Hi everyone! My name is Manaal, and I am a second-year student majoring in psychology. I’ve grown up in various countries worldwide, but I spent the most time in Dubai. My hobbies include painting, drawing or anything artsy (even though I am not very good, lol.) I’m also a big music enthusiast, and my playlists include songs from any genre or language. In fact, one of the reasons I signed up for this class is because it would give me a unique opportunity to read texts from other languages (albeit they are all translated into English). I used to be an avid reader when I was younger and could spend hours and hours analyzing characters and text; however, in recent times, due to various reasons, I haven’t been able to do that. I feel this course will allow me to fill that void in the blog posts, which only gets me more excited for this class.

I’ve never been a big literature girl (I usually read fantasy/dystopian novels in the past), so a lot of these readings seem a little daunting; however, I really do appreciate the “choose-your-own-adventure” style in which the course is set up. I have never experienced a course designed like this previously, but I like it so far! I hope to do well in this class (still deciding on a good grade with a manageable workload for me since I tend to be a major procrastinator sometimes) and to expand my knowledge.

One interesting point that I noted during the lecture was the bit about where the Romance world actually was. I always assumed that it was just any country that spoke a Romance language; therefore, I was intrigued to discover that it has no defined geographical boundaries.

Quote to note: “Romance studies belongs nowhere, therefore, it finds its place everywhere.”

I also find it interesting that so much of the content we consume is determined by geography. Almost everything has a cultural or nationalistic tie to some place or something. It is fascinating that the world of Romance studies is free from these boundaries and is able to delve into a world of its own creation. The feeling of belonging to something is minimally present here.

Another valuable point is the themes of betrayal that are discussed towards the end of the lecture or the lack of. a “founding father” and the implications that possesses.