Student Blogs

Nadja by Breton is a fever dream. I was a few pages into the lecture transcription and stopped. The lecture provided too many answers to my questions; I want to try and elaborate a bit on my own first. This is my first time reading a surrealism book. As usual, I avoid learning about the […] read full post >>

Hi everyone,    For week three of the course I read the novel Mad Toy written by Roberto Arlt. This novel is about a young criminal and his life in poverty as he grows older. In comparison to Proust’s Combray I found it to be a faster, more enjoyable, immersive read. If I was rating […] read full post >>

Impression   For this week’s reading, I read Mad Toy by Robert Arlt. The thematic elements of this literature includes friendship,politics, betrayal, and thievery. It was one compelling read, especially in contrast to Combray, where the literature was more difficult to read and indulge in. I like how the book really gets you to think […] read full post >>

The beginning of the novel was a little confusing to me. Right from the very start, it was explained to the reader why the narrator felt that the only way to fully understand a person is by comprehending what they haunts. Moreover, throughout the novel, the narrator uses several complex words. He also uses  sentences […] read full post >>

André Breton’s Nadja was on interesting take on this part of his life that included this relationship. As he told the recollection, I felt as if I was metaphorically holding his hand through the journey of unpacking his encounters with Nadja. I could really feel the tangible distance he had with these memories as he […] read full post >>

After reading Mad Toy I was left with feelings of awe, like I had been transported to another world, but also a deeper connection of what it means to be human. Unlike many of the stories I have read, Mad Toy did not need grand events or life-changing trauma to evoke a feeling of significance … Continue reading Thoughts on Mad Toy read full post >>

Mad toy, I’d say is an easy read that hooks you with the dialogue and imagery. Nonetheless, its value should not be underestimated. The literary text is filled with all types of experience, unfolding numerous adventures and stages in the life of Silvio, the main character. We are immersed in the nuanced development of Silvio’s […] read full post >>

Mad Toy is a story that evoked many emotions from me. From sadness, frustration, and unfairness, the harshness of reality was always apparent. Roberto Arlt did an excellent job allowing readers to understand Silvio’s character, as his emotions are elaborate and consistently intense. To be honest, the jumble of stories made my heart sink further and […] read full post >>

This week we were tasked with reading Mad Toy, by Roberto Arlt, which I actually enjoyed reading quite a bit. In the beginning before I committed to reading this book, I tried looking around for some information about the book and found that there were a whopping 0 reviews of this book on Goodreads, with […] read full post >>

  Hey everyone! I hope you all had a good and enjoyable week amidst all the chaos. As for myself, over the past few days, I read the book Mad Toy by Roberto Arlt. This book was a refreshing change from last week's Combray book by Marcel Prous... read full post >>

  Hey everyone! I hope you all had a good and enjoyable week amidst all the chaos. As for myself, over the past few days, I read the book Mad Toy by Roberto Arlt. This book was a refreshing change from last week's Combray book by Marcel Prous... read full post >>

 Mad Toy by Roberto Artl is about a teenage boy named Silvio who is an avid inventor and idolizes outlaws and bandits. The first part of the novel follows Silvio and his friends Lucio and Enrique and their adventures which mostly consist of commit... read full post >>

 Mad Toy by Roberto Artl is about a teenage boy named Silvio who is an avid inventor and idolizes outlaws and bandits. The first part of the novel follows Silvio and his friends Lucio and Enrique and their adventures which mostly consist of commit... read full post >>

Hey everyone! I finished reading Roberto Arlt’s “Mad Toy” this week and it was so interesting to see the life of Silvio Astier unfold. It is a classic story about wanting more while stuck in a troubled space such as poverty. This is an old piece of literature and I believe it is also Arlt’s […] read full post >>

Week 3's read is Nadja by André Breton, a semi-autobiographical novel following the authors fascination with a women, Nadja. It is set in France and includes and explores the ideas of surrealism. The semi-autobiographical nature of this reading created... read full post >>