Student Blogs

 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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I really enjoyed this book. Maybe the most interesting (hey, I’ve used this word in all my blogs so far, why break the trend now?) thing I found in this story was the relationship between Elena and Lila. With both of them beginning in a poor neighbourhood in 1950s Naples, there is an seemingly unbreakable […] read full post >>

I remember writing my introduction post before all of the readings that I contracted for in this course and it has only left me with more thoughts about the real reason Romanticism has ever existed, realized and even created by those who see the world differently. On the other hand, maybe there is no reason […] read full post >>

 Sadly, this will be the last blog post i'll be writing for this class. I'm not going to lie, when I first signed up for this class I wasn't expecting it to go the way it did. Firstly, I didn't do much research as to what the course content was, I just knew it would fill my final lit requirement. I honestly thought this course had to be something actually related to romance, or what we refer to as romance nowadays. Boy, was I wrong. That being said, I am in no way disappointed with the outcome of this course. This will definitely land somewhere in my top 10 list for favourite courses! Although the "novel a week" idea seemed extremely intimidating at first, i found it to be much more manageable than I initially thought. Being able to pick what grade i wanted depending on the amount of work I was willing to do, really took a huge weight off of my shoulders. On top of that, I genuinely enjoyed most of the books we read too! Some of them were a little difficult to pickup, or follow but for the most part, reading didn't even seem like homework. I'd have to say my favourite was Agostino; a very easy and engaging read! Another thing I really enjoyed about the course, was writing our blogs. I really liked being able to give my honest opinion without fear of losing marks. 

Anyway, I had loads of fun in this class and it was really nice to be able to meet you all in person, thank you for reading! :)) 

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 Sadly, this will be the last blog post i'll be writing for this class. I'm not going to lie, when I first signed up for this class I wasn't expecting it to go the way it did. Firstly, I didn't do much research as to what the course content was, I just knew it would fill my final lit requirement. I honestly thought this course had to be something actually related to romance, or what we refer to as romance nowadays. Boy, was I wrong. That being said, I am in no way disappointed with the outcome of this course. This will definitely land somewhere in my top 10 list for favourite courses! Although the "novel a week" idea seemed extremely intimidating at first, i found it to be much more manageable than I initially thought. Being able to pick what grade i wanted depending on the amount of work I was willing to do, really took a huge weight off of my shoulders. On top of that, I genuinely enjoyed most of the books we read too! Some of them were a little difficult to pickup, or follow but for the most part, reading didn't even seem like homework. I'd have to say my favourite was Agostino; a very easy and engaging read! Another thing I really enjoyed about the course, was writing our blogs. I really liked being able to give my honest opinion without fear of losing marks. 

Anyway, I had loads of fun in this class and it was really nice to be able to meet you all in person, thank you for reading! :)) 

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    For my penultimate blog post, I found myself reading Agualusa’s text closely to find overlap on the various themes found across the course readings. Memory is something which we looked closely at in all the readings—the certainty of events, and the unreliable narration which so often leads to the label of fiction for the stories. […] read full post >>

Well, this is it, the end of the line but the beginning of more journeys through novel reading and such. Although I dropped the ball with this course I still had a memorable experience and learned so many things with novel reading. More importantly, it gave me a newfound love for reading, and authors like […] read full post >>

I absolutely loved My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante. Even though my expectations were high, the novel did not disappoint and I’m very happy I get to end this course on a good note. My Brilliant Friend is a novel … Continue reading → read full post >>

Hello guys! It’s crazy that we have almost reached the end of the course already, it has certainly been a blast! It was really nice to meet you all and discuss the various texts that we explored in class! Though I’m looking forward to the semester coming to a close and for the upcoming nice …

Continue reading "Conclusion!"

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I think that this class will always be memorable when I look back on my undergrad years. Romance studies pushed me to read novels that I would've never come across otherwise. As a psychology major, I am always reading textbooks where I have to take notes along the way and be sure that I remember each detail for the next exam... However, this class allowed me to sit back and truly enjoy reading. Although the reading was heavy, it never felt much like a chore - in contrast, it felt much more relaxing. Honestly, I kinda wish there were maybe a few more books assigned or that there could be a part 2 to this class in the summer. 

The grading system used in this class was definitely another bonus. Although the website at first and the whole contract system feels intimidating at the start, it didn't take long to get comfortable with it (but maybe add a quick video to the website at the beginning of the semester going through all the little details). Something about reading to simply get what you can out of the book rather than reading fearfully that small details might appear on an exam brought me comfort. To follow, the flexible blog posts really allowed for creative comments and criticisms which I always enjoyed reading. Moreover, after attending class, I felt like I had a whole new appreciation and perspective on each of the texts. I really enjoyed our discussions in class. 

One of my favourite books we read was ‘Bonjour Tristesse’ for a few reasons. I loved how the story gradually built and we were able to form really solid opinions on the characters. Also, I think it was the novel with a narrator that I could most relate with for reasons such as being a teenager and wanting to rebel against authoritative figures. I think one thing I've learned is that I really appreciate a chronological storyline. Im not sure if it's simplest for me to understand, but I think there is something nice to following characters' story's as they progress and evolve. 

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this class. I've certainly recommended this class to all my friends (especially with the contract system and Jon as the professor). My question to follow is how has your relationship with reading changed throughout the semester? Did you find yourself dreading the reads or looking forward to them? To answer my own question I think I feel way more inclined to read for pleasure and not when it's just for school. Not only that but I feel more interested in choosing books that don't follow my typical favourites, as I've learnt that there are so many fascinating book themes to explore!

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I think that this class will always be memorable when I look back on my undergrad years. Romance studies pushed me to read novels that I would've never come across otherwise. As a psychology major, I am always reading textbooks where I have to take notes along the way and be sure that I remember each detail for the next exam... However, this class allowed me to sit back and truly enjoy reading. Although the reading was heavy, it never felt much like a chore - in contrast, it felt much more relaxing. Honestly, I kinda wish there were maybe a few more books assigned or that there could be a part 2 to this class in the summer. 

The grading system used in this class was definitely another bonus. Although the website at first and the whole contract system feels intimidating at the start, it didn't take long to get comfortable with it (but maybe add a quick video to the website at the beginning of the semester going through all the little details). Something about reading to simply get what you can out of the book rather than reading fearfully that small details might appear on an exam brought me comfort. To follow, the flexible blog posts really allowed for creative comments and criticisms which I always enjoyed reading. Moreover, after attending class, I felt like I had a whole new appreciation and perspective on each of the texts. I really enjoyed our discussions in class. 

One of my favourite books we read was ‘Bonjour Tristesse’ for a few reasons. I loved how the story gradually built and we were able to form really solid opinions on the characters. Also, I think it was the novel with a narrator that I could most relate with for reasons such as being a teenager and wanting to rebel against authoritative figures. I think one thing I've learned is that I really appreciate a chronological storyline. Im not sure if it's simplest for me to understand, but I think there is something nice to following characters' story's as they progress and evolve. 

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this class. I've certainly recommended this class to all my friends (especially with the contract system and Jon as the professor). My question to follow is how has your relationship with reading changed throughout the semester? Did you find yourself dreading the reads or looking forward to them? To answer my own question I think I feel way more inclined to read for pleasure and not when it's just for school. Not only that but I feel more interested in choosing books that don't follow my typical favourites, as I've learnt that there are so many fascinating book themes to explore!

read full post >>

What an interesting read! Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Although it did take quite some time to get through, I was always excited to see what came next. I will admit, I found it difficult at some points to follow the specific characters with their names as well as locations because there was a fair bit of jumping around. However, I found that as I continued to read, I began to make more sense of everything. The different aspects began to fit together and add to one another. 

Dreams: Firstly, as the title points to, dreams and ‘dreamers’. This was a huge theme in this novel. Each character seemed to have a different experience with dreams and attributed different meanings to them. A couple of quotes referring to dreaming that stood out to me were  “Dreams are always echos of something” p. (105) and  “Dreaming is rehearsing reality from the comfort of our own beds” p. (108).  This topic is fascinating to me. 

Relationships: Daniel our narrator was one that I really began to like. I found him honest and enjoyed that he seemed to do what felt right at that moment. After he went through his divorce, he seemed to enjoy his solitude at the Rainbow hotel. There was nothing holding him back from staying somewhere a little longer than intended or meeting up with new people. When he met Moira, it seemed to click. I liked her too and felt like they complimented each other well. I found that she offered an artistic yet realistic touch to Daniels's life. Daniel’s relationship with his daughter was also interesting to read. He seemed to have a pretty laid-back parenting lifestyle with her which really allowed her to express and stand up for herself. 

Politics: This was another major theme in the book. What stood out most to me was Daniel’s daughter’s bravery along with the other young individuals that stood up against the corrupt Government. I really liked that they protested peacefully and didn't want any violence.  A couple of quotes from this particular theme that stood out to me were “Fear destroys people. It corrupts more than money”….. “Fear isn't a choice. There's no way to avoid feeling fear”. P. (217) another one being,  “The men who are in power have no heart. If you open up their chests all you'll find will be hundred-dollar bills. Wads and wads of banknotes.” p. (183) I think both these quotes speak volumes to the type of people that were in positions of power. 

I really liked how these 3 different aspects came together in the end. Daniel’s daughter’s bravery ultimately brought Daniel and his friends to the prison to in the end face the president and put him in his place. The power of the dreams affected all the citizens and perhaps created an awakening for its citizens. My question is what are your thoughts on the hunger strike the young adults participated in? Do you think this is an effective way to take a stance on an issue of this kind?

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What an interesting read! Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Although it did take quite some time to get through, I was always excited to see what came next. I will admit, I found it difficult at some points to follow the specific characters with their names as well as locations because there was a fair bit of jumping around. However, I found that as I continued to read, I began to make more sense of everything. The different aspects began to fit together and add to one another. 

Dreams: Firstly, as the title points to, dreams and ‘dreamers’. This was a huge theme in this novel. Each character seemed to have a different experience with dreams and attributed different meanings to them. A couple of quotes referring to dreaming that stood out to me were  “Dreams are always echos of something” p. (105) and  “Dreaming is rehearsing reality from the comfort of our own beds” p. (108).  This topic is fascinating to me. 

Relationships: Daniel our narrator was one that I really began to like. I found him honest and enjoyed that he seemed to do what felt right at that moment. After he went through his divorce, he seemed to enjoy his solitude at the Rainbow hotel. There was nothing holding him back from staying somewhere a little longer than intended or meeting up with new people. When he met Moira, it seemed to click. I liked her too and felt like they complimented each other well. I found that she offered an artistic yet realistic touch to Daniels's life. Daniel’s relationship with his daughter was also interesting to read. He seemed to have a pretty laid-back parenting lifestyle with her which really allowed her to express and stand up for herself. 

Politics: This was another major theme in the book. What stood out most to me was Daniel’s daughter’s bravery along with the other young individuals that stood up against the corrupt Government. I really liked that they protested peacefully and didn't want any violence.  A couple of quotes from this particular theme that stood out to me were “Fear destroys people. It corrupts more than money”….. “Fear isn't a choice. There's no way to avoid feeling fear”. P. (217) another one being,  “The men who are in power have no heart. If you open up their chests all you'll find will be hundred-dollar bills. Wads and wads of banknotes.” p. (183) I think both these quotes speak volumes to the type of people that were in positions of power. 

I really liked how these 3 different aspects came together in the end. Daniel’s daughter’s bravery ultimately brought Daniel and his friends to the prison to in the end face the president and put him in his place. The power of the dreams affected all the citizens and perhaps created an awakening for its citizens. My question is what are your thoughts on the hunger strike the young adults participated in? Do you think this is an effective way to take a stance on an issue of this kind?

read full post >>

Hi Everyone! I have to say, I feel quite sad writing the (second) last blog post for this class. This... read full post >>

War seems to be the common theme the last couple of weeks and it is no different as this story takes place during the Angolan Civil War. However, this book tries to find the best out of this horrible situation by creating a dreamlike landscape and beautiful imagery to make this situation a little tolerable […] read full post >>