Apr
13
Culmination: Post 14
Posted by: | April 13, 2010 | Comments Off on Culmination: Post 14
Wow, I can’t believe the semester is just about done, last week so really hectic in school, I completely forgot to write the blog until I got the email today, so sorry its late. Overall, I thought the books chosen for the class were great selections, and it was evident that Jon carefully selected these novels. There was a clear progression in the books, which made the class really interesting and gave us a good understanding of magical realism. I am really glad to finally have read CAS, as it is such an important part of Latin American literature, and I like that the class devoted such a large chunk to it, the book needed that amount of time to really appreciate it and understand it, and get though it as it is very long! But it was especially good being able to compare it to Leyendas de Guatemala and Reino de Este Mundo.
I also liked that we ended the year reading McOndo, reminding us t think critically about what we read. I wish however we talked more about critiques that revolve around magic realism. I must say that magic realism is a very easy thing to be drawn into, but it definitely is aimed for a European audience and makes Latin America more exotic. I know McOndo comments on this but I would have liked t expand more on this in class. I also would have liked t discuss how magic realism has affected more modern Latin American authors today, besides the author of Like Water for Chocolate, what other Latin American authors are popular and how have they been affected by magical realism? Are elements of magical realism in their texts or not all?
Over all I think the class provided a really good introduction to magical realism. I liked the class discussion, and they were helpful in deepening my understanding of the novels however I feel like they could have been more enthusiastic. But it thanks for a good semester!
