Student Blogs

I really thought that after Proust, the texts would get significantly more comprehensible. Wrong. I can’t even articulate my thoughts through the entire beginning of the text on here because it includes so much profanity. It’s entirely possible that I’m missing something because where does the whole play from the start come into relevance? I […] read full post >>

Trigger warning: suicide and attempted suicide Song of the week: mother, i’m sorry – Kamal. This book was a real pleasure to read, especially after Combray. I loved the humour throughout it, as well as the narrator’s descriptions of the different settings that gave me a vivid image of the scenes as they were playing out. […] read full post >>

First of all, I just want to say this was an easier read than Proust! However, I still did not like the form of writing very much??? I don't know what my deal is, or what the French authors' deals are. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be</3I ... read full post >>

First of all, I just want to say this was an easier read than Proust! However, I still did not like the form of writing very much??? I don't know what my deal is, or what the French authors' deals are. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be</3I ... read full post >>

As I read through Nadja by Andre Breton, I initially thought that the start the book was somewhat unstructured as though I’m reading through one’s journal – which it is. However as I really enjoyed the illustrations, as they helped me visualize the setting and characters in my mind. I find that places which are … read full post >>

Reading The Mad Toy definitely took me some time because it was a little emotionally heavy. Similar to when I watch shows or movies, sometimes I get engrossed in a book, and this novel had that sort of effect on me. Reading about Silvio’s life and the hardships he’s had to face was slightly overwhelming. […] read full post >>

When I read the starting section of combray, I felt as if I drifted out of consciousness. It was less about just reading and following a story. It was more about being immersed in the words of the narrator. From the beginning everything felt very unstable with the room blurring into another and time slipping […] read full post >>

When I started reading Nadja, I honestly thought I was doing something wrong. I kept flipping pages, waiting for the moment where everything would click, where a storyline would emerge or where I’d finally understand what I was supposed to be paying attention to. That moment never really came. Instead, the book felt like being […] read full post >>

 Nadja by Breton was definitely interesting and different to read. It reminded me a lot of Proust and I felt like the difficulty of reading it was similar to Proust. This is because both the books were difficult to read and keep up with and they both were quite different from the form of writing […] read full post >>

It felt like I flew through this book in comparison to Proust’s Combray. I especially enjoyed the beginning when Silvio was a thief so I was a little disappointed when he had to get a job. I guess not as disappointed as him though… Looking at this world through the eyes of Silvio is quite […] read full post >>

While reading Mad Toy, one of the first things I noticed was how uncomfortable and raw the novel feels. Arlt doesn’t try to make Silvio Astier likeable or heroic, and that actually made the story more interesting for me. Silvio is intelligent and imaginative, but he’s also resentful, impulsive, and often self-sabotaging. Instead of a […] read full post >>

At the beginning, I found it strange that the text starts with a detailed description of the state of sleep — especially focusing on his conscious experience between being awake and asleep. Why would the author spend so much time on what, on the face value, seems to be just a man waking up in […] read full post >>

#Madtoy read full post >>

When I first picked up this book and started reading, I literally had no idea what was going on. I kept sitting there waiting for something to happen, be it a plot, a conflict, or anything that would make me understand the storyline better. Instead, it felt like I had opened someone’s diary and was […] read full post >>

After reading Proust’s Combray, I actually found it easier to work my way through Nadja, especially during the beginning. It was a little confusing at times, but I am at peace with the non-linear structure. At this point, I have realized that the confusion of it is the point. I enjoyed the first section for that reason. […] read full post >>