Month: January 2026

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Bombal

Shrouded Woman – Bombal

While reading The Shrouded Woman, I couldn’t help but think back to Combray. I know the two texts are very different in style and context, but they feel similar in the way they treat memory and reflection. In both novels, the present moment acts more like a gateway to the past than a place where action happens. For Proust, the act of waking and drifting in and out of sleep triggers memories. For Bombal, it is the wake itself where a woman lying dead, listening is what opens the door to reflection.

What struck me most about the novel was how Ana Maria doesn’t move, speak, or act in a sense, yet her inner life feels very active. As visitors come and go, their voices and presence pull her into memories of love, marriage, childhood and motherhood. Much like in Combray, memory doesn’t unfold in a linear way, instead it manifests through  sensation, sound and emotions.

I feel like the reflective structure of the novel made her memories feel more intimate in a sense. Unlike in Combray, where memory feels more exploratory, Bombal’s use of reflection feels more final. Ana Maria is not revisiting her life to understand it better for the future because there’s quite literally no future left. This kind of gives her reflections a sense of urgency and regret. The moments of love, especially her relationship with Ricardio, stands out against the emotional silence of her marriage. It become very clear that most of her life was lived inwardly, shaped by what she felt more that what she was able to express.

I think one of the main takeaways from this novel is that clarity often comes too late. Ana Maria reaches her clearest understanding only after death. This made me think about how rarely people are able to fully recognize their own lives while they’re living them. Bombal seems to suggest that social roles, especially for women makes it hard to live openly and honestly.

By the end of the novel, I felt a quiet emotional weight rather than shock or sadness. In a way it made me think and reflect on my own life; I really don’t want to experience any regrets as I am dying. The novel though, does not ask us to fear death but to question how much of life we postpone, suppress or misunderstand until it becomes memory.

Overall this was very enjoyable read that even made me reflect on my own life. 8/10

Categories
Arlt

Mad Toy – Arlt

This was definitely a breath of fresh air after reading Proust last week as i was finally reading something i can follow along. While reading Mad Toy by Roberto Arlt, I was struck by how uncomfortable the novel feels. There is nothing clear or reassuring about Silvio’s story. Arlt does not attempt to make Silvio heroic, admirable, or even particularly likable, and I think that is exactly what makes the novel so compelling. Throughout the novel, Silvio consistently searches for guidance, only to be disappointed every time. He seems to be looking for something or someone to give his life direction or purpose perhaps.Whether it’s criminal figures, employers or even his intellectual ideals, he repeatedly places hope in the idea that mentorship or some sort of structure will save him. Each time, that hope collapses.

In the First chapter we can see that Silvio is excited to join the life of crime with Enrique. To me his attraction to crime felt more like a desire for purpose than wealth, the thieves’ club with its rules and titles, gave him a sense of belonging and control that he lacked in his life. This pattern continues throughout his life, he turns towards work then intellectual ambition, believing that if he follows the right path, success will eventually come.

This is where the novel becomes kind of demoralizing because he tries everything but no system ever truly works. When he’s working, the authority figures exploited him. When he turned to his intellectual ability, institutions failed him, he also didn’t get any lasting support from anyone close to him. He isn’t just rejected by society he’s used repeatedly then disposed of. Over time these feelings and emotions accumulate and by the final chapter we can see that his decisions are a result of resentment rather than hope.

The betrayal in the last section was what stood out to me the most. After being powerless for so long betrayal becomes the only way that he can exert some sort of control. Its not justified or heroic but its understandable within Arlt’s world and Silvio’s disillusionment.

By the end, Mad Toy felt less like a story about growing up and more about being worn down. Unlike a traditional story the protagonist doesn’t become stronger and wiser but is rather faced with the reality of the harsh world. There is no comfort or redemption offered here, as the reader you’re forced to sit with discomfort, frustration and ambiguity. Although this made the novel a little bit too real it also made it more compelling.

My question is what do you guys think about the conclusion? The story ends abruptly without some sort of resolution for Silvio so I would love to hear how this was interpreted by everyone.

Categories
Combray

A confusing but engaging read – Combray

So.., this was very confusing at first and very different than what i am used to reading. In the beginning the reading felt dense and really challenging to navigate. The sentences were long and they were kinda non-linear, alot of the times i just didn’t know where Proust was going with his thoughts especially when he was constantly shifting between memories, sensations and reflection. This reading required a different level of patience and attention than what i usually give when reading.

That being said i kind of started to change the way i viewed the book and adjusted my expectations and it quickly became unexpectedly engaging. I realized that rather than telling a traditional story, Combray felt like an attempt to recreate the experience of memory itself. The narrator’s recollections blur the boundaries between past and present, making time feel fluid instead of fixed and im pretty sure that that was the source of my confusion in the beginning. Yes it was frustrating to follow along the story initially but it slowly became immersive. Unlike the linear stories, i didn’t find myself concerned with what’s going to happen next, i was more interested in how the narrator experienced these moments internally.

I think a really compelling aspect of this text to me was how memory was often triggered through sensory experiences. It just shows how our senses are deeply connected to our bodies; that through them we experience and trigger those memories and not through some conscious effort. Just thinking about that made me reflect on how sometimes i just smell, taste or feel something and it instantly brings back memories i hadn’t thought about in years. Often, they’re memories that i can’t make the conscious effort to remember. Proust captures this phenomenon in a way that feels both personal and universal.

Despite finding the text difficult to read and follow at times, slowing down and allowing myself to sit with the text rather than rushing it felt rewarding. I haven’t gotten through the whole text since i joined the course late but just reading what i read so far made me understand that unlike the fast-paced reading i am more accustomed to, Combray demands a lot of patience and attention.

This style of writing is definitely far outside my comfort zone, but Combray has kind of made me more open to this foreign (to me) form of literature. While challenging, the experience became engaging enough to make me curious about how memory and identity continue to unfold throughout the part of the text I haven’t gotten to yet.

I would love to hear everyone’s thoughts 🙂

 

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Introduction

Hello!

Hi everyone, my name is Muhtadi, and I am an international student from Sudan. I am a 4th year IDST major with a focus on Economics, Computer Science, and Commerce. It might seem like I am taking this course simply to fulfill a literature requirement, especially since its content feels far removed from my academic background. However, I have already completed that requirement. I chose this course intentionally as a way to challenge myself and step outside of my comfort zone.

Most of the reading I do tends to fall within the “personal development” genre, so engaging with literary texts in an academic setting is something relatively new to me. This unfamiliarity is slightly intimidating but also exciting at the same time i want to see if i was wrong about literary texts as i always viewed them as verbose or boring. I am hoping that this course especially since it requires alot of reading can change my view on literary work.

While I mentioned that I mostly read personal development books, I also genuinely enjoy fantasy and science fiction novels, as well as manga. I think what draws me to these genres is the sense of immersion they provide. The experience closely resembles the feeling of playing a video game or watching a show or movie; during that time, you become fully absorbed in the world, characters, and narrative. It offers a temporary escape where your attention is completely focused on the story being told.

Although this kind of escapism is sometimes viewed negatively, I view it positively sometimes, especially given how fast paced and work oriented life has become in recent years. Having moments where you can disconnect, slow down, and engage with a different reality can be really beneficial to your psyche. For me, these genres are not just entertainment, but a way to reset mentally and emotionally, allowing me to return to daily responsibilities without feeling overwhelmed.

Fun fact: this is actually my first time writing a blog. While that feels a bit intimidating or even weird in a sense, I’m also excited to experiment with a new form of writing and reflection. I’m looking forward to learning from both the course material and my peers as we move through the term.

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