My thoughts on Aragon’s “Paris Peasant”

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I enjoyed the book immensely when it comes to Louis Aragon’s Paris Peasant, even though the text started as somewhat confusing for me. Though, what I found most interesting about the text was the plot, or rather the lack of plot in the story. Much of the novel tends to describe different locations in the city of Paris, each location containing its narrative. While the content seemed substantial when it came to these locations, the locations themselves were few in number. Additionally, the significance of the locations seems to be decided, in which the stories and descriptions that the author provides give the places a specific meaning. For example, the text states that the attention of the narrator was drawn to the Passage de l’Opéra by the “unfavorable publicity accorded it in a notice put up by the Hôtel de Monte-Carlo,” (Paris Peasant, 15). Therefore, the significance of the location is based on the attention that the narrator gives. The language used to describe these shops and locations reflects that the text pays careful attention to the past while remaining in the present. Additionally, the language used somewhat romanticizes these locations to an image of the narrator. The romanticization of the areas gives these locations significance and gives the places and their stories a definite setting. 

The way that the author chooses to use different means to show what occurs in these locations and their significance was exciting. Such as when the narrator used “the notice on the window of the Petit Grillon,” and then added the notice to the middle of the text (Paris Peasant, 25). There are other examples of different manners to add to the story of locations, such as snippets of discussion, newspaper extracts, and more. Another example of this is when the narrator gives attention to when “the official mouthpiece of the objectors is a bi-monthly news-sheet,” and then proceeds to provide an extract from the news-sheet (Paris Peasant, 31). These multiple and versatile manners in making the locations that the narrator discusses somewhat come to life aids in the reader’s understanding of the locations. Though, one aspect that caused a problem for me during the reading was that I did not know Paris incredibly well. Therefore, the narrator somewhat assumes that the reader has some basic understanding of the city of Paris, or at least how the city is structured. A question that I would ask about this text is; does the language and imagery presented to show the city of Paris showcase Paris in a new way?

 

-Muskan Shukla

My Thoughts on “Combray” by Proust

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After reading Proust’s Swann’s Way and, more specifically, the two parts of Combray, I can clearly state that this text was incredibly confusing to me. I believe that the confusion that was present in my mind was due to how the lines between reality and fantasy seem to be blurred for the main character and are therefore blurred for me as well as I was reading the text. The blurring of these lines is based on the construction of a literary dream world and the main character’s interest in literary characters. More specifically how at the start of the text, there are mentions of the world of dreams. Such as how, in the world of dreams, Proust refers to how, while sleeping, it is easier to go to “a period of my early life that had ended forever,” (Combray1. p4). In this, the author seems to want the readers to appreciate the impact that dreams can have on a child and an adult. The dreams, in this case, are a means to escape from being an adult and reflect a simpler time. The concept of dreams is later referred to as “the world of dreams,” which struck me as odd since dreams could or could not be a literary world in itself (Combray1. p4). The main character’s dreams also comment on human memory as his dreams are specifically images that please the main character, rather than the vast possibilities that dreams could be. Nevertheless, the construction of this world reflects the childlike curiosity that the main character has and how that childlike curiosity allowed for the lines of fantasy and reality to be blurred through dreams. 

As I was reading the text, due to my background knowledge, when the text mentioned the names of fictional characters such as; “Bluebeard,” and “Golo,” my attention moved to the mentions of those names (Combray1. p10). Then, as the text continued, the two parts reflected that the author had a specific interest in literacy and literary figures. The author constructs a literary world in which, through the use of dreams and interest in literary characters, the author is able to reflect the childlike curiosity that the main character has, which sparks a passion for writing. The question that I would ask regarding the text is; how does the construction of a literary world through dreams relate to the notion of modernism, and how does this impact the way that the text is read? The two aspects of dreams and the mention of literary figures shape the text to reflect the author’s affinity for both writing literature and an affinity for the moments of childhood that the author had taken for granted.

 

Muskan Shukla

Introductory Post

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My name is Muskan Shukla (she/her), and I am a second-year student planning to do a major in English and a minor in History. I am from India, but I have lived in Latin America for 13 years of my life, in which I spent my last two years of schooling in India. I have lived in Chile, Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador. I did my first year’s first term of UBC in India, and my second term in Bogota, Colombia. I have always been interested in English and History and figuring that has been one of the main challenges at UBC. From these two interests, I realized that I have a passion for reading. Reading is one of my hobbies. I had decided to take electives or courses that include various readings from my interest in reading. Thus, I had decided to take this course since it seemed interesting when I read about the course, and therefore this class is now an elective for me.

The expectation that I have for this course is to be a means to grow my current understanding of literature. I have limited knowledge of Latin American literature even though I have lived in Latin American countries. I also expect that the readings give me historical perspectives in their given times which would help grow my knowledge regarding my possible minor. Through the information provided to expand my knowledge, I would want the information to also develop my writing skills. My writing skills are not the best since, at times, I am not able to articulate what exactly I want to present clearly. Through the process of writing blog posts, my writing skills would grow and be challenged to present ideas in the form of a blog post.

After the first RMST 202 lecture, what I found interesting about the course was the way that the course was structured. I saw how we can choose which texts to read and somewhat predetermine our grade to be different from the other courses that I have taken at UBC. The difference between this course and other UBC courses regarding the structure makes the course much more appealing and exciting, in my opinion. Additionally, the openness in the course could also be a reflection of Romance Studies itself since Romance Studies is not bound to one specific discipline. Instead, the lack of imagining a particular field for Romance Studies allows for the explorations of texts and sources to be much more enjoyable. One question that I have after the first lecture is; are there any other disciplines similar to Romance Studies that are not bound to a specific field?
I am incredibly excited about this course and the learnings I will gain from it!