Student Blogs

Nadja, by André Breton, begins with a diary-entry-like format depicting the daily life living in France. The narrator talks about his favourite movies, places he’s visited, people he sees, plays he’s attending, and so on. However, suddenly the focus changes, becoming all about a newfound obsession. A girl named Nadja. I found the relationship between […] read full post >>

“Nadja” is sometimes referred to as a Surrealist love story, yet Nadja does not appear until approximately sixty pages into the novel. The first few pages include theory, Surrealist gossip, Breton’s past, dreams, and explorations of Paris. When Nadja eventually enters the story, the book’s tone shifts to dated diary entries, underlining the immediacy and […] read full post >>

This week’s reading of Roberto Arlt’s Mad Toy was very interesting because Arlt’s style of writing is something that I am not usually familiar with, but still enjoyed nonetheless. I can see how Arlt’s writing can be seen as a … Continue reading → read full post >>

Arlt’s “Mad Toy”  showed the harsh realities of political corruption, urbanization and industrialization that Silvio had to face in Buenos Aires. I found myself relating to this book more than Proust’s “Combray” because of the dark humour scattered within the text. Arlt skillfully showed us how Silvio and his group of friends struggles to accept […] read full post >>

Hello everyone! My reading for this week is Roberto Arlt’s Mad Toy, a novel that explores the life of Silvio, a young man entangled in a turbulent life of poverty and adolescence. This tale is not about the life of a carefree youth growing up but rather explores a different phase of development, an identity […] read full post >>

Hello everyone, this week I read Roberto Arlt’s “Mad Toy”. Seeing that the protagonist is just a teenager, I found this book more bleak than I expected as it discusses heavy topics such as class and betrayal. Silvio as a character was relatable in... read full post >>

Hello everyone, this week I read Roberto Arlt’s “Mad Toy”. Seeing that the protagonist is just a teenager, I found this book more bleak than I expected as it discusses heavy topics such as class and betrayal. Silvio as a character was relatable in... read full post >>

I surprised myself this week; I found myself actually excited to read “Nadja” by André Breton and I can confidently say it was nothing short of an experience. Perhaps it was the little description left by Prof. Beasley-Murray depicting the book as one with themes of love, desire, and madness that piqued my interest, I […] read full post >>

I found he first part of the novel, an explanation of Breton's philosophies, quite hard to follow as surrealism is quite hard to comprehend when it is the stream of conscious of another individual. It's so easy to understand our own pattern of thought ... read full post >>

I found he first part of the novel, an explanation of Breton's philosophies, quite hard to follow as surrealism is quite hard to comprehend when it is the stream of conscious of another individual. It's so easy to understand our own pattern of thought ... read full post >>

The second French book of the course, Nadja by André Breton is a short surrealist novel. It was a very fast and interesting read but took me a minute to get into. At first, Breton talks about the theatre and his inability to recognize actors. Upon meeting Nadja however, things become much more interesting. Nadja […] read full post >>

Hi everyone, welcome back to my blog. The book for this week is Nadja by Andre Breton. The description of this book as a surrealist romance was intriguing to me, as I’ve enjoyed a few surrealist movies in the past, like Holy Motors and Synecdoche New York. At the same time others, like most of […] read full post >>

In Najda by Andre Breton, the author is able to eloquently capture the anxieties and life of the era while identifying the role of surrealism in our understanding of the text. I greatly enjoyed the non-traditional narrative structure and heavy use of c... read full post >>

In Najda by Andre Breton, the author is able to eloquently capture the anxieties and life of the era while identifying the role of surrealism in our understanding of the text. I greatly enjoyed the non-traditional narrative structure and heavy use of c... read full post >>

I thoroughly enjoyed delving into Roberto Arlt’s, Mad Toy (El juguete rabioso), immersing myself in the compelling narrative that unfolds the tumultuous life of Silvio Astier, a youth entrenched in poverty, yearning for a better existence amid the harsh realities that envelop him. Published in 1926, the novel intricately explores Silvio’s escapades, his intrigue with criminality, […] read full post >>