This reading was a little challenging for me initially but as I continued and referenced other classmates blog posts for anyone having similar experiences or challenges as me. It was a breath of fresh air to realize I was not the only one that was having these challenges. I enjoyed how the story revolved around memories of the town Combray. The Marcel character was very interesting to me and I like how he is a younger version of the Narrator reading us the story. It seems that he can route his main wants and interests to becoming a writer back to his time in Combray.
This reading was a little challenging for me initially but as I continued and referenced other classmates blog posts for anyone having similar experiences or challenges as me. It was a breath of fresh air to realize I was not the only one that was having these challenges. I enjoyed how the story revolved around memories of the town Combray. The Marcel character was very interesting to me and I like how he is a younger version of the Narrator reading us the story. It seems that he can route his main wants and interests to becoming a writer back to his time in Combray.
I thought that the narration of the story being told from the perspective of a dead woman was a very interesting take. I have never read a text told that way, through the eyes of the deceased. I enjoy reading stories about romance and loss (of love, of a person) so I enjoyed this read. I’ve scrolled through my classmates blog posts and it was interesting to see that most of them have also enjoyed this reading the most. There are many things about this story that make it such a beautiful and interesting read.
This story feels very intimate and personal, almost as if reading a diary. I found that this made it very enjoyable to read in a way that the other readings were unable to captivate my attention, despite a somewhat similar style. It was beautiful to read how Ana María reflected upon her life, her love and happiness, but also her sadness and regrets. She feels love in both its beauty and its agony. She holds both happiness and resentment in her relationships throughout her life. Ana shared very vivid memories of her childhood and her teenage years with her first love. The way in which the narrator describes death is different than most ways in which death is depicted. Instead of being plunged into darkness, Ana reflects upon her life and openly accepts what is coming. The story depicts life and death as being more intertwined than many people realize. In Ana’s reflections, she focuses on the meaningful relationships and events in her life, not insignificant things that we worry about daily. By the time she passes, she is ready to be at peace and not in denial.
With the other readings, I have found there were times that I was upset with the way that women were being depicted. It was a nice change of pace to read something written by a woman about the real experience of being a woman in those days. It was refreshing to see a woman written as a person, and not a placement for the male narrator to objectify or imagine. She is a daughter, a mother, a wife and many other things more important than a visual being for a man.
My question is: why was this depiction of death and peace so much more impactful than most other writings? What about the framework of the story allowed the description of death to be so effective?
I thought that the narration of the story being told from the perspective of a dead woman was a very interesting take. I have never read a text told that way, through the eyes of the deceased. I enjoy reading stories about romance and loss (of love, of a person) so I enjoyed this read. I’ve scrolled through my classmates blog posts and it was interesting to see that most of them have also enjoyed this reading the most. There are many things about this story that make it such a beautiful and interesting read.
This story feels very intimate and personal, almost as if reading a diary. I found that this made it very enjoyable to read in a way that the other readings were unable to captivate my attention, despite a somewhat similar style. It was beautiful to read how Ana María reflected upon her life, her love and happiness, but also her sadness and regrets. She feels love in both its beauty and its agony. She holds both happiness and resentment in her relationships throughout her life. Ana shared very vivid memories of her childhood and her teenage years with her first love. The way in which the narrator describes death is different than most ways in which death is depicted. Instead of being plunged into darkness, Ana reflects upon her life and openly accepts what is coming. The story depicts life and death as being more intertwined than many people realize. In Ana’s reflections, she focuses on the meaningful relationships and events in her life, not insignificant things that we worry about daily. By the time she passes, she is ready to be at peace and not in denial.
With the other readings, I have found there were times that I was upset with the way that women were being depicted. It was a nice change of pace to read something written by a woman about the real experience of being a woman in those days. It was refreshing to see a woman written as a person, and not a placement for the male narrator to objectify or imagine. She is a daughter, a mother, a wife and many other things more important than a visual being for a man.
My question is: why was this depiction of death and peace so much more impactful than most other writings? What about the framework of the story allowed the description of death to be so effective?
The Shrouded Woman was a very interesting comparison/contrast between the unknown world of death and the certainty of reality. I found reading about Anna-Maria’s life through the eyes of her corpse as a captivating way to bring me, the reader, … Continue reading →
Posted in Blogs, Bombal | Tagged with life and death, women
Utilizing a unique perspective, María Luisa Bombal’s The Shrouded Woman reflects on the life of a woman skillfully and exquisitely. The foremost characteristic of the narrator is that she is dead. This special point of view manages to express and document the events of herself and related things before her death in a comprehensive approach. […]
“But now, now that I am dead, it occurs to me that possibly all men once in their lifetime long to make some great renunciation; to sacrifice something vital; to tear to pieces a butterfly, in order to feel themselves masters of their own destiny.”
The above quote stood out the most while reading Bombal’s novel, The Shrouded Woman. Something about the unique narration of this novel made every line that much more poignant, given that our narrator was dead. It was almost as if she refused to pass without imparting whatever wisdom she could to anyone willing to hear her. Bombal’s use of visual imagery was balanced and evocative. As I read, I did feel like I was witnessing the scenes as they played out. I enjoyed her descriptions of the characters and their personalities and what they meant to Ana Maria.
Additionally, I found the dramatics of the novel very intriguing. The feuds, infidelity, and familial bonds of the characters were explored very intricately for a relatively short novel. I agree with the points discussed in the lecture regarding the comparison between the male and female characters and how the latter was more interesting to read than the former. I believe that Bombal has created a setting in which the men in the book mainly served the purpose of acting as the love interests. This is quite ironic as these roles are traditionally assigned to women. While she did devote a lot of focus to her romantic relationship, the relationships that stood out the most were the ones with her children and with Sofia. The depth of her friendship with Sofia and even Zoila s pointed to the women being the most important figures in her life emotionally, even though the men dominated in other aspects of life.
Moreover, I found the idea of a dead narrator very ominous but fascinating at the same time. The concept of dying a second death after having passed was quite bizarre to me, but something about how the narrator spoke about it struck me. The notion that she was experiencing life as a dead person, especially something as lively as freedom, provided poetic justice to the living, trapped woman.
Overall, I found this text to be extremely entertaining. I loved the fact that it touched upon themes like family and the power dynamics between men and women. My question for the class would be: What did you think of Ana Maria’s relationships? How do you think they shaped her idea of peace?
“But now, now that I am dead, it occurs to me that possibly all men once in their lifetime long to make some great renunciation; to sacrifice something vital; to tear to pieces a butterfly, in order to feel themselves masters of their own destiny.”
The above quote stood out the most while reading Bombal’s novel, The Shrouded Woman. Something about the unique narration of this novel made every line that much more poignant, given that our narrator was dead. It was almost as if she refused to pass without imparting whatever wisdom she could to anyone willing to hear her. Bombal’s use of visual imagery was balanced and evocative. As I read, I did feel like I was witnessing the scenes as they played out. I enjoyed her descriptions of the characters and their personalities and what they meant to Ana Maria.
Additionally, I found the dramatics of the novel very intriguing. The feuds, infidelity, and familial bonds of the characters were explored very intricately for a relatively short novel. I agree with the points discussed in the lecture regarding the comparison between the male and female characters and how the latter was more interesting to read than the former. I believe that Bombal has created a setting in which the men in the book mainly served the purpose of acting as the love interests. This is quite ironic as these roles are traditionally assigned to women. While she did devote a lot of focus to her romantic relationship, the relationships that stood out the most were the ones with her children and with Sofia. The depth of her friendship with Sofia and even Zoila s pointed to the women being the most important figures in her life emotionally, even though the men dominated in other aspects of life.
Moreover, I found the idea of a dead narrator very ominous but fascinating at the same time. The concept of dying a second death after having passed was quite bizarre to me, but something about how the narrator spoke about it struck me. The notion that she was experiencing life as a dead person, especially something as lively as freedom, provided poetic justice to the living, trapped woman.
Overall, I found this text to be extremely entertaining. I loved the fact that it touched upon themes like family and the power dynamics between men and women. My question for the class would be: What did you think of Ana Maria’s relationships? How do you think they shaped her idea of peace?
