Student Blogs

“Mad Toy” by Roberto Arlt was a fascinating read about a young boy named Silvio Astier who is confused, to say the least about society, life, love and responsibilty. By the end of the first chapter, he has formed a “club” which is accurately a gang, comprised of himself and his two friends Enrique and […] read full post >>

In contrast to Proust’s “Combray,” which I found to be longer and more difficult to read, this week’s reading was Roberto Arlt’s “Mad Toy.”  I connected more deeply with “Mad Toy.” I couldn’t help but consider the difficulties individuals, particularly those from the working class, experience on a daily basis. I had the impression that […] read full post >>

While I wouldn’t compare “In Search of Lost Time” and “Mad Toy” in terms of style of writing because they have so many artistic differences, one thing they have in common is that they both deal with the subject of time and the changes that occur to people over time. For our narrator Silvio in […] read full post >>

 "Mad Toy" by Roberto Alta takes place in the bustling streets of the early 20th century Buenos Aires, and tells the tale of Silvio, a young man trying to find his footing in life, marked by camaraderie, resilience and his quest of identity. Perso... read full post >>

 "Mad Toy" by Roberto Alta takes place in the bustling streets of the early 20th century Buenos Aires, and tells the tale of Silvio, a young man trying to find his footing in life, marked by camaraderie, resilience and his quest of identity. Perso... read full post >>

“I shall discuss these things without pre-established order, and according to the mood of the moment which lets whatever survives survive” (23) [Nadja] was never an easy book to understand fully in one reading. In fact, the first impression of the book was pure confusion — it never goes as time passes generally, and it […] read full post >>

Dr. Jon Beasley starts the video lecture about how this book is neither an autobiography nor a novel. So going into Nadja, I wasn’t expecting much because I thought it’d be a boring book. However, the twists and turns of this story between Nadja and Breton had so much ‘madness,’ to say the least. There […] read full post >>

Mad Toy by Roberto Arlt, is written in an episodic style. The story reflects on the life of Silvio and his challenges with poverty. His story is divided into four chapters where we see how he is inspired by the fantasy world of literature but is stuck in a reality where he is to fetch […] read full post >>

One aspect that particularly struck me is how the characters are portrayed as raw and authentic, effectively depicting the struggles of urban life through the lens of a teenager. Reading the book in Spanish significantly contributed to my immersion in the story, particularly due to the characters’ dialogue and the various colloquial expressions used. Rebellious […] read full post >>

One aspect that particularly struck me is how the characters are portrayed as raw and authentic, effectively depicting the struggles of urban life through the lens of a teenager. Reading the book in Spanish significantly contributed to my immersion in the story, particularly due to the characters’ dialogue and the various colloquial expressions used. Rebellious […] read full post >>

This week’s reading was Roberto Arlt’s  “Mad Toy”, compared to Proust’s “Combray” it was much easier to read and a shorter read for me. However, “Mad Toy” was a much “heavier and more serious read for me since it dives into topics such as social inequality, the struggles of the working class, and the impact […] read full post >>

Hi Romance Studiers, It has been a day since I finished reading Roberto Arlt’s novel “Mad Toy” and my overall experience with it was quite pleasurable. I found Silvio’s personal turmoil in most chapters to be quite relatable and the narrative as a whole engaged me throughout the entire reading. While I have been very […] read full post >>

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Nadja by André Breton. The novel started off a little slow, especially with the surrealism jargon. Thus, the only issue I had with the novel was the beginning and the end, which discussed surrealism. Although, the surreal lens used to write this novel added to its charm. One of the main […] read full post >>

January 22, 2023 Hi everyone! My name is Maryem and I am a third year student at UBC, pursuing a major in environment and sustainability and a minor in mathematics. Firstly, I would like to address the elephant in the room (or the website). I joined this course on January 22nd, which makes me two […] read full post >>

Hello everyone! For this week's reading, I picked "Mad Toy" by Roberto Arlt. The first chapter started off kind of wholesome since it was simply just children fantasizing about being cunning yet intelligent like a bandit. I didn't really think anything... read full post >>