Sally's Blog for RMST 202 201

Impressions

My first impression upon reading Combray was that it is one perplexing piece of literature, especially given that it is the first one we are reading. Not only was I met with a spiral of confusion, but also I would feel lost with the more pages I frantically read, although there were some parts that made sense when I reread it. The expression of the text is not a conventional style of writing or at least a style I have previously seen. For example on page 8, there was plenty of detail in writing, but sentences felt like they were eternally descriptive and verbose. This was not the case throughout the texts, but was head scratching to try and understand all at once.

Aside from my initial impressions of the readings, I had interestingly thought about the narrator’s Mama and their relationship growing up. As someone who is from a psychology background and has taken some family studies courses for my minor, I’d thought to myself what kind of attachment style would best describe their relationship? There were drops of hints throughout the first section of the literature where I had sensed the bond between the mother and the narrator leaning towards being secured. One example is that the narrator describes that mama is the one who would say goodnight to them (page 29). Other examples such as mama being the one to read books aloud to him or when Francoise sees that mama is holding his hand while he’s crying, yet seem to remain a tranquil composure as mama seems to provide comfort through being present (page 38). Mama also demonstrated as being a protective figure and somewhat stoic to possibly shield her genuine emotions, as she holds back herself from crying when seeing the narrator cry. All of these examples and the general responsiveness of mama indicate that there is likely a secure attachment style between the two.

Overall thought

Despite the reading for this week being complex, I look forward to seeing what other readings have in store. If I had not frantically tried speed reading in an attempt to get the reading over with, I’d think I would find myself indulging more of this sort of reading and being able to be more meticulous with my analysis. I will say that it’s very compelling and to such an extent helpful to see if you can relate or connect the literature to other things that pertain to you such as your own experience, in order to be better perceptive to what you’re reading.

Question:

Not necessarily related to the reading itself, but how did everyone here find themselves taking a note of what was going on? Were you just as lost as me?

Introduction
Hi everyone! I’m Sally, a third year psychology student with a minor in family studies. I am born in Vancouver, BC, and speak Cantonese, English, a bit of Mandarin, as well as a little bit of American Sign Language (I took ASL100 and 101 at UBC, and I highly recommend it!). Outside of school, my hobbies include drawing portraits, reading (primarily “self-help” books), playing the piano, building legos, and watching Studio Ghibli films. I also do volunteering as a first aid first responder, and plan to pursue a career where I can make a difference in other people’s lives and create positive change. I’m not entirely sure on which career I will embark on, as it has definitely changed from when I first started university. That said, I look forward to meeting all of you and reading your responses. Feel free to ask me any questions about my interests or if you would like to know more about me! I’m always open to meeting new people.

Expectation
This is my first literature related course I am taking in university, thus this is my first time being exposed to analyzing the depths of different types of literature (e.g. romantic studies) other than research or academic papers which I have been accustomed to reading in my other courses in undergrad. I expect that in this course, there will be a lot of readings to do. I do hope to get an A or A- in the course, but that will come with the expectation of putting in effort into creating insightful responses, completing all my readings, studying, and asking for help when needed. In addition to the expectations listed above, I would also like to improve on my analytical skills when it comes to interpreting literature, as it can feel quite subjective and tricky sometimes.

Response to the Lecture
I felt a sense of relief after watching Dr. Beasley-Murray’s video on misreading, as someone who resonates with having some extent of anxiety when it comes to approaching literature, specifically in an academic setting. This stems mostly from how I feel as though I did not interpret the literature in depth or in the same manner the professor would see it. It was reassuring to hear that there isn’t necessarily a certain way to read literature, but rather that there is the intent to produce a good misreading or being an adequate reader.