Hey everyone! My name is Ava and I am a second-year Bachelor of Arts student interested in majoring in Political Science. I was born in Vancouver and so I grew up loving hiking, camping, and any other outdoor activities. I was always super close with my family, my mom used to read me books when I was younger so that’s where my love for reading came from. Today I like reading any genre from classics to fantasy and contemporary novels. My favourite book is The Secret History by Donna Tartt which I recommend if you’re into pretentious characters who make questionable decisions for the sake of artistry :). Funnily enough, one of the main ideas in The Secret History is the dangers of romanticizing bizarre situations which made me think of the discussion we had in class today regarding whether fiction needs to feel real in order to be good. I think, in this case, there were a lot of unrealistic satirical situations however because it was told from the perspective of one of the characters themselves, it was genuinely very enjoyable!
I definitely expect to be challenged when reading these novels because they are not the type of literature I would typically reach for, but I am familiar with some of the authors so I am excited to learn more about their writings. One thing I hated about the readings we had to do in high school was that we were always so focused on finding the deeper meanings of stories, that we failed to enjoy the readings for themselves at face value, therefore, that is something that I look forward to appreciating more in this course.
For this semester, I really want to engage more with novels outside of the world of American literature just because I think that storytelling is such a powerful form of communication shared differently around the world. As mentioned in the lecture video, I am also really interested to see how these texts compare to each other based on who is writing them and in what country they are based in. I am usually more drawn to female authors I don’t really know why, I think it’s because I am able to pick up on their sarcastic quips more often. I am very new to blogging so this very much feels like a notes app brain dump but I am excited to discuss the readings and share my own opinions on them and read everyone else’s!
Hey Ava. Thanks for sharing! I am also a second-year BA student but I am a sociology major. I also expect to be challenged in this course because right now I am leaning more towards reading non-fiction. The readings in this course are a significant contrast from the typical academic journals or textbooks that I am required to read in my other classes. I think it will be a breath of fresh air and I look forward to it!
Hi Ava!
Thanks so much for your insights. I think it’s super cool that you’re drawn to female authors and I totally relate to high school looking at the deeper meanings – I hope that you’re able to enjoy the books that you read this term and find some things you love about them or think are interesting!
Welcome to the course, Ava! I hope we can help you with your goal of engaging more with novels outside of the world of American literature.
Hello Ava, nice to meet you!
Like you, most of the books we will be reading are not books I would usually read. I’m a sucker for those fancy displays at bookstores that often consist of newer books, so I’m excited to find a well of old books considered to be influential through the curriculum of this course.
I’m also interested in seeing how all of these novels, which have been grouped under the umbrella category of romance, will differ in writing style and themes based on their geographical origin. I wonder if we would be able to accurately distinguish whether these books originated from different places had we not been given some background information on them through the course website.
Hello Ava!
Thank you for your introduction, and for introducing your favourite book! I would definitely read this book after the term.
I agree with your opinion that storytelling is a powerful form of communication, and it’s differently shared across the world. It gives a totally different impression and even gives a different point of view of the same world. It would be exciting to see how these stories can be compared to each other based on the author’s background.
Hi Ava!
Thank you for your introduction! As I was reading other’s intros, I was so excited to see someone who also is interested in majoring in Political Science! I felt your statement about high school readings on a different level. I feel as though my interest towards reading would have been much higher in high school if we took the patience the book requires instead of having to always find a deeper meaning behind it. That’s why I’m excited for this course! Hopefully the format allows us to give the time these books deserve.