Hi everyone, this is my first blog post for our self-selected books for the course. I chose to read Zeno’s Conscience by Italo Svevo, and I read up to page 61. I haven’t evenly split my book into four sections based on page numbers, but instead I went off of the parts in the book, which meant I read the first two parts; Smoke and My Father’s Death. 

I will start with a summary of what I have learned from the book in the first sixty pages. The very first page is actually from a character called Dr. S, who we as readers do not know anything about really. She states that she will not be doing any psychoanalysis yet, as the latter part of the book is dedicated to that, and in fact she is publishing these unfinished written memories of Zeno’s as revenge for not participating in his treatment properly and to get him to resume as well. The last sentence of Dr. S reads “If only he knew the countless surprises he might enjoy from discussing the many truths and the many lies he has assembled in here!” Immediately, this shifted the perspective I was going to read this book in. Instead of reading the book as a personal recollection of Zeno’s life, I read with a lens that did not really trust the words and experiences Zeno was recalling, as he as been deemed by a doctor as a liar essentially.

When reading the first part Smoke, I felt there was a humorous undertone in it all. First Zeno recalls how he began his habit of smoking, which stemmed from him stealing cigarettes from his father. However, the humour for me, came from his descriptions of just how much he smoked, but then also how much he hated it. Furthermore, after becoming “violently ill” from all his smoking, he begins a phase where he quits smoking almost every single day. On page 13, Zeno begins to ramble about how the date is imperative to him quitting smoking. In relation to the year 1913, Zeno claims there was no thirteenth month to harmonize the year he would quit smoking. These kinds of excuses seem ridiculous as you read, but the way in which the book is written, Zeno seems very convincing. At first, he does not come off as illogical or unstable. There is a calmness in the way he writes about his illnesses arising from smoking, him seeking a doctor to help him quit smoking. Due to the abruptness and simple way Zeno writes, he also reveals quite a bit about his neuroticisms and his significant character flaws, such as the complete inability to make decisions and take responsibility. For example, on page 19, he randomly decides to bet with Olivi that he won’t smoke before him, but then decides he cannot stand the fact that he is now a “slave” to Olivi, and smokes to alleviate that reality.

My Father’s Death explored the strange relationship Zeno recalls with his father, and reveals more of Zeno’s strange tendencies and raises the same questions of his reliability. According to Zeno, his father brought up his tendency to laugh even during serious matters, and Zeno’s response (of course very normal, believable and level-headed) was to find the closest doctor and get himself examined so he could receive a clean bill of health. Naturally, Zeno’s father was not very pleased, and this brought him to tears, confirming for him that Zeno was crazy. This is just one of the many odd encounters Zeno had with his father, before he became extremely ill and frail himself, which led to a whole other set of complications of their relationship. When a doctor was called in to take care of Zeno’s father, he almost instantly got the sense that Zeno did not really care and would be happy if he died. From that point, Zeno held great disdain towards the doctor, but never really explicitly tried to deny that either, and instead said this guilt crushed him. It was almost as if he knew that wanting his father to die is wrong, but was not able to get his words, emotions or thoughts to align with this.

I’m excited to keep reading, the next part is the story of his marriage, which I cannot imagine the wife would be too fond of, considering how detached and strange Zeno comes across as. It is clear that Zeno has a very specific worldview of mistrust and general angst, so I would be very surprised if the next 100 pages are about how lucky he is to be married. Thank you for reading my post!

Simi

Hi everyone, in my version of “The Savage Detectives” by Roberto Bolano, I read up to page 140, which took me to the end of Part 1. I’m not sure if everyone else felt this way, but the entire time I was reading, the most prominent feeling for myself was absolute exhaustion. Juan García Madero is one of the most stretched-thin characters ever. Well most of the time anyways, there are some days where he writes that he does absolutely nothing except staying in bed reading and writing. However majority of his days are spent with different faces like Arturo and Lima, who at first, he was chasing in a slightly desperate manner trying to prove to them and himself that he belonged to the Visceral Realists. My feeling of exhaustion on behalf of Madero first came from me comparing my own life to his, especially considering he is only seventeen years old, and he’s staying out all night with people he’s just met, running from place to place on a whim, and I think about how unalike I am to Madero. I think there is intention from Bolano’s behalf to try and evoke those feelings because the idea of a poetic revolution is grand, time consuming and it feels like an “all or nothing” moment.

While Madero is not the most likeable or relatable character to me, I think there is a theme of confidence that evolves in the first part of the book. The first event of the book is his argument with Álamo over what a rispetto is and other poetry related terminology. From this incident onwards, there is an underlying purpose to Madero’s interactions, thoughts and actions; which is he wants to contribute to the Latin American revolution of poetry. Even though in the earlier pages of Part 1, Madero writes he is sure he will never see Lima or Arturo again and is uncertain of his status with the Visceral Realists, nonetheless, he is still practicing his poetry in public and putting himself out there every day.

The relationship between Madero and Quim is also quite unique and complex. In my reading, I think Madero and Quim are quite similar, which if I had to guess the inner thoughts of Madero, I don’t think that is something he would be keen on. When he first hears about Quim and then meets him, he thinks he is a crazy man. However, as his relationship with primarily María, as well as the whole family progresses, he learns more about Quim’s passions for poetry, and I think he develops his own opinion on him. I also found it very interesting that when Madero discovered that Quim was sexually involved with Lupe, he seemed to show judgement, when Madero has also found himself in morally grey areas pertaining to sex and relationships. It seems like there are some parts of Quim he admires, but his faults he shows resentment towards, maybe because it is just the parts of himself he despises as well.

Overall, I enjoyed the first part of the book, and considering how it ends, I am curious to see where Madero and the others flee to.

Hi everyone, my name is Simi Braich! I am currently in my fourth and final year of my degree in political science here at UBC. Even though I am a political science major, and I have a separate minor as well, I have taken a couple of other RMST courses as electives, as well as other literature focused courses in different departments. I have enjoyed reading throughout most of my life, so I always look for ways to incorporate it into my life or even school routine. Outside of school, I like to read (for myself), play and watch soccer and spend time with my friends and family. I also have a pet dog named Caesar and a gecko named Jeeto and they are best friends!

This course in particular really caught my eye based on the title and description of the course, which pertains to long books. It first made me try to remember all the books I have ever read and then think about how many of them were “long”. What constitutes a book being long, is debatable, likewise to what the elements of a story should be which I find really interesting. After attending the first seminar, it solidified what I had expected the course, but it also made me familiar with other topics we would be covering in the course. I have read for many years, but I am very excited for this course because we will also be learning about the practice of reading, as well as its importance and variations which I have never really considered before. Based on the format of the seminar, I am expecting to spend a lot of time on collaboration and discussion, similar to how we did in the first class.

For my self-selected book, I have chosen Zeno’s Conscience by Italo Svevo. I have been wanting to read this book for some time, so this course has now given me a specific reason as to why I should. Based on what I have heard of the book and its plot, it reminded me a little of a play called Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen. I really enjoy works that follow one central, very eclectic and/or manic main character, so I think I have picked a good book for myself. The book was written originally in Italian and I have also not read too many books from Italy, so I am also looking forward to broadening my scope.

Thank you for reading my introduction post, I’m excited to work and learn with everyone this semester!