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‘The Time of the Doves’ by Mercé Rodoreda had me very emotionally involved the entire story. While I had to take breaks to manage reading the stream-of-consciousness style writing, I could not help but react emotionally to what was happening the s... read full post >>

‘The Time of the Doves’ by Mercé Rodoreda had me very emotionally involved the entire story. While I had to take breaks to manage reading the stream-of-consciousness style writing, I could not help but react emotionally to what was happening the s... read full post >>

Wow! Well, this was not necessarily the longest book, it absolutely put my head into a blender (this is the only expression that felt applicable). While I do feel like I enjoyed the book, it made me just as confused at the first week of blog posts. I feel as though the author did a […] read full post >>

This week, I chose to read The time of the Doves by Merce Rodoreda.

I pity and feel bad for Natalia. However, I also believe she kind of deserved what had happened to her. Since she is the one that made the decision of breaking her engagement with her fiance, Pere, to be with Quitmet. This may be due to the lack of advice she had received since her mother had passed away for a long time and her dad is remarried. She is alone. 

Quitmet is a controlling and abusive man. He ordered Natalia around a lot and also seemed to have gaslighted her by saying he saw her on the street with Pere when she wasn't with him. He demanded an explanation, apology and called “all women were crazy and they weren’t a nickel” (p32) when Natalia was just trying to explain herself. Quitmen is not caring and doesn't seem to respect Natalia. When Natalia was pregnant and tried to sleep, he would do anything to wake her up. After the birth of their son, Quitmet was annoyed at how he needed to make a new bedpost because Natalia broke it while giving birth. 

“...when my father remarried a few years later there was nothing left for me to hold onto” (p28). Despite knowing Quitmet did not treat her well, she is still with him. I believe it may be due to the fact that she is able to find a sense of belongingness and someone to hold onto when she is with Quitmet. The pros are greater than the cons for her. 

After receiving the message from the militiaman that “Quitmen and Cinet had died like men’ (p137), Natalia didn't want to think Quitmen had died and wanted things to go back to how it always had been. This made me wonder if it's because she couldn't get over the death of her husband or she is afraid of the ideas on ‘things changing’.  

One of the biggest twists for me was the name Maria. Quitmet mentioned Maria many times to the point where Natalia began to take it seriously and thought about her in many situations. She would think Maria could clean the dishes better when she's washing the dishes, etc (p46). It also made me wonder who this mysterious Maria is. However, it turns out that “Quitmen had never known a girl named Maria. Never” (p121).

Which leads to my questions for the class: Do you think think ‘Maria’ represents/symbolizes anything? Is there a reason why Quitmen kept mentioning ‘Maria’?

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This week, I chose to read The time of the Doves by Merce Rodoreda.

I pity and feel bad for Natalia. However, I also believe she kind of deserved what had happened to her. Since she is the one that made the decision of breaking her engagement with her fiance, Pere, to be with Quitmet. This may be due to the lack of advice she had received since her mother had passed away for a long time and her dad is remarried. She is alone. 

Quitmet is a controlling and abusive man. He ordered Natalia around a lot and also seemed to have gaslighted her by saying he saw her on the street with Pere when she wasn't with him. He demanded an explanation, apology and called “all women were crazy and they weren’t a nickel” (p32) when Natalia was just trying to explain herself. Quitmen is not caring and doesn't seem to respect Natalia. When Natalia was pregnant and tried to sleep, he would do anything to wake her up. After the birth of their son, Quitmet was annoyed at how he needed to make a new bedpost because Natalia broke it while giving birth. 

“...when my father remarried a few years later there was nothing left for me to hold onto” (p28). Despite knowing Quitmet did not treat her well, she is still with him. I believe it may be due to the fact that she is able to find a sense of belongingness and someone to hold onto when she is with Quitmet. The pros are greater than the cons for her. 

After receiving the message from the militiaman that “Quitmen and Cinet had died like men’ (p137), Natalia didn't want to think Quitmen had died and wanted things to go back to how it always had been. This made me wonder if it's because she couldn't get over the death of her husband or she is afraid of the ideas on ‘things changing’.  

One of the biggest twists for me was the name Maria. Quitmet mentioned Maria many times to the point where Natalia began to take it seriously and thought about her in many situations. She would think Maria could clean the dishes better when she's washing the dishes, etc (p46). It also made me wonder who this mysterious Maria is. However, it turns out that “Quitmen had never known a girl named Maria. Never” (p121).

Which leads to my questions for the class: Do you think think ‘Maria’ represents/symbolizes anything? Is there a reason why Quitmen kept mentioning ‘Maria’?

read full post >>

I was passionately engaged while reading The Time of the Doves, mainly for two reasons. First of all, I really enjoyed the narrative of the novel. I felt like the first-person narration of Natalia made the narrative more credible. Normally, first-person narratives are less credible than a “neutral” third-person view, but since this story was […] read full post >>

This is the first novel that I have a physical copy of and the feeling of holding a book and flipping through the pages was so different compared to scrolling through the pages on a computer, so I was looking forward to reading this novel. This week I chose to read The Time of the […] read full post >>

 While reading the first part of this book, I was often confused and puzzled by the relationship between Quimet and Natalia because Natalia and Quimet didn't seem happy and happy in their life together. Quimet doesn't seem to care much about the heroine's feelings, nor does he know how to respect the heroine. He would call her "Poor Maria," although he never explained to the hesitant Natalia who she was; his unfounded suspicion hurts Natalia; he wants the hostess to quit her favourite bakery job because of his doubts. When I read this part, I was puzzled about why the heroine abandoned her honest fiancé and chose to marry such a new acquaintance and was often angry with Quimet's behaviour. In my opinion, the heroine makes choices too fast.

But then I realized that this might be because of the background of the heroine's era, family background, and the people's attitude. When Natalia needed someone to marry, and everyone around her recommended Quimet, as a beautiful girl who lost her mother and her father remarried, it was difficult to resist the opinions of those around her with a firm attitude. In the process of marriage and relationship, it can be seen that Natalia will also regret and be bewildered by such a choice. She will doubt whether she chooses Quimet is correct and whether this kind of life is what she wants. But even with some hesitation, she had no choice, so she accepted this continuation of life, and as a typical image of a woman at that time, she continued her daily life as her husband's state and mood changed. After the female protagonist gave birth, pigeons entered their lives. The arrival of the pigeons seems to make the atmosphere in the house smooth and lively. Natalia and her husband will name each pigeon, build the loft together, and enjoy the pigeons flying over the roof. At this time, their relationship seems to become warm Peaceful. But it didn't last long.

Natalia's image in the first part is naive and peaceful, similar to the article's tone, without any thrilling big event or central life turning point. The article reads as if watching the heroine's life from the sidelines. Most of the time, the female protagonist's thinking is not as divergent as the protagonists in other stream-of-consciousness novels we have read before. Although the book is narrated in the first person, the overall sense of flow is not very strong, so in the bland plot of the book, It is even more challenging to detect the fluctuation of the heroine's thinking.

However, the peaceful days did not last long. The troubles of living in the second half of the book also follow; the husband's business gradually deteriorates, the problems of raising children are increasing, and Natalia is struggling with a tedious job like a maid. Natalia was getting tired of the pigeons in the house. Compared with the previous article, her mood became hesitant and dazed, and the book showed more Natalia's conscious feelings in this part. And this stream-of-consciousness style of writing became more apparent with the events that followed the start of the war. Natalia seems to let her consciousness begin to flow through her life only when she feels sad and distressed. 

My question for this article is: have you noticed a turning point in Natalia's life that started to change? Did these turning points bring about a change in Natalia's writing style?

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 While reading the first part of this book, I was often confused and puzzled by the relationship between Quimet and Natalia because Natalia and Quimet didn't seem happy and happy in their life together. Quimet doesn't seem to care much about the heroine's feelings, nor does he know how to respect the heroine. He would call her "Poor Maria," although he never explained to the hesitant Natalia who she was; his unfounded suspicion hurts Natalia; he wants the hostess to quit her favourite bakery job because of his doubts. When I read this part, I was puzzled about why the heroine abandoned her honest fiancé and chose to marry such a new acquaintance and was often angry with Quimet's behaviour. In my opinion, the heroine makes choices too fast.

But then I realized that this might be because of the background of the heroine's era, family background, and the people's attitude. When Natalia needed someone to marry, and everyone around her recommended Quimet, as a beautiful girl who lost her mother and her father remarried, it was difficult to resist the opinions of those around her with a firm attitude. In the process of marriage and relationship, it can be seen that Natalia will also regret and be bewildered by such a choice. She will doubt whether she chooses Quimet is correct and whether this kind of life is what she wants. But even with some hesitation, she had no choice, so she accepted this continuation of life, and as a typical image of a woman at that time, she continued her daily life as her husband's state and mood changed. After the female protagonist gave birth, pigeons entered their lives. The arrival of the pigeons seems to make the atmosphere in the house smooth and lively. Natalia and her husband will name each pigeon, build the loft together, and enjoy the pigeons flying over the roof. At this time, their relationship seems to become warm Peaceful. But it didn't last long.

Natalia's image in the first part is naive and peaceful, similar to the article's tone, without any thrilling big event or central life turning point. The article reads as if watching the heroine's life from the sidelines. Most of the time, the female protagonist's thinking is not as divergent as the protagonists in other stream-of-consciousness novels we have read before. Although the book is narrated in the first person, the overall sense of flow is not very strong, so in the bland plot of the book, It is even more challenging to detect the fluctuation of the heroine's thinking.

However, the peaceful days did not last long. The troubles of living in the second half of the book also follow; the husband's business gradually deteriorates, the problems of raising children are increasing, and Natalia is struggling with a tedious job like a maid. Natalia was getting tired of the pigeons in the house. Compared with the previous article, her mood became hesitant and dazed, and the book showed more Natalia's conscious feelings in this part. And this stream-of-consciousness style of writing became more apparent with the events that followed the start of the war. Natalia seems to let her consciousness begin to flow through her life only when she feels sad and distressed. 

My question for this article is: have you noticed a turning point in Natalia's life that started to change? Did these turning points bring about a change in Natalia's writing style?

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From the very beginning “The Passion According to G.H” felt like a downward spiral of emotion. It took me quite a while to understand and situate myself in the narrative, often having to reread pages to even comprehend what was happening. The writing style felt like manic overthinking. For example, on pg.12 she backtracks her … Continue reading "Thoughts on “The Passion According to G.H”" read full post >>

This book reminded me of Paris Peasant by Louis Aragon in the way that it felt like an existential crisis and it definitely left me wondering what was going on at some points.  While I am not sure what the author’s intentions were behind this book, there appeared to be some references that had me […] read full post >>

Mercè Rodoreda’s The Time of the Doves presents processes of multifaceted change during the Spanish Civil War through the lens of the life of an ordinary Catalan woman named Natalia. Setting in Barcelona, this is the first Catalan novel I have read. It is particularly noteworthy to consider the relevant background of the work. From […] read full post >>

Of all the novels thus far, this one had the most unexpected ending and plot twist. The story starts rather sweetly, and suddenly escalates until the main character, Natalia, makes a horrifying decision. Initially, Natalia gets swept off of her feet and marries a man who ends up not being a good husband or person. Quimet, the husband, is rather lazy and undependable and displays abusive and toxic behaviours consistently. He continuously brings home doves but leaves them in the care of Natalia. In a way, I think that what Natalia was doing to the doves foreshadowed the climax of the story. Her husband had left her with helpless animals when she was unable to adequately care for them. 

The way in which the story was written translates to how frantic Natalia may have been during that time. The author uses run-on sentences to replicate thought processes that Natalia may be having. She exhausts herself emotionally and physically as she develops fears about the war and surrounding world. The story is very tragic and explores how desperation can cause irrational beliefs and ideas. 

The description of the family living a "bare life" is very accurate. Due to her lack of resources, her family is forced to merely survive and they are unable to truly live. This causes Natalia to make the extreme decision to kill herself and her children after her husband is killed. I think part of the reason that Natalia's decision was so shocking was because it was the complete opposite of what one would expect from a mother. Her actions do not fall in line with how we perceive mothers or parents to behave. I feel like the audience would expect Natalia to do everything possible and sacrifice herself in order to protect her children. Perhaps, the reason she made such a radical decision was due to her surroundings at the time. She saw the impact of the war through the chaos and destruction around her, and therefore she decided that she must take extreme action. If her family would have fallen on hard times during a different time period, she may not have decided to act in that way. Her surroundings are a factor when questioning why she would make such a desperate and irrational decision.

My question to the class is, do you think that Natalia's decision to kill herself and her family was brave/strong or cowardly/inhumane? And do you agree that Natalia's decision may not have been so reckless if it were not for the war surrounding her? Or can we see through her other actions that she may have regardless made the same choice? 

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Of all the novels thus far, this one had the most unexpected ending and plot twist. The story starts rather sweetly, and suddenly escalates until the main character, Natalia, makes a horrifying decision. Initially, Natalia gets swept off of her feet and marries a man who ends up not being a good husband or person. Quimet, the husband, is rather lazy and undependable and displays abusive and toxic behaviours consistently. He continuously brings home doves but leaves them in the care of Natalia. In a way, I think that what Natalia was doing to the doves foreshadowed the climax of the story. Her husband had left her with helpless animals when she was unable to adequately care for them. 

The way in which the story was written translates to how frantic Natalia may have been during that time. The author uses run-on sentences to replicate thought processes that Natalia may be having. She exhausts herself emotionally and physically as she develops fears about the war and surrounding world. The story is very tragic and explores how desperation can cause irrational beliefs and ideas. 

The description of the family living a "bare life" is very accurate. Due to her lack of resources, her family is forced to merely survive and they are unable to truly live. This causes Natalia to make the extreme decision to kill herself and her children after her husband is killed. I think part of the reason that Natalia's decision was so shocking was because it was the complete opposite of what one would expect from a mother. Her actions do not fall in line with how we perceive mothers or parents to behave. I feel like the audience would expect Natalia to do everything possible and sacrifice herself in order to protect her children. Perhaps, the reason she made such a radical decision was due to her surroundings at the time. She saw the impact of the war through the chaos and destruction around her, and therefore she decided that she must take extreme action. If her family would have fallen on hard times during a different time period, she may not have decided to act in that way. Her surroundings are a factor when questioning why she would make such a desperate and irrational decision.

My question to the class is, do you think that Natalia's decision to kill herself and her family was brave/strong or cowardly/inhumane? And do you agree that Natalia's decision may not have been so reckless if it were not for the war surrounding her? Or can we see through her other actions that she may have regardless made the same choice? 

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To be honest, I got really sleepy as soon as I started reading the first page. I was already kind of tired when I sat down to read this book and the way it was written literally lulled me to sleep. Although the process of getting through this book was slow, I did think that the voice of the author was interesting. It was a style of writing that stands out as one that I don't often come across. 

The passage that stuck with me the most is the description of the cockroach's features that the narrator gives after closing the closet door on him. She comes face to face with this thing that grosses her out so much, and she really stares into him. I'm also terrified of bugs and this close up description was not something that I ever needed or wanted to read. 

"It was a face without a contour." 

"The long and slender whiskers were moving slow and dry."

"Its black faceted eyes were looking."

"... had cilia all over. Maybe the cilia were its multiple legs. The antennae were now still, dry and dusty strands."

What an intimate moment between the narrator and her object of greatest disgust. It was not so much the descriptions themselves that weirded me out, but the morbidly fascinated way in which she drank in the reality of this half-squashed cockroach. Throughout the rest of the book, she is horribly drawn to this creature that she has almost killed. Inside of this cockroach, inside of it's oozing guts, she sees beauty, revelation, death and life. She sees an "ugly and sparkling being." It's fascinating and gross seeing it through her eyes, like a fever dream that I'm trapped in. The narrator literally solves the world's philosophical problems, sitting on the floor next to an almost-dead cockroach. This is why I think the writing was boring but also genius. Every sentence was a beautiful, nonsensical string of words. 

On another note, how must the cockroach have felt knowing his killer was eating little bits of his insides? I'll probably re-read this book when I'm not feeling tired because I think it's one of those creations that deserve more than one read. 

This is the question I am posing for this week: Has the narrator reached a state of pure mental freedom, something the rest of us can only hope to ever achieve, or is she just a little crazy?

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