Student Blogs

 The Shrouded Woman by Maria Luisa Bombal is such an interesting read because the main character is a woman named Ana Maria who is dead. It centers around how she’s lying down at the funeral wake and people from all walks of her life come to visit... read full post >>

When I was watching the lecture, and Jon asked “what do you think of the world that Bombal constructed?”, my first thought was that it felt lonely. From the first few pages, I feel the sense of loneliness creeping into the rest of the book. Interesting... read full post >>

When I was watching the lecture, and Jon asked “what do you think of the world that Bombal constructed?”, my first thought was that it felt lonely. From the first few pages, I feel the sense of loneliness creeping into the rest of the book. Interesting... read full post >>

In my previous blog I wrote about how I struggled with Proust, since it was the first time I was reading in around half a decade. I am happy to say this was much better. The switch from watching movies and TV shows to reading books has been tricky because since there’s no visual aid […] read full post >>

I went into this book expecting it to feel devastating, depressing, and sob-inducing based solely on what I knew about the premise, but I actually gained a more positive perspective on a lot of things in my life. On friendship: “Friendship, a sentiment in which one never knows solitude as one does in love. Friendship, […] read full post >>

Hi blog!! Bombal’s Shrouded Woman made me feel like I was back at home, being made to watch the evening novelas (the Portuguese word for telenovelas) when my grandma visited our house. What an experience!! I need to start off by saying that the point of view from which we read this book is genuinely […] read full post >>

"Cambia, todo cambia" - Mercedes Sosa read full post >>

I really liked this book. The Shrouded Woman was such a refreshing shift from the other texts we’ve read so far, and honestly, it felt like a bit of a relief. Not only was it the first book written by a woman that we’ve read in this course, but it was also the one I […] read full post >>

I think I liked this reading, as much as I was frustrated with the characters. The writing wasn’t as abstract as the previous readings, so it was easier to understand despite still having some fascinating descriptions of the scenery. It felt like we were watching the recollection of Ana Maria’s life via soap opera episodes […] read full post >>

Firstly, Bombal’s novel was absolutely novel to me. It’s perspective from the grave was quite interesting as it allowed us to deep dive into the environment of Ana Maria, right into each character. Ana Maria’s juxtaposition of being both the centre of attention but also pushed to the side stood out to me as it … read full post >>

I really enjoyed this book! Hallelujah our first female author yayy:00 (plus she’s Chilean ultra cheer!!) Starting with an overall reflection, I loved how this novel was depicted. The whole concept of death and how it is entered through reflecting on your lifes journey – heavily including all who were involved in it is sweet! […] read full post >>

The novel takes us through Ana María’s memories, which resurface as certain key figures from her life enter the room where her body lies. Each presence unlocks a different part of her memories with that person. Because she speaks from death, there’s a new honesty to the way she looks at herself and others, which […] read full post >>

While reading The Shrouded Woman, I couldn’t help but think back to Combray. I know the two texts are very different in style and context, but they feel similar in the way they treat memory and reflection. In both novels, the present moment acts more like a gateway to the past than a place where […] read full post >>

Hello all, and welcome back to the cottage. I feel as though this week's read has been the most intriguing and immersive so far, and though again I write these thoughts before I have even finished the book, this time it's really because I'd like t... read full post >>

Hello all, and welcome back to the cottage. I feel as though this week's read has been the most intriguing and immersive so far, and though again I write these thoughts before I have even finished the book, this time it's really because I'd like t... read full post >>