This is the first book in a while that I have sat down to start reading, and only got back up when I was done. The entire novella felt poetic, I adored the flow of the writing and it felt very easy to read in comparison to the two other books we have read so far. Along with that, I think reading something from a woman’s point of view drew me in as someone who has been raised as one. While reading I went through a variety of emotions but often I just felt sad for Ana Maria, and all of the other women in the story. As Ana recalls memories from her life it becomes obvious the role women had in society at that time. Also, the constant comparisons between female characters. I could be mistaken but not once was a man’s appearance described as in-depth as a woman’s. Beauty, entirely defined by what men were attracted to, was constantly discussed. Contrary to the gender roles, which are less dramatically oppressive now, the male gaze is definitely as strong as ever so these parts of the story stuck out to me. I will not use this blog post to get into the details of the idea of the male gaze but I can safely say that all of the women in this book had it ingrained into their minds. Pages were spent describing Marie Griselda’s beauty and how it affected those around her, both men and women. The women around her compared themselves and deemed themselves inferior causing anxieties of if they were good enough for their own husbands. Silvia is driven to suicide over time due to her husband’s obvious interest in Marie. It is only Ana who sees past this and forgives the woman. This woman’s effect on so many lives leads me to my next point, an irritating and depressing theme within this book was the lack of healthy or happy marriages which unfortunately was probably realistic. Ana Marie’s retelling of her first love was filled with childlike joy until she had to have a herbal abortion (side note that was probably wildly dangerous at the time?) because he was not allowed to marry her. She then marries and by the time she feels the same way for her husband he has lost interest. So on and so on. The same can be seen with marriages like that of poor Silvia, and even Marie Griselda who while so beautiful still cannot seem to be happy.
I will be thinking about this book for ages and have so many other rambling thoughts that I really can’t quite put into words, mostly revolving around Ana Maria’s. and other characters, obvious mental health issues. My question for the class is: If you were to look back on your memories the way Ana Maria did after death what do you think you would be drawn to reliving? How would your views change without the pettiness and grudges we sometimes hold onto our whole lives?
… I really loved this book lol.
Hey everyone! The Shrouded Woman has to be my favorite novel we have read so far. Right from the beginning,…
Although it may be premature since we’re not even half way through the reading list, I personally really enjoyed reading María Luisa Bombal’s The Shrouded Woman and can see it being a text that I’ll remember this course by. With the combination of having a faster pace and being a short read, I was able to finish […]
Before I read texts for this class, I read the brief descriptions given for the class in the “Which Texts?” section of our course site to get an idea of what I’m getting myself into. The phrase “I think you’ll like it” was definitely an understatement because I really loved it! When I also saw […]
The first thing that struck me about the narrative, The Shrouded Woman was how different it was to the other two texts we have already read. There seemed to be an almost modern twist to the reflective theme that is brought out through the narrator’s voice. The novel being written in first person through the eyes of […]
The first page pulled me in and made me curious to find out what the setting of the reading was….
Compared to the last two weeks, I enjoyed the reading much more this week and I think that has to do with the fact that this is a short novel which follows more of the traditional way a story is told. This book compared to last week’s did have an actual story which made it […]
Must we die in order to know certain things? Maria Luisa Bombal’s The Shrouded Woman, like Proust’s Combray, pertains to…
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I found “The Shrouded Woman” by Maria Luisa Bombal to be my favourite of the three texts we’ve read so far. Unlike the other novels, this one felt more like a story, with more structure and characters to tell it. It was more focused on life and relationships. It felt similar to a TV drama … Continue reading Week 4: Bombal’s “The Shrouded Woman” →
Prout’s “Combray” section was extremely interesting because of it’s work in defining and analyzing temporal states and changes. “Combray” dig into this topic specifically in memory. Character’s memories we’re altered after large events took place, reshaping their past experiences as they drew them back up.
In The Shrouded Woman, Bombal experiments with these ideas as well, but rather, focuses on death as the ultimate “looking back” point (which it essentially is), and uses this sense of finality to address Ana Maria’s life. In the end, Ana Maria is many things: a mother, a wife, a young lover and a paramour. The use of the finality of death to analyze these past relationships, and the love that they shared works similarly to ‘Combray’ in that it brings definition to a life.
An idea that springs from this is, why the obsession with defining and analyzing the past? One thought is this; in the present, reality is a blur–a confusing mix of emotion, cruelty, passion and thought. Every human has unanswered question in the present, but the past, this confusion is clarified, defined and now final–nothing can be changed (which is ironic, as looking back from the present to the past in essence changes how the memories and livelihood is perceived). In a sense, it is this confusion which is critical to the human condition. By reliving the past with a conclusion having been appended, the tyranny of the present is destroyed. This constant reminder of our mortal state has been recorded, filed and remembered, it’s confusion and questions now relieved.
This is why I believe Proust and Bombal used these themes and wrote in this way, analyzing the past and one’s temporal state. The human need for order and clarity is great, and memories give use a god-like power to now control the confusion which once controlled us.
1. How would you remember your loved ones if you were in Ana Maria’s position?
2. Which relationship did you most relate to?
