Student Blogs

Nada, or Nothing when translated from Spanish, is a heart-wrenching, dramatic novel by Carmen Laforet that details a family’s life in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War. Laforet details the class divide, what it means to go hungry, and different kinds of love. We follow Andrea, a student, navigating her strange family and different […] read full post >>

Sometimes I wonder why literature writers (or is it just the romance ones?) get so obsessed with the Oedipus complex and overall Freud’s theory. There must be something poetic or beautiful within the layers of uncomfortable incestuous relationships for these many writers to focus on it. Even though I started reading the book without any […] read full post >>

Agostino was an interesting read to say the least… Although at first glance, the Freudian themes make it a bit of an uncomfortable read, once I turned my brain off to the perplexing sexualizations of Agostino’s mother I was able to appreciate the novella for what it was: an excruciatingly detailed recount of the experience […] read full post >>

Oh, boy…where do I even begin? I mean it was definitely an interesting read but, I won’t lie, it did make my stomach turn at some point. From the overly sexual descriptions of his mother to the racism to the overall underlying misogynistic tone of the book, Alberto Moravia’s Agostino never failed to disturb and […] read full post >>

 Week 5's reading is Agostino by Alberto Moravia, a very short yet interesting reading. I found this the easiest to read and get into so far, partly because it was only 57 pages and I could read it all in one sitting, but also because the plot and... read full post >>

 Week 5's reading is Agostino by Alberto Moravia, a very short yet interesting reading. I found this the easiest to read and get into so far, partly because it was only 57 pages and I could read it all in one sitting, but also because the plot and... read full post >>

I’m not sure how to feel about this week’s reading. Although it was quick and somewhat interesting, it touches on topics that I felt really weirded out reading – mainly the sexualization of his mom, and trying to get into a whorehouse at 13.  But it was also interesting to read yet another “coming of […] read full post >>

Hi everyone, welcome to another Romance Studies Post, this week I read “Agostino” by Alberto Moravia, and I have a lot of thoughts on it. At the begging of the term during introduction week I answered to someones question in their post, in this question they asked which book where we the most excited to … read full post >>

 I do not think a book has ever made me feel more uncomfortable than Alberto Moravia’s Agostino. The novel follows a young boy Agostino who comes from a wealthy family and how a loss of innocence completely changes his relationship and how he view... read full post >>

 I do not think a book has ever made me feel more uncomfortable than Alberto Moravia’s Agostino. The novel follows a young boy Agostino who comes from a wealthy family and how a loss of innocence completely changes his relationship and how he view... read full post >>

When adolescence meets sexuality read full post >>

Agostino by Moravia is another coming of age novel that we have read so far throughout this course. Moravia illustrates the story of Agostino, a thirteen-year-old boy who spends the summer with his mother near the beaches and meets a group of boys that influences him to develop an awareness of sexuality.  The book opens […] read full post >>

A. Initial Thoughts This is probably an unpopular opinion but I actually quite liked this book. Moravia’s straightforward writing, reflecting the post-WW2 shift to realism discussed in lecture, really appealed to me. It felt fresh, especially compared to the more decorative language in “Combray”. Additionally, I appreciated that the book primarily used internal monologue instead … Continue reading Agostino: The Cost of Adulthood (Feb 6) read full post >>

This week I read Nada by Carmen Laforet and oh boy was that a journey of drama, pain, and chaos. I did find myself really enjoying Laforet’s writing style, it felt like I was reading Andrea’s diary so that made me feel … Continue reading → read full post >>

 First, I want to note that many interesting discussion-worthy plot points within this novel make it thoroughly enjoyable, but I want to mention two that were salient to me. Firstly I found it deeply intriguing to compare the friendship between An... read full post >>