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Georges Perec, W, or the Memory of Childhood ——–week8
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This week I read W, or the Memory of Childhood. The article unfolds in two lines, one describing the author's childhood memories and the other telling the story of W the Olympic Island. In the article, the main character, an orphan, takes the eponymous Winkler's place by forging documents to escape military service. The real Winckler is a deaf and autistic child whose mother died in a mysterious shipwreck. Curious about the whereabouts of the real Winckler in the wreck, the investigators find the impostor and analyze the accident with him. Investigators finally analyze shipwreck logs and the harrowing scenes of Winckler's death and speculate that Winckler may have escaped or been abandoned. We don't know what the truth is, and the horrific scenes of the accident are an acceptable way to bring out the senses of the accident. After a brief opening description of the accident that seems to be the introduction, the author unfolds two threads: the story of W Island and his childhood memories.
The two storylines seem to operate independently but vaguely reveal an interconnection. While reading the book, the interchange of the two scenes often gave me a sense of surprise, and while I was still amazed at the system on W Island, the next page became the author's seemingly uneventful childhood memories. Much of the article feels fragmented, whether it is the author's recollections with the help of a few photos, the fragmented memories of relatives, the paragraph structure of the article, or the distribution of chapters interspersed with the story of W Island and the author's memories. One can experience a sense of fragmentation of memory. These fragmented memories seem to be submerged in the general history without elaboration, making one feel that these fleeting childhood memories are only an insignificant part of the times. When the author shares his experiences with relatives and friends, he often gets their doubts and disbeliefs, as if these memories never happened. This independent and uncertain recollection leads the author to mention in the text, "I have no childhood memories. "
In another line, on W, an island with a harsh system but full of uncertainty about the fate of people, the author allows us to glimpse a corner of the concentration camp madness in the author's imagination by describing the slave-like future of the athletes and the various absurd competition systems. In the initial reading of this part of W, we can see the gap between the athletes who win the championship and the "newcomers" who only see the difference in their lives on the island. Those who win get food, flowers and wine to maintain their nutrition, while those who lose get weaker and weaker because they don't get the nutrients they need, making it harder and harder to win. This sounds like the winner will keep winning the game, while the loser will only be fixed in a specific opportunity after one chance. However, through a more profound understanding of the game system, we can find that the situation between people is rapidly changing and full of uncertainty. That strength is not the decisive factor in this game, but luck is the more critical element for the athletes, so they indulge in today's victory because they do not know what awaits them tomorrow. They seem to be fighting for the Olympic spirit, but in the end, it is the officials who are not involved in the struggle that control their fate. And the athletes can never become officials and win their true victory.
My question in this essay is: How do the author's childhood memories relate to the story of W Island?
Georges Perec, W, or the Memory of Childhood ——–week8
Posted by: feedwordpress
This week I read W, or the Memory of Childhood. The article unfolds in two lines, one describing the author's childhood memories and the other telling the story of W the Olympic Island. In the article, the main character, an orphan, takes the eponymous Winkler's place by forging documents to escape military service. The real Winckler is a deaf and autistic child whose mother died in a mysterious shipwreck. Curious about the whereabouts of the real Winckler in the wreck, the investigators find the impostor and analyze the accident with him. Investigators finally analyze shipwreck logs and the harrowing scenes of Winckler's death and speculate that Winckler may have escaped or been abandoned. We don't know what the truth is, and the horrific scenes of the accident are an acceptable way to bring out the senses of the accident. After a brief opening description of the accident that seems to be the introduction, the author unfolds two threads: the story of W Island and his childhood memories.
The two storylines seem to operate independently but vaguely reveal an interconnection. While reading the book, the interchange of the two scenes often gave me a sense of surprise, and while I was still amazed at the system on W Island, the next page became the author's seemingly uneventful childhood memories. Much of the article feels fragmented, whether it is the author's recollections with the help of a few photos, the fragmented memories of relatives, the paragraph structure of the article, or the distribution of chapters interspersed with the story of W Island and the author's memories. One can experience a sense of fragmentation of memory. These fragmented memories seem to be submerged in the general history without elaboration, making one feel that these fleeting childhood memories are only an insignificant part of the times. When the author shares his experiences with relatives and friends, he often gets their doubts and disbeliefs, as if these memories never happened. This independent and uncertain recollection leads the author to mention in the text, "I have no childhood memories. "
In another line, on W, an island with a harsh system but full of uncertainty about the fate of people, the author allows us to glimpse a corner of the concentration camp madness in the author's imagination by describing the slave-like future of the athletes and the various absurd competition systems. In the initial reading of this part of W, we can see the gap between the athletes who win the championship and the "newcomers" who only see the difference in their lives on the island. Those who win get food, flowers and wine to maintain their nutrition, while those who lose get weaker and weaker because they don't get the nutrients they need, making it harder and harder to win. This sounds like the winner will keep winning the game, while the loser will only be fixed in a specific opportunity after one chance. However, through a more profound understanding of the game system, we can find that the situation between people is rapidly changing and full of uncertainty. That strength is not the decisive factor in this game, but luck is the more critical element for the athletes, so they indulge in today's victory because they do not know what awaits them tomorrow. They seem to be fighting for the Olympic spirit, but in the end, it is the officials who are not involved in the struggle that control their fate. And the athletes can never become officials and win their true victory.
My question in this essay is: How do the author's childhood memories relate to the story of W Island?
Week 7: The Passion According to G.H
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The Time of the Doves
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My thoughts on "The Time of the Doves" by Mercè Rodoreda
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Although I found this book difficult to read, it was a novel that I had enjoyed very much. One thing that I found very interesting in the novel "The Time of the Doves" by Mercè Rodereda was that the way it is written seems to be very descriptive. I am not sure if this is just because of the way that I had read or personally perceived the novel, but it had seemed like the language had described a lot more than just the situation or plot or context at hand. The novel seemed to deeply describe feelings as well as emotions that I could not have pictured being described in that way or at all prior to reading this text. It seems as though this novel dives subconsciously into details about the character as well as her emotions or feelings and it leads to a more comfortable and a genuine as a reader. It helps me to better understand both the novel and the main character, Natalia, as well as develop a perception of the character and understand her thoughts within this novel. This leads me to my question which is, does the high description in the novel have any correlation with it being translated from its original language?
Another point in the novel that surprised me was a certain quote, "Quimet has said we'd meet at three-thirty and he didn't show up till four-thirty; but I didn't say anything because I thought maybe I hadn't heard him right and it was me who'd made a mistake and since he didn't even say half a word of apology ... I was afraid to tell him my feet hurt from standing up so long because I was wearing very hot patent leather shoes and how a young man had taken liberties with me." (20)
This surprised me because I never really associated the concept of overthinking, or to be more specific, the concept of overthinking as being something that is generally normalized or romanticized in society, as something that would be consistent with the time frame that this text was written. Something that I think is normalized in today's society is overthinking in relationships, friendships, etc. and although it is a normal and natural human trait that is timeless, I did not expect to see an emphasis on it aside from the one that is currently used on overthinking in the society of today. By this I mean when Natalia assumes that she had not heard Quimet right and that she had been the one that had made a mistake, therefore excusing Quimet's lateness and ultimately blaming it on herself. I just pictured this as something that is so relevant in today's society that for some reason I didn't put two and two together and see that this is something that has happened throughout time. Overall, this was a great novel and a beautiful read.
read full post >>My thoughts on "The Time of the Doves" by Mercè Rodoreda
Posted by: feedwordpress
Although I found this book difficult to read, it was a novel that I had enjoyed very much. One thing that I found very interesting in the novel "The Time of the Doves" by Mercè Rodereda was that the way it is written seems to be very descriptive. I am not sure if this is just because of the way that I had read or personally perceived the novel, but it had seemed like the language had described a lot more than just the situation or plot or context at hand. The novel seemed to deeply describe feelings as well as emotions that I could not have pictured being described in that way or at all prior to reading this text. It seems as though this novel dives subconsciously into details about the character as well as her emotions or feelings and it leads to a more comfortable and a genuine as a reader. It helps me to better understand both the novel and the main character, Natalia, as well as develop a perception of the character and understand her thoughts within this novel. This leads me to my question which is, does the high description in the novel have any correlation with it being translated from its original language?
Another point in the novel that surprised me was a certain quote, "Quimet has said we'd meet at three-thirty and he didn't show up till four-thirty; but I didn't say anything because I thought maybe I hadn't heard him right and it was me who'd made a mistake and since he didn't even say half a word of apology ... I was afraid to tell him my feet hurt from standing up so long because I was wearing very hot patent leather shoes and how a young man had taken liberties with me." (20)
This surprised me because I never really associated the concept of overthinking, or to be more specific, the concept of overthinking as being something that is generally normalized or romanticized in society, as something that would be consistent with the time frame that this text was written. Something that I think is normalized in today's society is overthinking in relationships, friendships, etc. and although it is a normal and natural human trait that is timeless, I did not expect to see an emphasis on it aside from the one that is currently used on overthinking in the society of today. By this I mean when Natalia assumes that she had not heard Quimet right and that she had been the one that had made a mistake, therefore excusing Quimet's lateness and ultimately blaming it on herself. I just pictured this as something that is so relevant in today's society that for some reason I didn't put two and two together and see that this is something that has happened throughout time. Overall, this was a great novel and a beautiful read.
read full post >>“The Time of the Doves” by Merce Rodoreda
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Lispector’s The Passion According to G.H.
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The Audacity of Quimet
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The Passion According to G.H. by Clarice Lispector
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