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I can safely (and confidently) say that this is one of the most interesting Spanish classes I have taken at UBC. I would never have thought to use Wikipedia as a project source, but it’s turning out to be quite an interesting idea. I feel as though the use of Wikipedia allows us to exercise our ‘educational freedom’, choosing what books to read and what topics to write on, but still keeping in tune with the fact that learning is the most important. Also, the blogs are pretty sweet. I’ve never felt more connected to technology in a class (haha) Although, some weekends they become somewhat of a hassle (especially when being bombarded with assignments by every class at once, ahhh) – but! they are incredibly useful as they force me to do the readings and think about them prior to class, which is something I have never done in the past. Turns out, there is a method to Jon’s madness!

In relation to Leyendas de Guatemala and El Reino de Este Mundo, I have never read realismo magico in such overwhelming quantities, in the essence of style of writing and complexity of ideas presented within each novel. Honestly, I think the concepts of ‘lo maravilloso’ and ‘lo real’ are simply brilliant in that someone could present such an ideally simplistic concept in the most twisted and involved way possible – I wish I had that kind of talent! I am quite glad that we spend at least a week on half of each book, it’s a good amount of time in order for me to fully grasp the overall ideas.

All in all, I’m definitely intrigued for whatever is coming next. Armed and ready, with dictionary in hand.

You’d think sitting down and writing about my experiences with this class thus far would be an easy task, yet I currently find myself at a loss for words. Whatever – Here goes nothing.

Truthfully, I am not a fan of literature. I can’t stand it. That is not to say I don’t like reading, hell I love reading the Economist, the Guardian and other sources of print media. When it comes to books though, I could care less about searching for symbolic meanings, obscure interpretations or literary commentary about some period of history. What can I say, I’m a realist. I like fact, not fiction. Literature just isn’t my cup of tea. While some of you may be appalled to hear me utter such blasphemous words, settle down, because I have something to say.

I think my dislike for literature began in high school where our English teachers would assign us some random book (To Kill a Mocking Bird, All Quiet on the Western Front), make us read a chapter a week, and spend copious amounts of class time discussing the book to the point that any enjoyment one might have derived from the experience had been completely neutralized by the mind-numbing classroom discussions. In this sense, it wasn’t really the reading that turned me off so much, but rather the process of reviewing the reading. It always seemed to me that the classroom discussion was dominated by the opinions of a few super keeners with an affinity for literary analysis, meanwhile, those who didn’t care or find the reading relevant, would sit on the sidelines counting down the minutes until class was over. Span 364 was much the same experience for me, we’d do a reading, come to class, the prof would lecture a little bit, the same four people would express their opinions and interpretations of the texts and then there would be a wrap-up of sorts where the prof would offer a consolidated list of points that we should “remember” about the text. Sounds like fun right? I was totally motivated to care about what I was reading… NOT!

Jon’s class has been a complete 180 for me in many respects. While I could bitch and moan about the readings being too lengthy, it is also true that my Sunday afternoon/evening reading marathons are all a result of my own doing. For the first time in any literature class, I actually feel compelled to actively read the texts, and come up with something unique to say in my blog. I like the idea that our little weekly e-assignment gives us some sort of personal connection to what we’re doing. Even if the opinions I express in my blog aren’t correct, or shared by others, I don’t feel as though I should hold them back. The idea of blogging for homework is truly innovative and unlike anything I’ve experienced in my UBC career. Kudos. Furthermore, giving us a few talking points as a class, then getting us “groupify” is far more conducive to sharing your opinions amongst your peers. So, to say that I enjoy the format of the class is a gross understatement. While my opinions of literature courses has not shifted entirely, there is definitely a revolution of sorts happening in my mind.

In terms of the actual course content, I’ve found that the two books we’ve read thus far have been interesting. Aside from the frustration of not being able to understand them entirely due to personal vocabulary limitations, I’ve been able to extract enough meaning from my reading adventures that I’m able to walk away from the experience saying “hmm… that wasn’t so bad actually.” On the one hand, you’ve got Asturias, whose prose conveys the mysticism of Guatemalan/ Mayan culture and the profound natural beauty of the Latin American landscape. However, as the title of the novel suggests, his stories are simply a collection of Leyendas and aside from some geographical locations, are purely, albeit beautifully written, fiction. Therefore, considering Asturias as “realismo magíco” is really quite a stretch. After reading Carpentier, on the other hand, it is clear that we are now taking quite significant a leap forward in terms of preparing ourselves to read what is probably considered THE definitive work in magical realism, Cien años de soledad. Carpentier’s book was markedly different than Asturias. In el reino we are given Carpentier’s account of the Haitian revolution. Black slaves revolt to overthrow the ruling French colonials, only to end up producing a regime more brutal and oppressive than the one preceding it. A testament in every sense to the often retrograde nature of armed conflict in the pursuit of progress, and the seemingly endless cycle of violence. Carpentier really distinguishes himself from Asturias in the sense that the setting of his novel, and many of the events that unfold therein, are rooted in actual history. Carpentier, however, adds an interesting dimension to his narrative by incorporating elements that are best described as supernatural. From characters that have transformational abilities, prophetic voodoo signs, the evidence of what we might like to call “lo magíco” is everywhere in Carpentier. As a whole, it is clear that our experience in this course is going to be a progression, from the humble beginnings of a genre to its climax. It’s been a interesting ride so far.

Now all I have to hope for is that I don’t get H1N1, I’ve had a nice streak going so far with Strep 2 weeks ago and some sort of super cold that kept me bed ridden most of this past week.

Hasta ahora, me ha gustado mucho este curso. Los libros son muy interesantes en relación con el realismo mágico. El proyecto de wikipedia de mi grupo se basa en Alejo Carpentier, el que hemos acabado de estudiar. Ya he aprendido muchas cosas sobre él y me continúa a fascinar. Aunque todavía no sepa totalmente cómo funciona wikipedia, es interesante aprender cómo hacer entradas en línea y seguir las normas de esa sociedad electrónica que han desarrollado. En particular me gusta lo que hemos aprendido sobre Carpentier porque he estudiado mucho la cultura del Caribe. Nunca me he enterado de ese mundo de literatura que viene de ese lugar. Supongo que los blogs son una manera muy útil de implicar la tecnología de última generación con los textos que se remontan de hace muchas décadas. Por la mayoría me gusta, porque así se puede relacionarse con los demás miembros de la clase con la meta de cambiar ideas y pensamientos. Es muy interesante la manera en que discutimos los temas en clase. Es bastante útil hablar primero en grupos de lo que está pasando en el libro, enfocándonos en un pasaje específico y tratando de aislar los conceptos claves. Me alegro que después el profesor nos relate la idea fundamental y que simplifique los temas que normalmente van perdidos en un texto que tiene lenguaje complicado y antiguo. Me han gustado tanto ambos libros que hemos analizado en clase. Ambos incorporan lo real maravilloso en maneras paralelas y distintas. Tienen mucho en común respeto a los espíritus y dioses de la gente conquistada en cada región, sea en Guatemala, sea en Haití. Tienen una conexión con la tierra y la naturaleza que es sobrenatural que sobrepasa las líneas del tiempo y el espacio en la historia. Vemos en carne y hueso las personas y los hechos de la historia mezclados con lo fantástico en una trama, que es realmente lo que nos atrae como lectores. Ambos incorporan animales, dando un ejemplo entre muchos, las tortugas en leyendas de Guatemala, que tienen bastante importancia en la cultura indígena. En el reino de este mundo, vemos el poder de los esclavos de transformarse en animal, que Carpentier describe como si ambos real y maravilloso fueran entrelazados dentro de la prosa así que no sabemos dónde empiece uno y donde termine el otro. En la prosa de ambos autores, incluyan pequeños detalles, como por ejemplo el viaje de Pauline Bonaparte y su vida de día en día, que son esenciales en la trama para desconectarnos con el hecho de que estamos leyendo ficción y a la vez muy típicos de la literatura magicorealista latina.

Uno de los puntos que más me interesó después de haber leído estos dos libros, es la manera en la cual ambos escritores manifiestan de diferentes formas el elemento fantástico a través de sus historias. En mi opinión, Asturias y Carpentier tienen sus propias formas de incorporar el elemento mágico. Creo que Asturias utiliza lo fantástico durante todo su libro y a través de éste, introduce el elemento de lo real. Por ejemplo, mucho de los personajes en “Leyendas de Guatemala” son animales pero a la vez son personificados. La manera en que éstos se comunican es de una forma real y humana. Aunque los temas de sus discusiones están relacionados con un mundo de fantasia, la manera en la cual los personajes expresan sus ideas es manifestada a través de conversaciones humanas. También, los protagonistas tienen emociones humanas y es por esto que el ambiente del texto parece real . En mi opinión, Asturias utiliza lo fantástico para que el lector pueda interpretar fácilmente la realidad. Es decir que su historia es principalmente basada en el mundo de lo fantástico y a través de éste, se introduce en el mundo real. De esta manera se va narrando en el libro la historia de Guatemala jugando con la interaccion de estos dos mundos.

Por lo contrario, creo que el libro de Carpentier esta basado en el mundo real. Su texto tiene figuras y sucesos históricos. A través de estos personajes y hechos reales, Carpentier introduce el elemento fantástico a través de las creencias de los negros / esclavos y también a través de la naturaleza del nuevo mundo. En primer lugar Carpentier describe la naturaleza, la cual sabemos que es algo real ya que la conocemos y a pesar que sabemos que es real al ser tan extraña nos parece como algo irreal. En segundo lugar, las creencias de los esclavos parecen muy fantásticas pero son utilizadas en el mundo real para ocuparse de los problemas reales. Por eso, el elemento fantástico esta manifestado a través de lo real.

Me gusta mucho las diferentes maneras en las cuales ambos libros manifiestan la relación entre dos mundos, “el real y el mágico”. Cada autor utiliza sus propias maneras de interpretación para describir la historia de cada región. Si estos libros representan los elementos principales del movimiento “realismo mágico”, yo estoy muy interesado en la manera en la cual el movimiento evoluciono. Aunque ambos libros hablan de las historias, los dos representan un elemento importante en este movimiento.

Después de leer dos libros, de los cuales ninguno era exactamente del género realismo mágico, he encontrado una tema que me interesa. En Leyendas de Guatemala, la lengua que usa Asturias es muy poética. Hay un ritmo en las repeticiones de palabras, en su incluso de sonidos, y en sus juegos de palabras. Además, sus cuentos están llenos de colores. Por ejemplo en la segunda mitad del libro, los capítulos tienen un temático de colores. Los diferentes colores significan diferentes partes del día. Con este estilo de escritura, los mitos de los Mayas viven en la página. Aunque este libro procede la creación del género del realismo mágico, para mi, Asturias ha creado un mundo fantástico.

En El reino de este mundo, encontré un aspecto de magia similar en la cultura vodú de los negros. La religión dio poder y respecto a la naturaleza. La integración de la naturaleza con su cultura formaba parte de su identidad. Esto me di cuenta de la cultura Maya. Los cuentos por Asturias, o las recreaciones/improvisaciones de los mitos Maya, dio voces y identidades a animales y la naturaleza.

El realismo mágico (o lo que sea) es algo separado de la cultura de los europeos. Es algo que precedió la llegada de los conquistadores y sigue viviendo como un movimiento contra la cultura no indígena o mestizo. En el caso de Asturias, sus estudios sobre la cultura de los indígenas de su país de nacimiento lo permitió dar una voz a una parte de la cultura Maya no conocido o no entendido por los europeos. En comparación, la cultura mística de los negros en Saint-Domingue era algo que los separaba de los blancos más que la esclavitud. La conexión que tenían los negros con la naturaleza era algo incomprensible y miedoso. Eso les dio poder a sublevar contra los blancos.

Hmmm me gusta lo que he escrito pero no se si estoy convencido de mis propios pensamientos. De todos modos, me interesa mucho el realismo mágico porque es un género de la tierra de América latina. Estoy muy contenta con las dos selecciones de libros y estoy curiosa en lo que queda en el curso.

Mis pensamientos hasta ahora… ¿qué decir?

Leemos dos libros: Leyendas de Guatemala y El reino de este mundo. No me gustó mucho la primera obra por la dificultad de leerla, además de un lenguaje complicado, las tramas eran demasiado complejas y abstractas. Ya el segundo libro me encantó: es verdad que el vocabulario no es muy sencillo y que el estilo de Carpentier a veces estorba la comprensión. Sin embargo, El reino tiene una narración clara, con personajes definidos y situaciones con principio, medio y fin.

Estos dos textos son considerados los precursores del realismo mágico. No obstante, yo hesitaría antes de incluir la obra de Asturias en esa categoría. Las leyendas tienen demasiada fantasía y solo algunos elementos reales, o sea, en lugar de ser el realismo mágico, yo las consideraría una magia realista. Las leyendas no tienen elementos mágicos, sino son en sí mágicas: quizás hay uno u otro elemento realista, pero lo que domina es, sin duda, la fantasía. Ya la obra de Carpentier me parece un ejemplo perfecto del realismo mágico: lo que domina es la realidad (especialmente por ser un recuento de la historia, o sea, hechos reales), y algunos elementos son mágicos – aquellos elementos que reflejan las creencias de los negros.

Los dos libros representan un intento de volver a las raíces de Latinoamérica y de huir las tendencias aburridas y previsibles de la literatura europea. Ambos autores lo logran, pero de maneras muy distintas. Asturias vuelve a las creencias indígenas y las retoma, añadiendo elementos pos-invasión española. La esencia, sin embargo, es puramente indígena, o precolombina. Carpentier, por su parte, retoma la historia, enfocando en lo que representa lo mejor posible el aislamiento de la perspectiva europea. Su libro ignora figuras importantísimas en la revolución, como Toussaint y Dessalines, pues su inclusión no adicionaría mucho a su objetivo de enfatizar lo que es distinto en Latinoamérica.

Se nota en ambas obras la importancia de la naturaleza para las creencias latinoamericanas. Las leyendas indígenas caracterizan la naturaleza como acontecimientos divinos y hay un inmenso respeto hacia los fenómenos de la naturaleza. La historia contada por Carpentier, por otra parte, muestra el valor que las creencias afro-caribeñas daban a la naturaleza: los truenos son señales divinos, la metamorfosis en forma animal es manera superior de percibir las cosas. Solo pregunto si la importancia es realmente tan grande o si los autores la estresan para aumentar la diferencia respecto a Europa.

…creo que ya basta. Lo que quiero es más del realismo mágico del estilo de Carpentier, más de lo que hizo García Márquez volver la figura icónica que es.

My opinions of the course thus far are very mixed. I think the projects are interesting and worthwhile, but overestimated in the expectation that the students will be able to give satisfactory attention to anything. I think the students are spread very thin, and consequently their understanding of the material is merely superficial.

For myself, I originally wanted to take this course because it was required for the Spanish minor. That is it. Secondly, I would like to get off on the pure pleasure of reading some great literature. I do not want to use this opportunity to try to become a “super researcher”, write articles, or work on group projects.

I think the course far overreaches what is considered to be a decent and challenging student workload. Just completing the readings I feel to be sufficient enough in getting exposure to the material.
Reading a couple hundred extra pages of didactic academic criticism is beyond tedious and somewhat circumstantial as a definitive source of interpretation.
I realize that students must learn to manage their time well and accept a heavy course load, but after 6 years as a full-time university student I can say that this course has been the heaviest. Don’t forget this course is just one out of five that we’re taking this semester!

However, in theory I think the objectives are worthy.

Writing weekly informal blogs forces us to quickly digest the readings and consequently we are more prepared for class discussion.
Writing comments to other’s blogs gives us the chance to “tap in” to the general consensus and maybe gain insights from more astute peers.
Writing a WIKI article is an excellent way to absorb and regurgitate the material.

There are some problems with this class:

The workload is too ambitious: How are we supposed to understand deeply when we only read the material once & quickly? (because of obvious time constraints)
Class discussions are not productive when the instructor spends a very long time giving a monologue, then expects small groups to just pick it up where he left off:

What comprises a group of 4 students in our class? 1-2 people haven’t even done the readings, 1-2 people are terrified to speak because of poor Spanish ability, and 1 person is a super keener who talks non-stop and intimidates the rest of the group.

I think it would be beneficial for the instructor to engage the class immediately, start eliciting general responses to the readings while guiding the questions in real time instead of during the last 15 mins. of class.

Also, because the students are juggling many different class responsibilities, I think the least amount of time is given to thoroughly reading the literature – we’re compelled to worry about writing blogs & comments (700-900 words/week is ALOT) and researching secondary readings.

Why are we even given the choice to write in English? Most if not all but one WIKI group is doing their article in English – why? This is a Spanish course is it not? We should have the ability to think and express ourselves adequately in Spanish by now, but given the choice, we will choose English because it is easier. So there shouldn’t be a choice.

The course is hard, but not in the ways that it should be – and yet it cops out and lets us default to English…strange…

I dread coming to this class more than going to the dentist even though Spanish is one of my strongest and favourite subjects. I feel like I’m just holding my breath and all I want is to finish this course the best I can given my current state of exhaustion and GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!

Many weeks later, as he sat facing the computer screen hours before the due project, (name was removed for security purposes) was to remember that distant morn when his professor took him to discover magical realism. At that time, UBC was a village of about 50,000, built on the peninsula, surrounded by clear water that ran along the coast and through to the open ocean. The world was so young that many things were left to be discovered, many things left to be learnt and for this young individual, a long life to live. Every four years, during the coldest of winter months, there was held a grand ceremony, lasting only two weeks, that celebrated the very greatest of those to walk, skate, sled, or curl on this earth. It was this week that our young protagonist yearned for to arrive, and which, however close it seemed, was just out of reach, impeded by that which faced him in this hour, not a single project, but a plethora of examinations that were to decide the path he took, his fate, and that of the world. He went from web page to web page, scouring notes and thoughts about magic and realism, ancient myths and beliefs, dragging with him the weight of the consequences of taking the short-cut, the easy way out, by listening to the distant words of web-gypsies, who set up virtual tents and with a great uproar of strong opinion, false ingenuity and pipesmoke, would display their thoughts for others to see. “Things have a life of their own,” a web-gypsy proclaimed with a harsh accent. “It’s simply a matter of waking up their souls..” Our protagonist, whose unbridled imagination always went beyond the genius of nature and even beyond miracles and magic, thought that it would be possible to make use of these useless gypsy words to extract gold from the depths of the web. And so, taking them, against the counsel of this heavy gypsy with an untamed web page and sparrow hands, our young protagonist used these words to complete the smallest of weekly web-journal entries. Empowered by the words of the great, inspired by those whose knowledge of prose he could not touch, this young gent, a dignified gentleman though he was, produced what would grant him the grades worthy of participation. With a click heard around the vast array of tubes that make up these wondrous web of internets, he finished his assignment.

Achieving what he set out to do in reflecting upon his readings of late: the epic literary tone, the mythical structure, the use of cultural tales of yesteryear to narrate the stories of the present, the fantastic portrayed as normal and accepted, and the real being embellished as marvelously real. Our young protagonist’s fate was laid to rest, for the time being, in the hands of his professor. So it goes.

so far i have enjoyed certain aspects of the class and found others a little difficult. although i think we all have some background on magical realism, this class really delves into it in great detail. after first reading Asturias i definitely felt a little worried about what was to come as i found Asturias very difficult to understand and follow with vocabulary i had never encountered before. i didn’t really enjoy leyendas de Guatemala as much as i thought i would. i didn’t understand enough of it to really get into and enjoy it.

i was happy when we moved on from Asturias de Carpentier. although the vocabulary was also difficult in el reino de este mundo, i found the storyline much easier to follow (as there was an actual storyline this time and not just a collection of short stories or legends as in leyendas de Guatemala) and i enjoyed getting to know the characters. i especially enjoyed the fact that the story was completely based on real people and real events (with the exception of Ti Noel) and i consider it a great way to learn of the Haitian Revolution and the events that took place. i really learned a lot that from reading this book and it was great to read it in this context rather than in a history book. the magical realism in the book was interesting to read and also helped me understand the importance of magical realism in latin America.

i find our classroom discussions very helpful in understanding what we have just read (especially since i have had such difficulty with the vocabulary in our first two books). i like to hear other people’s opinions for it helps me open my mind to different outlooks on the subject that we are discussing that i had not considered earlier. i do find it difficult to keep up with the blog though. i have never kept a blog before and i usually forget we even have to do it until 10pm on Sundays. it is helpful though to have everyone’s opinions displayed on one website. it also helps to understand the readings.

so far i have enjoyed this class and the readings. i find the format pretty good although there is often a lot to keep up with with the blogs and Wikipedia pages. i do really look forward to reading cien anos de soledad although i suspect it will also be a challenge for me.

oh how I wish I could fill up my blog describing the magnificence of this Sunday’s super bowl 🙂
not to worry instead I will summarize my general overview of Asturias and Carpentier. The magical realism novels we have read as part of ESPN 365. I really am awed at the works. I find the idea of mixing together magical elements in a historical context a very ingenious way of teaching the important part, which I figure to be the historical information. Asturias’ Legends of Guatemala takes the reader to an absolutely foreign experience. As a reader I felt alien, but at the same there was an appealing factor that circulated through the stories and therefore completely comfortable. My experience in reading Asturias was one in which he allowed to be almost as a spiritual journey, because there was such power in his descriptions. Power that came from the natural world. I could not stop thinking of AVATAR the movie. It reminded me of the energy connection the AVATAR’S have with PANDORA, similarly to the connection the Guatemalan inhabitants have with their world. A connection that is deeper than those of colonial Europe. The connection is not with the economic wealth and resources of the new world, as it is for colonial Europe. Rather it is with the divine, power and spiritual beauty of their ancient world. On this note, it is easy to tie into El reino de este mundo, and the fight for a homeland the people identify with and are able to build their identity from. The Revolution in Haiti is revealed as a struggle on both sides. Carpentier subjects the Europeans and through his use of magical elements is able to explain a sense of out of placement and inability to understand the people nor the world in which they have chosen to still. In choosing to colonize in Haiti is as if they consciously rob a people of their identity. A sense of patriotism comes from the myths and ancient stories of the world. It’s very cool to make connections between the two works. I believe there is a parallel with what the genre of these two works say and what they represent. Magical realism is an intertwining of the historical and the fantastical, fact with fiction. But for the indigenious people of the new worlds, the magical WAS their history. Here I find a better understanding for the lo real marvilloso, because again what is REAL is the marvelous happening that are also impossible to describe in a European historical sense. Finally, the magical realism, signifies the European (realist) world trying to assimilate themselves into the indigenious (magical world), and what I mean by that, is trying to change the way of life as it is for the indigenious people. Much can be lost in translation but there is greater loss in the attempts to force the opposition to understand a language they don’t speak.

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