Student Blogs

Before taking Romance Studies 202, I had previously taken Romance Studies 201, so I was prepared to continue furthering my interest in the literature of the Romance world. When I was first introduced to this course, I was excited to to read more literature, as what most I had been reading late, were essays and […] read full post >>

 I really enjoyed the uniqueness and the flow of this class. Being able to read all the different novels was really interesting to me. This was something that really helped bring back my love for reading that I had lost overtime. I think this is because the novels were very interesting and were so different from each other but all seemed to have different connections which is what really pushed me to keep reading the novels. I loved the theme of childhood and memories that result from the novels and I think it was something that I really connected with which lead me to have a greater understanding of these novels. It was really interesting that these novels were from different cultures, different languages and different places as it showed me bits and pieces of culture which was really interesting to be able to interpret and even compare. I really enjoyed reading the different delivery and writing styles in the novels as well, being able to work harder or focus more when it came to the storyline of different novels really seemed to grow me as a reader and I think as a student overall. I found it really challenging to do so, but more in a positive way, as something that further pushed my interest as well as my drive to learn more, dive into the novels, and to really try and understand and respect the author's writing and art overall. I really enjoyed the grading contract and delivery of grading for this course overall. I think it led to more flexibility as well as more comfort in knowing what grade you were going to receive. I found this to help me reduce stress as well as to be able to plan everything better and stay more organized throughout the semester. I found it very helpful to know the future outcome of my grade. It was almost like a reward to know that I worked hard to get the grade that I planned for and almost felt as though it was like setting a goal. Overall, this was one of my most enjoyable classes and it really opened up my mind to literature. This class leads me to want to explore more romantic novels and I think overall the texts I've experienced in this course have grown me both as a person and as a student and lead me to learn new and interesting information throughout the art of these novels or texts.

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 I really enjoyed the uniqueness and the flow of this class. Being able to read all the different novels was really interesting to me. This was something that really helped bring back my love for reading that I had lost overtime. I think this is because the novels were very interesting and were so different from each other but all seemed to have different connections which is what really pushed me to keep reading the novels. I loved the theme of childhood and memories that result from the novels and I think it was something that I really connected with which lead me to have a greater understanding of these novels. It was really interesting that these novels were from different cultures, different languages and different places as it showed me bits and pieces of culture which was really interesting to be able to interpret and even compare. I really enjoyed reading the different delivery and writing styles in the novels as well, being able to work harder or focus more when it came to the storyline of different novels really seemed to grow me as a reader and I think as a student overall. I found it really challenging to do so, but more in a positive way, as something that further pushed my interest as well as my drive to learn more, dive into the novels, and to really try and understand and respect the author's writing and art overall. I really enjoyed the grading contract and delivery of grading for this course overall. I think it led to more flexibility as well as more comfort in knowing what grade you were going to receive. I found this to help me reduce stress as well as to be able to plan everything better and stay more organized throughout the semester. I found it very helpful to know the future outcome of my grade. It was almost like a reward to know that I worked hard to get the grade that I planned for and almost felt as though it was like setting a goal. Overall, this was one of my most enjoyable classes and it really opened up my mind to literature. This class leads me to want to explore more romantic novels and I think overall the texts I've experienced in this course have grown me both as a person and as a student and lead me to learn new and interesting information throughout the art of these novels or texts.

read full post >>

I can wholeheartedly say I am very sad to be writing this blog post, the only thing keeping me a little happy about this course coming to an end is that we still have two classes together even after writing this. 

It is a little surprising, (not in a bad way), that I managed to stick to my contract considering I remember feeling a little hesitant at the beginning of this course. I remember struggling to even write my introduction post, and now here I am having so much to say for my concluding post 🙂 

Never once did I think about dropping this course, but I was definitely curious as to how much I would enjoy it. I can very confidently say this has been my favourite course I have taken so far at UBC. Not only because of the amazing structure, which I will get into, but the welcoming and comforting feeling I feel attending this class (when it was on zoom and in person). 

The first day we were welcomed with music and little did I know every class we would be welcomed with music. Not only that, but everyone being individually welcomed with a hello at the start of class is something I have not seen before, and it makes me really happy. 

I don't think I could give a straight definition of what romance studies is, but however it should be defined all I know is that I love it, and would recommend it to everyone who hasn't taken it. I am not a reader in any way nor do I 100% commit to a lot of the courses I take (I will admit that). But not once did I find myself dreading this course. 

I love how judgement free it is and just how free it is in general. But also provides a very clear and straight to the point structure that is easy to understand and follow. I love how open our lovely TA's and Professor are about the reality of sometimes not understanding a book, and accepting that that's okay. 

There are books that we read during this course that I will genuinely never forget and discussions had in class that will also stick with me. Something I thought to myself a lot when listening to class discussions was how people interpreted the book differently and how amazing all the interpretations are. Sometimes I would read a book and feel discouraged that I did not understand and feel as though it was because I don't read often. But coming into class and seeing how passionate Jon is about each book and topic, was so inspiring and I always left the class with so much new knowledge. 

Overall, I could ramble on forever about how much I love this class and its structure and grading system but I will leave it at that. Thank you so much Jon, Patricio and Jennifer for an amazing experience with this course 🙂 

read full post >>

I can wholeheartedly say I am very sad to be writing this blog post, the only thing keeping me a little happy about this course coming to an end is that we still have two classes together even after writing this. 

It is a little surprising, (not in a bad way), that I managed to stick to my contract considering I remember feeling a little hesitant at the beginning of this course. I remember struggling to even write my introduction post, and now here I am having so much to say for my concluding post 🙂 

Never once did I think about dropping this course, but I was definitely curious as to how much I would enjoy it. I can very confidently say this has been my favourite course I have taken so far at UBC. Not only because of the amazing structure, which I will get into, but the welcoming and comforting feeling I feel attending this class (when it was on zoom and in person). 

The first day we were welcomed with music and little did I know every class we would be welcomed with music. Not only that, but everyone being individually welcomed with a hello at the start of class is something I have not seen before, and it makes me really happy. 

I don't think I could give a straight definition of what romance studies is, but however it should be defined all I know is that I love it, and would recommend it to everyone who hasn't taken it. I am not a reader in any way nor do I 100% commit to a lot of the courses I take (I will admit that). But not once did I find myself dreading this course. 

I love how judgement free it is and just how free it is in general. But also provides a very clear and straight to the point structure that is easy to understand and follow. I love how open our lovely TA's and Professor are about the reality of sometimes not understanding a book, and accepting that that's okay. 

There are books that we read during this course that I will genuinely never forget and discussions had in class that will also stick with me. Something I thought to myself a lot when listening to class discussions was how people interpreted the book differently and how amazing all the interpretations are. Sometimes I would read a book and feel discouraged that I did not understand and feel as though it was because I don't read often. But coming into class and seeing how passionate Jon is about each book and topic, was so inspiring and I always left the class with so much new knowledge. 

Overall, I could ramble on forever about how much I love this class and its structure and grading system but I will leave it at that. Thank you so much Jon, Patricio and Jennifer for an amazing experience with this course 🙂 

read full post >>

Hey everyone!  So last blog post! This class has been quite an interesting class for me. At first, I recall... read full post >>

Hello again! To be completely honest, when I registered for this course, I was mentally preparing myself to simply “get... read full post >>

As the last reading for this course, I made sure to take notes and reflect on the text as heavily as possible. I wanted to bring something more significant from it than a blog post, and I feel I did. In this novella written by Jose Eduardo Agualusa, we meet our protagonist, Daniel Benchimol, who […] read full post >>

Unlike the past weeks where I had doubts about which books to choose, I knew for a fact that I wanted to read Elena Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend. In the beginning of the year, I had just finished the HBO original, Scenes from a Marriage, and the HBO adaptation of My Brilliant Friend was recommended under […] read full post >>

Wow, how has time passed by so quickly! It seems like it was just last week when I felt intimidated by the workload and was scrambling to place holds on the Vancouver Public Library websites for all the books I wanted to read. But nope, it’s now week twelve and I can’t believe we’re at […] read full post >>

Hello! It’s crazy to think how fast this semester has gone, as I still vividly remember trying to put together my 400-word introduction post for this class (as well as all the other introduction posts other classes used as an icebreaker). This class was definitely structured in a way that I have never really experienced […] read full post >>

Hey everyone! It is (sadly) the last blog on a book. This week’s read The society of Reluctant Dreamers by... read full post >>

    Reaching the end of this course, I am filled with an appreciation for the Romance World. Beginning with “Combray” and spanning eleven other great works, I was exposed to authors I would normally glance over on the shelves of libraries or bookstores in my native country; through the guidance of lectures and my peers, my […] read full post >>

This was by far the most interesting literature course I have taken so far. The format allowed me to be flexible in the way I was reading the novels. While in previous literature classes I have taken I was required … Continue reading → read full post >>

 This feels very weird to be writing my final blog post (in terms of readings) of the semester. It feels like I was just beginning to read these new kinds of books I had never read before, and now here I am reading my last one. 

This week I chose to read The Society of Reluctant Dreamers. And not only does the title directly point out a major theme but the book itself clearly highlights the most common theme we've seen throughout this course, dreams. 

Although I feel myself being a little repetitive discussing dreams in every blog post, this one would feel wrong to not discuss it. While reading this book, I found myself consistently thinking about my own dreams, especially when Daniel Benchimol finds the camera in the water as the woman he sees in the pictures is someone he has seen before in his dreams. 

I was glad to see that this was also brought up in this weeks lecture on the book because it helped me dig even deeper into the thoughts I was having while reading. It's an interesting concept because I am someone who dreams a lot, and I know other people who never dream (or at least can't remember them). I always wonder what this means and I also always wonder who these "characters"are that are appearing in my dreams.. Are they real people and I just do not know it? And if they aren't, how is my mind creating completely fictional people if I have never seen them before? 

I also enjoyed the idea of Freuds take on dreams mentioned in the lecture as well. Freud states that "dreams are derived from the past in every sense".. which is interesting to think about considering Daniel Benchimol is dreaming of people he has never met, how is that possible? I think the same thing for myself. 

Overall, the only struggle I had with this book was not having enough knowledge on the historical contexts taking place, but it was good to be educated on something new, as I usually am each week with our readings. Which bring me to mention that war has also been a common we have been seeing in our readings lately. Other than that (which isn't really a bad thing at all), I enjoyed this novel a lot despite there being a lot going on, I managed to grasp the concepts a good amount and considering we have read so much involving dreams. 

I feel as though I have become an expert at differentiating between what is a dream and what is reality (although still a little hard to tell sometimes I won't lie). But that is what keeps me invested in reading, I love the back and fourth between the two states. 

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