Tag Archives: narrator

Weekly Book Blog

Cercas’ Soldiers of Salamis…

This week we were tasked with reading the Soldier of Salamis; I don’t mean to sound harsh, but I just did not enjoy this book. It is a book that disinterested me, was too long, and was kind of confusing at times. I hate to be like this, and will try my best to write from the perspective of a book-disliker (mainly because that makes for a bleak review, and I believe there is something good in all novels); anyways, here we go. Something that I found to be interesting was the fact that Cercas used his own name as the main characters’ name as well; it added a layer of reality to the story, making it feel as if it was actually completely true. Although I did say I did not like the novel, something that I did particularly enjoy was the very strong connection this novel has to the theme of memory, specifically how memory can be revived, retold, and turned into something revitalizing and new. I found that Cercas spent most of his time trying to revive the memory of Sanchez Mazas, and even Figueras’ father. The second part of the book was interesting, and also supportive of the up keeping of Sanchez Mazas’ memory, because it recalls his life and perspective of what actually happened during the event that Cercas is so desperately trying to write about accurately in his novel. 

Something that I found to be a bit difficult, but became more clear once I watched Jon’s lecture, was what exactly Falangism was; if anything, prior to understanding, I thought it had to do with the bones in my hand (get it? Because of phalanges… anyways.). Poor jokes aside, I saw the term pop up often here and there, and gaining that sort of understanding of context was really helpful to grasp the importance and significance of what exactly happened in the forest, and what references were made to rehabilitating falangist poets and writers in the early pages of part one. If it is true that falangism is similar to fascism, I was constantly thinking about why exactly did the militiaman save Sanchez Mazas? That may sound strange, or insensitive of me, but it was just a thought that constantly ran through my head as I read the novel. 

Anyways, moving onto another theme that I found in the novel, which I sort of enjoyed, but found a little annoying; the constant repetition. Its almost as if the whole novel is founded on the idea of going back to this one minor event in the Spanish Civil War, specifically to what happened with Sanchez Mazas. Like I said before, part one and three are dedicated to Cercas’ novel, and part two is Sanchez Mazas’ perspective, which is basically all repetition of what happened. Repetition is pretty constant throughout Bolano’s Amulet (which is kind of ironic given Bolano’s presence within this weeks novel), the Old Gringo, and even the Shrouded Woman; these are all books that I read prior to this one. Repetition is one of the themes in this course that I love and dislike (hate is too strong a word in this context lol); it can be really engaging, but I didn’t really find it lived up to that meaning within this book. It felt very stretched out, and unnecessary. I understand that the information and drawing out of the book may be necessary to generate thoughtful discussion of the truth or falsity of the story. But I found it was a bit difficult to find such interest. Watching Jon’s lecture while reading the book helped to spark some more interest, but at the end of the day, I found myself sort of trudging through this novel. This week’s question that I pose is sort of basic, but something I would like to hear from others; what did you enjoy about the book (if you did)? What sparked interest and drew you into the aspects of the novel? As I said before, I found interest in some parts of the novel, but overall I wouldn’t say that I enjoyed it; this novel just isn’t for me.. and thats okay! I guarantee there is a positive audience for this novel. After all, it was chosen for this course for a reason!

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Weekly Book Blog

W, or the Memory of Childhood Review

W, or the Memory of Childhood is kind of a confusing book that is open for many interpretations. The fact that it was a story written with different narratives and storylines was something I had not read that often, which was kind of interesting. I can absolutely see the postmodern influence of Perec’s writing all throughout the book, for a multitude of reasons. One of these reasons being the creation of the Island ‘W’, which was very similar to the Olympics and the Olympic Village. However, once I began to read more into that storyline that it seems like an analogy for concentration camps. Something that makes me think of this is because of the emphasis on the authority over the athletes and how being an athlete is incredibly strenuous. A specific quote that almost affirmed this idea was this one, “If you just look at the Athletes, if you just look: in their striped gear they look like caricatures of turn-of-the-century sportsmen as, with their elbows in, they lunge into a grotesque sprint”. I highly doubt that the reference of ‘striped gear’ was coincidentally put into the narrative, when individuals placed in concentration camps were forced to wear striped clothing. The realization that what Perec is writing about alludes to something way more serious is incredibly bittersweet and telling of the authors life. I know that the book was sort of influenced by Perec’s life, but I find it sort of difficult to decipher which parts of his life are true and false within the novel. This has me thinking about Jon’s lecture on the book, and how this type of autobiographical fiction could arguably be considered a form of narcissism. I have yet to come to a conclusion as to whether this novel could fall under that category, but I do have a feeling that parts of the novel were changed to be more engaging and compelling. 

Something else that I found very consistent was the mentioning of the main characters childhood; It seems so obvious, as it is literally in the title of the novel, but it is so constant within the book. I found the constant mentioning of memories to be kind of nice, but sometimes sad. It is hard because the main character doesn’t really remember his childhood, and has very few memories of his parents. I found that a lot of these memories seem like they’re being woven together by the desire to have something to remember his parents by. I can understand the difficulty of trying to remember something from so long ago, but it pains me that he has to piece so little of what memories he has left with things his brain is trying to fill in for him. This book is packed with meaning, allegories and metaphors, and I think many people should read it. The way that its written is sort of secretive, and I believe that was the authors intention. My final question I have is how would the story differ if it was written without the postmodern influence the novel has? Is there any way to have W, or the Memory of Childhood without having postmodernism in the novel?

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Weekly Book Blog

The Time of the Doves Review

The Time of the Doves by Mercé Rodoreda is definitely a heart-wrenching book, and challenging to read at times (well, I mean basically all of the time). There is little to be happy about in this book, and the times that are happy, you can probably count on two hands. Nevertheless, I think that the complexity and layers that the book has are a lot to unpack. This book left me with so many questions that I think discussions would be very helpful to clear up. I enjoyed reading from Natalia’s perspective the effects the war had on a woman living through the revolution; that is not something you often read in war-centered books. It made me think a lot about the significance of conflict on civilians, people of different classes, and a mother to two children.

One of the first sadnesses I identified in the book was how Natalia decided to leave her fiancé for Quimet; it really hurt me when she found her ex-fiancé and they talked for a little and he had nothing but well wishes for her. Quimet was once charming, lovely, and intriguing. However, over the course of the novel, it basically fades into nothingness, and creates more pains for him, his family, and for Natalia. I believe that there is a reason for this choice to write him this way, but its still difficult because Natalia had a choice and upon reflecting on her decisions, she might have regretted getting with Quimet. 

While reading, I continually found myself thinking ‘wow. Natalia truly is a hard-working woman whom I cannot begin to understand.’ Well, Im attempting to do so now, but I suppose you know what I mean; she works until she can barely stand, takes care of her two children who were painstakingly difficult to raise, deal with her husband who moans and groans til the cows come home, and look after a ton of doves which she soon grows to despise. I remember her ‘last straw’ moment with the doves, and as violent as she was, I sort of understood why she acted as she did. I interpreted her feelings as being sick and tired of Quimet’s actions, especially with the doves and towards her. I feel like Natalia is so under appreciated by her husband. It seems as if Natalia once was very fearful of changing in front of Quimet, but the amount of time they have spent together, she was just done. I think that the use of doves within the novel is a massive metaphor; the exact meaning, I am still grappling with. But there is no way that the use of doves was this heavy and there is no significance to them. Originally when reading, I thought that the use of doves could be a metaphor for Quimet and Natalia’s dreams and hopes, but I don’t know if that would make sense due to Natalia absolutely destroying the doves. Unless that is actually what was intended…

The Time of the Doves is packed with symbolism, metaphors, and references. I constantly found myself taking note of them. For example, the constant use of flowers to describe Antonio and Rita, while also mentioning them when Quimet’s mother died, and the jonquil’s that his mother planted in her flashback about the boys uprooting them. Even the rose of Jericho that she had kept since Quimet was born (p. 59). So much thought and meaning went into the intentions of the symbols that Rodoreda used throughout the story. I also found that the consistent use of foreshadowing to be intriguing. Similar to the flower example, Quimet’s mother makes a remark about boys being difficult; we then see how Antonio is born, and he clearly is not an easy child. The employment of symbolism. Metaphors, and foreshadowing enrich the story and make it extra enjoyable to read. It felt slightly like a puzzle, in which if I went over it again, I would find things I missed the first time around. 

A question I sort of brought up before that I would like to discuss is ‘what exactly is the significance of the doves within the context of the story?’ Maybe it was clear and I misunderstood it, but I’m a little confused about it. 

I feel like this meme is from a super insignificant part of the book, but I thought of it anyways lol.

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Weekly Book Blog

Zobel’s Black Shack Alley

After reading Black Shack Alley, I really enjoyed this novel. I have read stories with similar themes like colonialism, supremacy, and poverty, but nothing like how the main character reconciles with these themes. At the beginning of the book, the main character is almost sort of naive to the idea of his grandparents and the other parents as enslaved peoples; their absence while working is seen as something positive where the kids get a break from parents, which speaks to his perspective. I find it interesting that the narrator refers to ‘the overseer’ and ‘the house’ to what I believe are certain aspects of the bosses and their plantation’s functions. Its like the kids know what they are and their purposes, but don’t fully grasp it yet because they’re simply children (little do we know that this’ll change!!). Nevertheless, authority attempts to keep them in check; for example, majority of the kids fear what’ll happen if they disobey their parents (especially M’man Tine). For example, on page 27 when M’man Tine is describing her upbringing, her daughters upbringing, and past that led her to parent José; she seems incredibly tired and fed up, and I have a great deal of sympathy for her, and for him. Another example is when the kids start the fire and are seriously reprimanded because of it. The Shack Alley in which they live is not just shelter for them, but is a place away from the plantation and its gruesome work; I don’t think its appropriate for me to call it a place of comfort, because the whole situation is based around the plantation and living in extreme poverty.

However, it seems as if there are certain aspects that bring comfort, like the explanation of what happens on Saturday nights, and the experiences the kids have of playing with each other. The people living in Shack Alley are stuck in a life controlled by white supremacy, enslavement, and injustice. Even José’s friend Mr. Medouze speaks of it (rip; I loved his character and his relationship with José), colonialism and white supremacy are not themes that are blind to the characters of the book, but is something very present and influential. The more the story progresses, the more I see that the main character is becoming aware of what his life really is. After he is tasked with working with M’man Tine, he really grasps what little freedom he has, what his future may look like, and how little he is to receive for his efforts. However, it seems confusing to me that he originally says he enjoys this way of life; is he still unaware of how difficult and painstaking it is? 

Originally when I was reading the book, I was nervous as to why M’man Tine wanted to send José away to school, but then grew to thoroughly appreciate the idea. M’man Tine shows how much she loves and wants José to succeed, which I think is truly beautiful. Her character reminds me of a protective parent who wants the best for her children, grandchildren and future generations; they want a better life for them in comparison to what she has lived. Their relationship is ultimately founded on love and protection, and although she gets fiercely angry with José, she wants the best for him. Another important component in the novel was José’s homesickness and feelings when he was sent to school. Comparing his life in Martinique to his life at school are very different, which I think is an interesting observation in the novel; a question I constantly found myself thinking about was ‘what would José’s life be like had he not gone to school? Conversely, what would his life be like had he not have influences like M’man Tine, Mr. Medouze, and the experience of growing up on the plantation to shape his ideologies?’ Thinking of alternate perspectives of characters and story plots always help me engage with their personalities and character motivations better. I hope you think about them too!

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Weekly Book Blog

My Take on The Shrouded Woman

I found that I really enjoyed reading The Shrouded Woman. The first few pages really set up the general gist of the narrative, which was a very interesting concept in my opinion. I thought that Bombal did a great job of engaging readers (or me at least; and sometimes I find it difficult to enjoy certain novels of this genre). I have only read one novel prior to this one that was focused on the perspective of a dead person looking in on their life, which I thoroughly enjoyed in The Shrouded Woman. Occasionally, I found myself a bit confused when following the progression of the novel, specifically with regards to flashbacks and her current point of view; although, I usually found my way back to the main progression. The use of flashbacks integrated with the unique perspective of the dead Ana Maria allowed for the ability to delve into certain topics with different perspectives. I constantly was thinking of the topic of femininity within the novel, especially with Ana Maria in mind (mainly because she’s the main character in the novel). The first example I can think of is when she’s describing the flashback of Ricardo, her love for him, and how she was feeling when he sort of abandoned him; it’s almost as she completely gave up on things, and became extremely depressed. This made me question how reliant she was on a man who I don’t think truly loved and cared for her at that point (maybe before, but not anymore). Is that what Ana Maria thought her life should be equated to? Recall the quote from the book, “I felt weak, with no desires, my body and my spirit indifferent as though they were filled with passion and sorrow.” I felt as if she was very obsessed with this man, and it almost changed her perspective on life. Furthermore, I believe that her relationship with men greatly affected her femininity when she was married to Antonio (at least in the flashbacks). Her gradual resentment made it seem as if she was so unhappy with her life, that even it is stated in the novel, “the destiny of women is to remove the pain of love in an orderly house, before an unfinished tapestry.” I got the impression that she could not be independent among herself, specifically in relation to men and romantic partners in her life. However, I don’t want to only talk upon the femininity aspect of the novel, but I’d like to delve into what this novel provoked me to think about death, and the perspective of what happens beyond this earth. Ana Maria’s perspective post-mortem illustrated that she had many revelations, which I thought was an interesting part of the book. The aspect of reflection of her life seemed very good and almost in a sense philosophical, because she considered her feelings and thoughts in a new light. For example, when she sees Antonio crying, instead of being filled with hate, she almost feels great pity for him; “she feels her hate withdraw and disappear”. That was a very interesting moment of character development. Now, a final question I have for readers of this blog post is this; how do you think the novel would have differed if female independence had been a more prominent theme within the novel? What I mean by this is how do you think the novel would be different if Ana Maria found peace with not being with a lover? Would that even be possible, given the fact that this novel was written in the 30’s? I know I said I didn’t want to completely talk about the feminine aspect of this novel, but I don’t often get the chance to analyze and criticize novels with such interesting female protagonists (if you can even call Ana Maria a protagonist or narrator?). I would want to read this book again and find more evidence to support claims once I discuss this with other classmates!

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So, I have just finished reading Proust’s Combray. In my opinion, I would say that this is a compelling novel that is relatively complicated and dense at times. It was not one of my favourite books. Nevertheless, there were many different aspects to the novel in which I found interesting, thought-provoking, and allowed me to pose different questions and takes on the book.

One of the most salient events that grabbed my attention (partially thanks to the lecture that helped clarify this) was the in-depth section in which the narrator longs for his mothers kiss. Assuming you’ve read Combray, but this description goes on for quite a while, and in very descriptive detail. For example, the narrative recalls how when M. Swann would come over in the evenings and for dinner, mamma would not kiss him goodnight, instilling great sadness within him (Proust, 1928/1992). Some time after this account, the narrator want’s to send his mother a letter so that she can come and see to him before sleep. During this moment, especially when M. Swann is dining with the narrator’s parents, I think that the decision to communicate with his mother is a rather risky one. Alongside the narrator’s obsession with his mother, I found that another common theme within the novel was the thought put into the way that people present themselves. During the narrators decision to send a note or not to his mother, he considers what M. Swann will think of him if he interrupts his visit (Proust, 1928/1992). Furthermore, the narrator’s family does not think of speaking about certain aspects of Swann’s personal life in front of him, but do so with ease once he is gone. If the narrator’s family were to be critical of Swann’s actions and life in front of him, that could prove to be a very disrespectful and inappropriate character. Something that I thought of when considering the importance characters place on the presentation of character was ‘is this theme consistent with the cultural norms of people during the time in which Combray was written?’ 

I want to go back to the narrators obsession with his mother and her kiss, because it was something that stood out to me so consistently. In relation to that, there was reference to how the narrator’s father strongly opposed such actions like receiving a goodnight kiss from mamma. Through this event in the novel, the theme of family and its role and influence on the narrator. The narrators family is a very salient part of the novel, especially due to the fact that the first part of Combray is a flash back to when the narrator was young, so the adults were a part of his upbringing quite a lot. Although it was a minor reference, I recall reading a line that had to do with the narrator claiming his father had a superior mind in comparison to his father (page 12 of the copy of Combray in which I read). Furthermore, there were certain references to the anxiety that his encounters with his family members (especially his father) gave him. I wonder how exactly the subject of anxiety was dealt with and perceived by the first or original audiences of Combray; how does the presence of fragility, confusion, and sometimes sadness sit with readers, if there is a certain expectation for men? 

Lastly, I found that the narrator’s perspective and accounts were a bit unreliable. I think this because there were certain parts of the novel in which the point of view switched from first person to third person omniscient. Furthermore, the novel switched from present to flashback every once in a while, which I found a bit confusing to follow (although I tried!!). My final question I want to leave blog readers is this: Did Proust intentionally or unintentionally write the narrator as unreliable? Or is the presence of an unreliable narrator a product of creating literature? Ah, the thoughts that riddle my mind after reading this novel.

Until next time,

Abi Franceschetti

I hope you enjoy the meme that sort of relates to Combray lol.

Reference:

Proust, M. (1992) In Search Of Lost Time Volume 1 Swann’s Way. Translated by C. K Scott Moncrieff, T. Kilmartin. New York: Random House, Inc. 

Weekly Book Blog

Thoughts on Proust’s Combray

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