circumstances can unconsciously change someone’s attitude. We see this throughout the whole book. How Román is always emphasized to have changed after the war, and how the whole family is not this romanticized image that Andrea had of them before arriving at the Calle de Aribau.

I think my favourite part of this whole book was Andrea’s relationship with Ena. That friendship (although questionable at moments) was something that I found myself hoping I could grasp on to throughout the whole book. When Andrea ultimately moves away to live near Ena and work for her father, I found myself really comforted by this show of genuine friendship, something that I think Andrea was only partially able to experience with Pons.

My question for this week would be: How do we see Andrea’s outlook and attitude shift over the span of the book as she spends more and more time with her family at Calle de Aribau?

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January 30, 2024 · 9:28 pm

The Shrouded Woman; what is love if not suffering, rage, and pain.

María Luisa Bombal’s The Shrouded Woman felt like experiencing a sad sitcom. I really enjoyed the way her writing felt entertaining and enjoyable, yet she was still able to tackle intense concepts and sad storylines. I think my biggest struggle reading Bombal was the switches between POVs (demonstrating modernism) and the constant use of metaphors that I sometimes found difficult to unwind in order to understand what the sentence were trying to get across. I also realized that Bombal and even her character, Ana Maria, both like using the textures, sounds, and visuals, of nature as to describe their moods and emotions. That was something I really enjoyed throughout the book. There was always some form of chaos going on yet it was still somehow grounded in the natural elements around the characters, whether the wind was blowing or the thunder was striking.

“Why, oh why must a woman’s nature be such that a man has always to be the pivot of her life.” (226)

There was so much to unpack in this book that I truly don’t think I will ever be able to truly touch on it all, however, what stood out to me the most is how much her first love with Ricardo, affected her entire life. I think that in every conversation she further had with any characters, whether her sons, their wives, Fernando, or Antonio, some part of the way she acted and felt the things she felt was because of the tainted and passionate mark Ricardo had left on her. At first, I was confused when his character was introduced first because to me he seemed the most important and I feel like those are generally saved for last, however, I now understand how vital his story with Ana Maria was in understanding her psyche. She was confused when Luis didn’t get involved with Elena, even though she perceived them as having this youthful and playful love for one another, mirroring what she had with Ricardo. She does later admit that she loved the thrill of success she had over him rather than actually loving him, but I think this is just the story Ana Maria tells herself to cope with the understanding that all her relationships have tainted her definition of love and what it should be like to feel loved. What made her drawn to such difficult and horrific partners, those like Fernando who repulses and humiliates her, Antonio who assaults her, and Ricardo whose departure left her in such turmoil? Maybe because that was all she experienced, that’s all she knows as love.

I think this all leads me to ask this. More importantly, how does Ana Maria maintain to be drawn to such negative connotations of love? Why does she desire for the life she is constantly attracted to, to be one of suffering?

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