Student Blogs

      Ok, so bridging off of Astha's post ("In sum..."), this is also an end to my undergraduate career, as well a one of the more unique courses I've had the pleasure of taking at UBC -- RMST 202. 

     Some flashbacks--I'm not sure if I became a better reader in this course by reading more, but rather by learning how to think more abstractly about novels. Usually, connections or metaphors seemed to far-fetched for me to consider being "true" about a book, however, it seems that this is often not the case. From this course, I've learned to dive deeper into metaphors and imagery, and to indulge my creativity and allowing myself the opportunity to imagine strange parallels, deeper metaphors and interesting imagery, as the meaning that I impart from this may have been exactly as intended (but no one really knows!). 

My favourite books from the course (in no particular order)

Black Shack Alley

Agostino

W, or the Memory of Childhood

In terms of general thoughts -- and perhaps this will be helpful for Jon and TAs -- the nature of the course was unique, but also rewarding. Portioning out what is ultimately a lot of writing throughout the term gives you an opportunity to both improve incrementally, as well as experiment with what and how you write. For example, if you have three essays per term, each worth a large chunk of your grade, there is an aversion to a "risky" idea, or a more out-there or experimental approach. By giving us so much freedom with our writing, we have the opportunity to grow as writers, try out new things, and find out how and why we ourselves write well. 

Lastly, as an overall reflection, I wasn't sure how much I would improve as a writer throughout my university career. I surely did, but I believe that it was more a product of courses like this, which deeply examine literature and writing styles, rather than my creative writing courses, which I wouldn't have thought at the beginning of my time here. 

Ok, thank you everyone! This might just be my final ever written assignment at UBC. Now it's time to go out into the world and "get that bag", as the kids say.

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To be honest, it took me a while to figure out who the characters were and who was speaking. I... read full post >>

Over all the weeks of reading different literature, I can confirm, at least for myself, that Elena Ferrante’s “My Brilliant Friend” is the longest reading I have done for this course. The focus is mainly on the relationships among all the characters from the protagonist, Elena’s point of view. The theme(s) are oriented on the […] read full post >>

As I end this semester, I am also ending an integral phase of my life- that of an undergraduate student. With a lot of goodbyes coming up, I am in a strange point of excitement and nervousness. This semester, I … Continue reading → read full post >>

Over the course, we have read many texts that have overarching themes of war, violence, and memories. We have even reflected on our own and focused on discussions of motherhood, growing up, betrayal, and context differences. My favourite conversation this far was when we talked about Amulet and connected mothers from the other texts like the Shrouded Woman or Time of the Doves. Some of the books I hadn't read but diving deep into motherhood, the different types of mothers, and values they held, and what it truly means to be a mother was very eye-opening. For example, one book that I didn't read had a mother who wanted to kill her children for their benefit, which seems very wrong in our definitions of motherhood. I loved all the books we read over this term, and connecting them was a great way to understand further what romance studies is and how you can connect themes and language styles to send a message. 

Childhood was a big theme in many of the texts and growing up to adapting to be an adult, especially in Proust, W or Memory of Childhood, and Agostino. Many new experiences changed them to be more mature and develop their identity. Even though each story was set in a different time and place, the process is still somewhat the same. There are things to learn, achieve respect and maturity, and go through cultural events to shape you to become an adult. However, these stories are not neat; they are messy and come with betrayal, confusion, lost memories from trauma, and childhood experiences that hinder one from maturing. Children's voices show us a new perspective that adults lack. The innocent curiosity and gratefulness to the world are essential childlike values that adults stray away from. Children are dreamers, and constantly focussing on reality takes us away from life, and we don't take time to enjoy the little things children notice because they are seeing things and experiencing things for the first time. Children will ask questions, adults are too scared to, and they miss the true truths of life. 

Unlike childhood, some texts focus on the present time being more important than memories, like the Society of Reluctant Dreamers, Bonjour Tristesse and the Shrouded Woman. In these texts, children take power and betray their parents/guardians. It doesn't focus on the childhood memories but on the child's ambitions, which most of the time end up hurting people because they are immature. It challenges the theme of ordinary parents always being in power over their children. In Bonjour Tristesse, Cecile plans to betray Anne, her guardian and does not care about any wisdom Anne has given her; instead lets her ambitions get the best of her and end in a sad betrayal. 

All these texts challenge our world traditions and challenge language by revealing things that are not natural. They use words that uncover themes that the real world does not fully understand. Romance studies is not a representation of the real world. It represents the uncovered, unconscious, not natural world, as these texts travel around and are read in different contexts. Romance studies opens up this world and challenges the perspective of the real world. Romance studies is not separate; it fits into the world's history and movements.

I loved the quote from the concluding lecture, "A minor literature doesn't come from a minor language; it is rather that which a minority constructs within a major language" (Deleuze & Guattari) 

Romance studies may be a minor language, not seen by the naked eye. Still, it is that minority that emerges itself into a majority language (ex. French) that all can understand so that Romance studies is shared throughout the world. Romance studies is ever-changing and growing, fighting its way to stay in the world, especially as a minor language, because everything today is read in English. Romance studies is connected and unconnected to this world; it is full of memories, dreams, hidden feelings, thoughts, revolutions, and betrayal. Most of all, Romance studies is hidden in everything. 

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Over the course, we have read many texts that have overarching themes of war, violence, and memories. We have even reflected on our own and focused on discussions of motherhood, growing up, betrayal, and context differences. My favourite conversation this far was when we talked about Amulet and connected mothers from the other texts like the Shrouded Woman or Time of the Doves. Some of the books I hadn't read but diving deep into motherhood, the different types of mothers, and values they held, and what it truly means to be a mother was very eye-opening. For example, one book that I didn't read had a mother who wanted to kill her children for their benefit, which seems very wrong in our definitions of motherhood. I loved all the books we read over this term, and connecting them was a great way to understand further what romance studies is and how you can connect themes and language styles to send a message. 

Childhood was a big theme in many of the texts and growing up to adapting to be an adult, especially in Proust, W or Memory of Childhood, and Agostino. Many new experiences changed them to be more mature and develop their identity. Even though each story was set in a different time and place, the process is still somewhat the same. There are things to learn, achieve respect and maturity, and go through cultural events to shape you to become an adult. However, these stories are not neat; they are messy and come with betrayal, confusion, lost memories from trauma, and childhood experiences that hinder one from maturing. Children's voices show us a new perspective that adults lack. The innocent curiosity and gratefulness to the world are essential childlike values that adults stray away from. Children are dreamers, and constantly focussing on reality takes us away from life, and we don't take time to enjoy the little things children notice because they are seeing things and experiencing things for the first time. Children will ask questions, adults are too scared to, and they miss the true truths of life. 

Unlike childhood, some texts focus on the present time being more important than memories, like the Society of Reluctant Dreamers, Bonjour Tristesse and the Shrouded Woman. In these texts, children take power and betray their parents/guardians. It doesn't focus on the childhood memories but on the child's ambitions, which most of the time end up hurting people because they are immature. It challenges the theme of ordinary parents always being in power over their children. In Bonjour Tristesse, Cecile plans to betray Anne, her guardian and does not care about any wisdom Anne has given her; instead lets her ambitions get the best of her and end in a sad betrayal. 

All these texts challenge our world traditions and challenge language by revealing things that are not natural. They use words that uncover themes that the real world does not fully understand. Romance studies is not a representation of the real world. It represents the uncovered, unconscious, not natural world, as these texts travel around and are read in different contexts. Romance studies opens up this world and challenges the perspective of the real world. Romance studies is not separate; it fits into the world's history and movements.

I loved the quote from the concluding lecture, "A minor literature doesn't come from a minor language; it is rather that which a minority constructs within a major language" (Deleuze & Guattari) 

Romance studies may be a minor language, not seen by the naked eye. Still, it is that minority that emerges itself into a majority language (ex. French) that all can understand so that Romance studies is shared throughout the world. Romance studies is ever-changing and growing, fighting its way to stay in the world, especially as a minor language, because everything today is read in English. Romance studies is connected and unconnected to this world; it is full of memories, dreams, hidden feelings, thoughts, revolutions, and betrayal. Most of all, Romance studies is hidden in everything. 

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 We're done! This term was as good as I hoped it would be, and this class definitely contributed to it. Now, let me preface this blog post by saying that I hope/intend/plan to keep this blog going. As I mentioned in my introductory post, I'd been looking for a push to start a blog for quite a few years now, and I don't want to let my current momentum to stop. That said, I'm not entirely sure what to write about. Should I continue writing about the books I read? Should I branch out and write about other things? If you have any suggestions then please let me know!

My favourite books this term were probably The Society of Reluctant Dreamers by Jose Agualusa, and The Shrouded Woman by Maria Luisa Bombal. I thought they were engaging and enjoyable, and Nada by Carmen Laforet also gets a shoutout too. My least favourites were probably Paris Peasant and W Or A Memory of Childhood. I found them a little confusing and I never really got into the plots. 

Overall, I'm glad I took this class. Though it was primarily to fulfil the literature credits, I would have liked to take it anyway. In my introductory post, I thought that my favourite novels would be the ones about revolution and power, with a special attention to the Spanish Civil War. Having reached the end, I don't think I was wrong, per se. Nada was set in Spain around the time of the war, and I did like it. However, the other books that were more directly about revolution such as The Old Gringo or Soldiers of Salamis didn't quite enamour me as much as I expected. What does that say about me? Probably not much, to be fair. Maybe that I enjoy books with strong characterisation and more inter-character relationships. 

As already mentioned, a dominant theme throughout the novels we've read this term is that of memory. Hopefully this blog will serve to keep my memories of these books fresh. I wish I could say that I was able to integrate reading these books sensibly into my daily routine, but honestly, I treated it a little like my other classes in that I would leave the books to the last couple days of the week and cram them in rather than reading them incrementally throughout the week. Perhaps if I'd contracted for fewer books then I would've been more organic about my reading, but hey this is what I signed up for. All in all, I'm just glad that I took this course and was held accountable for reading more books. I still have to take another literature class for graduation requirements and after this one, I'm definitely looking forward to it. 

I've had a great time taking this class and writing this blog, and again - if you have any suggestions for what I could write about in the future please let me know! (and keep the link to this website handy!)

read full post >>

 We're done! This term was as good as I hoped it would be, and this class definitely contributed to it. Now, let me preface this blog post by saying that I hope/intend/plan to keep this blog going. As I mentioned in my introductory post, I'd been looking for a push to start a blog for quite a few years now, and I don't want to let my current momentum to stop. That said, I'm not entirely sure what to write about. Should I continue writing about the books I read? Should I branch out and write about other things? If you have any suggestions then please let me know!

My favourite books this term were probably The Society of Reluctant Dreamers by Jose Agualusa, and The Shrouded Woman by Maria Luisa Bombal. I thought they were engaging and enjoyable, and Nada by Carmen Laforet also gets a shoutout too. My least favourites were probably Paris Peasant and W Or A Memory of Childhood. I found them a little confusing and I never really got into the plots. 

Overall, I'm glad I took this class. Though it was primarily to fulfil the literature credits, I would have liked to take it anyway. In my introductory post, I thought that my favourite novels would be the ones about revolution and power, with a special attention to the Spanish Civil War. Having reached the end, I don't think I was wrong, per se. Nada was set in Spain around the time of the war, and I did like it. However, the other books that were more directly about revolution such as The Old Gringo or Soldiers of Salamis didn't quite enamour me as much as I expected. What does that say about me? Probably not much, to be fair. Maybe that I enjoy books with strong characterisation and more inter-character relationships. 

As already mentioned, a dominant theme throughout the novels we've read this term is that of memory. Hopefully this blog will serve to keep my memories of these books fresh. I wish I could say that I was able to integrate reading these books sensibly into my daily routine, but honestly, I treated it a little like my other classes in that I would leave the books to the last couple days of the week and cram them in rather than reading them incrementally throughout the week. Perhaps if I'd contracted for fewer books then I would've been more organic about my reading, but hey this is what I signed up for. All in all, I'm just glad that I took this course and was held accountable for reading more books. I still have to take another literature class for graduation requirements and after this one, I'm definitely looking forward to it. 

I've had a great time taking this class and writing this blog, and again - if you have any suggestions for what I could write about in the future please let me know! (and keep the link to this website handy!)

read full post >>

It is hard to believe that this is the last post I will make for this class, the term has gone by quite quickly. At the same time, it feels so long ago when our classes were being held on Zoom! Having read eleven books this term was self-satisfying – reading a book once a […] read full post >>

This week’s reading The Society of Reluctant Dreamers by José Eduardo Agualusa revolved around dreams. Dreams have always fascinated me, as it probably should for any psychology major. The lecture mentioned how dreams are often considered to be opposed to practicality, and while I believe that can be true at times (with all of its […] read full post >>

 This book was definitely up there among my favourites of this term. It was simultaneously light and dealt with themes that I connected with, so I was able to engage with it more than I could with some other books we read. There were many themes involved in the novel, but the one that resonated with me the most was that of identity. On pages 117 and 118 (of my pdf - not sure what the page numbers are for a physical copy), there is a discussion of nationality and identity. I found it funny that Clarice Lispector was mentioned; though I didn't personally read her book this term, it still felt like a fun little crossover. 

As someone who has Iranian heritage, was born and raised in the UK, and is now living in Canada, I've thought a lot about how nationality may or may not be part of our identities. I would still consider myself Iranian if I didn't have citizenship, though I'm not sure that I'll ever consider myself Canadian even if I get the passport. I just think it's interesting how some places become ingrained in our identities, while some don't ever get to that status. 

Another quote that got the wheels in my head turning was: "Pacifism, my dear brother, is like mermaids: it can only breathe in the sea of fantasy, reality doesn't suit it", (p132 of my pdf). It reminds me of the quote from Soldiers of Salamis I discussed last week; "to me a civilised country is one where people don't have to waste their time on politics". Both contain a thread of idealism, though one is idealistic and the other shuts it down. It also makes me think about my stance on pacifism. Does it really work? Maybe it does. I feel like I could argue both sides. 

Overall, I think this novel did a good job of illustrating the places in between; neither fully good, nor fully bad, neither completely real, nor completely fantastical. The line that struck me as illustrating this idea well was: "Yes, he's a thug and a good father. I don't like the thug, but I love the father me is to me". It's a reminder of all the shades of grey in life and in people. I find it a more balanced view of the world, and an understanding that comes with age; 10 year old me certainly wouldn't have been able to fully comprehend it, and I think 30 year old me will have an even stronger grasp of the concept. 

The question I now pose to you is about pacifism. Do you think it can only exist in fantasy? Or can it survive in our current world?

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 This book was definitely up there among my favourites of this term. It was simultaneously light and dealt with themes that I connected with, so I was able to engage with it more than I could with some other books we read. There were many themes involved in the novel, but the one that resonated with me the most was that of identity. On pages 117 and 118 (of my pdf - not sure what the page numbers are for a physical copy), there is a discussion of nationality and identity. I found it funny that Clarice Lispector was mentioned; though I didn't personally read her book this term, it still felt like a fun little crossover. 

As someone who has Iranian heritage, was born and raised in the UK, and is now living in Canada, I've thought a lot about how nationality may or may not be part of our identities. I would still consider myself Iranian if I didn't have citizenship, though I'm not sure that I'll ever consider myself Canadian even if I get the passport. I just think it's interesting how some places become ingrained in our identities, while some don't ever get to that status. 

Another quote that got the wheels in my head turning was: "Pacifism, my dear brother, is like mermaids: it can only breathe in the sea of fantasy, reality doesn't suit it", (p132 of my pdf). It reminds me of the quote from Soldiers of Salamis I discussed last week; "to me a civilised country is one where people don't have to waste their time on politics". Both contain a thread of idealism, though one is idealistic and the other shuts it down. It also makes me think about my stance on pacifism. Does it really work? Maybe it does. I feel like I could argue both sides. 

Overall, I think this novel did a good job of illustrating the places in between; neither fully good, nor fully bad, neither completely real, nor completely fantastical. The line that struck me as illustrating this idea well was: "Yes, he's a thug and a good father. I don't like the thug, but I love the father me is to me". It's a reminder of all the shades of grey in life and in people. I find it a more balanced view of the world, and an understanding that comes with age; 10 year old me certainly wouldn't have been able to fully comprehend it, and I think 30 year old me will have an even stronger grasp of the concept. 

The question I now pose to you is about pacifism. Do you think it can only exist in fantasy? Or can it survive in our current world?

read full post >>

For the final week, I chose to read The Society of Reluctant Dreamers. I believe I chose this book solely based on the interesting title. I enjoyed this book tremendously, I could say that it's one of my favorite books I’ve read this semester, if not my favorite. I thought the writing style was easy to follow, there was no confusion and all the central characters were very interesting. Reading Hossi’s journal entries helped us know a lot about him as well as understand his past and his ability to infiltrate other people’s dreams. I really enjoyed his story with Ava, how he met her at a difficult time in his life (and hers) and how they gave each other hope that they desperately needed. Ava finding him all those years later on the beach and then losing him right away was a tragic ending to their story. 

Moira was another really interesting character, I could see her artistic and creative persona in everything she said, everything she wrote and everything she wore. Dreams are a fascinating topic and reading about how she created art out of her dreams made me desperately want to see her work. There was a certain dreamy element to the book, the way Daniel got in touch with Moira for example. He was swimming in the ocean when he came across the camera that included photos of a woman he’d been dreaming of. He emails her and she turns out to be a person of great importance in his life.

The idea that there is a machine that would create movies out of dreams is fascinating. I’m someone who hardly ever remembers her dreams but I know that we all dream frequently, how interesting would it be to actually see a video of my dreams! However, I don’t think I’m brave enough to let people into my mind like that. If someone came up to you and offered to record your dreams for you and show them to you in the form of a short movie, would you do it? 

I also can’t end the post without mentioning the rebels, the young people who dreamed of a better future for their country and believed they had the power to achieve it. Daniel and his ex wife handled this situation with their daughter very differently and it was a reflection of why they would never have made it as partners or parents to their child. 

Overall, this was a fantastic book that was hard to put down and one that I will definitely reread in the future.

read full post >>

For the final week, I chose to read The Society of Reluctant Dreamers. I believe I chose this book solely based on the interesting title. I enjoyed this book tremendously, I could say that it's one of my favorite books I’ve read this semester, if not my favorite. I thought the writing style was easy to follow, there was no confusion and all the central characters were very interesting. Reading Hossi’s journal entries helped us know a lot about him as well as understand his past and his ability to infiltrate other people’s dreams. I really enjoyed his story with Ava, how he met her at a difficult time in his life (and hers) and how they gave each other hope that they desperately needed. Ava finding him all those years later on the beach and then losing him right away was a tragic ending to their story. 

Moira was another really interesting character, I could see her artistic and creative persona in everything she said, everything she wrote and everything she wore. Dreams are a fascinating topic and reading about how she created art out of her dreams made me desperately want to see her work. There was a certain dreamy element to the book, the way Daniel got in touch with Moira for example. He was swimming in the ocean when he came across the camera that included photos of a woman he’d been dreaming of. He emails her and she turns out to be a person of great importance in his life.

The idea that there is a machine that would create movies out of dreams is fascinating. I’m someone who hardly ever remembers her dreams but I know that we all dream frequently, how interesting would it be to actually see a video of my dreams! However, I don’t think I’m brave enough to let people into my mind like that. If someone came up to you and offered to record your dreams for you and show them to you in the form of a short movie, would you do it? 

I also can’t end the post without mentioning the rebels, the young people who dreamed of a better future for their country and believed they had the power to achieve it. Daniel and his ex wife handled this situation with their daughter very differently and it was a reflection of why they would never have made it as partners or parents to their child. 

Overall, this was a fantastic book that was hard to put down and one that I will definitely reread in the future.

read full post >>

Time flies like an arrow, especially for those who have had several dues in one week. Overall, I liked this course so much better than I expected. At the beginning of the term, remember we all wrote a blog post in which we expressed how we felt about the course and literature in general and […] read full post >>