Student Blogs

I thoroughly enjoyed delving into Roberto Arlt’s, Mad Toy (El juguete rabioso), immersing myself in the compelling narrative that unfolds the tumultuous life of Silvio Astier, a youth entrenched in poverty, yearning for a better existence amid the harsh realities that envelop him. Published in 1926, the novel intricately explores Silvio’s escapades, his intrigue with criminality, […] read full post >>

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“I have more and more difficulty following her monologue” (106) My response to this quote: Likewise, Breton, likewise. Navigating through the initial section of the book, an incessant cycle of philosophical perspectives on the self and the question of “who I am,” I saw myself in the aforementioned quote. A cause for this is actually […] read full post >>

To begin, “Nadja” by Berton Andre, was simple yet a bit complex to read. I say this because the novel did not have any breaks in it such as organizational tactics like chapter cutoffs. Rather this novel just had a blank page that split the narration into different parts. Most writing pieces that I have […] read full post >>

Reading André Breton’s Nadja was an interesting experience for me. I honestly did not know what to expect when reading a surrealist novel. For me, the narrative felt like Breton was taking me through his diary, vaguely describing moments, yet at the same time, almost exposing too much. Certain parts, especially regarding the world around […] read full post >>

Mad toy is made up of four not-too-close-knit stories, Thieves, Work and Days, Mad Toy, and Judas Iscariote. The reason why they are not too closely related is that the four stories are basically not very related in terms of plot and content, the only connection being that the main character of all four stories […] read full post >>

Hey everyone! For this week’s reading I decided to read Robert Arlt’s Mad Toy. Coming into this book, I read the summary on the RMST website and expected this to be a typical story about a boy who enjoys the thrill of stealing and never gets caught. However, this book does a good job of […] read full post >>

Nadja, by Andre Breton, the second work published by the author, originally published in French, is one of the prominent works of the French surrealist movement. One of the first things that struck me about this book was the style of narration, how it was magniloquent yet foreign. My initial reaction was to chalk this …

Continue reading "Week 3: Nadja"

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Nadja, a quicker read for me than Combray was captivating and I found myself having a hard time putting the book down. The dream like state of the surrealism of this book kept me on my toes and forced me during time to rethink what Breton was saying. A lot of the questions Jon asks … read full post >>

Reading Nadja by Andre Breton was quite interesting to me because I have a little bit of background knowledge, I am going to Major in Visual Arts and during my studies have seen Breton’s artworks, I have also read and learned a lot about surrealism, what it is, it’s history, it’s practice, so I feel […] read full post >>

“Mad Toy” by Roberto Arlt was a fascinating read about a young boy named Silvio Astier who is confused, to say the least about society, life, love and responsibilty. By the end of the first chapter, he has formed a “club” which is accurately a gang, comprised of himself and his two friends Enrique and […] read full post >>

In contrast to Proust’s “Combray,” which I found to be longer and more difficult to read, this week’s reading was Roberto Arlt’s “Mad Toy.”  I connected more deeply with “Mad Toy.” I couldn’t help but consider the difficulties individuals, particularly those from the working class, experience on a daily basis. I had the impression that […] read full post >>

While I wouldn’t compare “In Search of Lost Time” and “Mad Toy” in terms of style of writing because they have so many artistic differences, one thing they have in common is that they both deal with the subject of time and the changes that occur to people over time. For our narrator Silvio in […] read full post >>

 "Mad Toy" by Roberto Alta takes place in the bustling streets of the early 20th century Buenos Aires, and tells the tale of Silvio, a young man trying to find his footing in life, marked by camaraderie, resilience and his quest of identity. Perso... read full post >>

 "Mad Toy" by Roberto Alta takes place in the bustling streets of the early 20th century Buenos Aires, and tells the tale of Silvio, a young man trying to find his footing in life, marked by camaraderie, resilience and his quest of identity. Perso... read full post >>