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Bombal’s Shrouded Woman Reflection

    The Shrouded Woman was one of the more enjoyable texts I have read so far in this course. I loved the concept of Ana María being dead and describing her connections to those surrounding her. I thought the point of view of a woman’s contemplations of her experiences was a unique perspective that I have never come across but was pleased with how it was carried out. Us readers got to take a trip with Ana María as she reflected on life through her different relationships and the way she lived her life. It was refreshing to see a novella depict women in a positive light with their individuality intact. Still, they revolve their lives around a man’s and were always comparing themselves with the other women.

    It was hard to see the protagonist’s relationships fail over and over. Ana María never got over her first love Ricardo and we saw the ways it affected her life from that point forward. All the men in her life were a cause of pain. In each relationship she had, she was forced to change a bit about herself to fit better with men, no matter what negative effect it had in her life. “Are all those born to love compelled to drift toward self-destruction, to smother minute after minute within themselves all that is most vital in their own wellbeing? Because of you I suffer from a wound continually reopening” (pg 227). I found this part to be really impactful as it remains a true experience for many women. Also on this page, she mentions having to behave a certain way around the men she loved and suppress her affection towards them if she wanted to continue to receive the “restricted love of others.” Throughout her life, Ana María had to change pieces of herself to gain the love of men but was never fully satisfied from that affection which led her to be stuck in a cycle of unhappiness. In terms of this passage, my question to the class is: Can one ever be happy in a relationship where they have to change who they are to receive love? Or will it end in misery every time?

    Overall I thought the novella was an interesting read. I loved how we were able to see Ana María’s after-life reflections on her life and how it was affected by the men she loved. 


Bombal’s Shrouded Woman Reflection

    The Shrouded Woman was one of the more enjoyable texts I have read so far in this course. I loved the concept of Ana María being dead and describing her connections to those surrounding her. I thought the point of view of a woman’s contemplations of her experiences was a unique perspective that I have never come across but was pleased with how it was carried out. Us readers got to take a trip with Ana María as she reflected on life through her different relationships and the way she lived her life. It was refreshing to see a novella depict women in a positive light with their individuality intact. Still, they revolve their lives around a man’s and were always comparing themselves with the other women.

    It was hard to see the protagonist’s relationships fail over and over. Ana María never got over her first love Ricardo and we saw the ways it affected her life from that point forward. All the men in her life were a cause of pain. In each relationship she had, she was forced to change a bit about herself to fit better with men, no matter what negative effect it had in her life. “Are all those born to love compelled to drift toward self-destruction, to smother minute after minute within themselves all that is most vital in their own wellbeing? Because of you I suffer from a wound continually reopening” (pg 227). I found this part to be really impactful as it remains a true experience for many women. Also on this page, she mentions having to behave a certain way around the men she loved and suppress her affection towards them if she wanted to continue to receive the “restricted love of others.” Throughout her life, Ana María had to change pieces of herself to gain the love of men but was never fully satisfied from that affection which led her to be stuck in a cycle of unhappiness. In terms of this passage, my question to the class is: Can one ever be happy in a relationship where they have to change who they are to receive love? Or will it end in misery every time?

    Overall I thought the novella was an interesting read. I loved how we were able to see Ana María’s after-life reflections on her life and how it was affected by the men she loved. 


Week 4 , The Shrouded Woman

Honestly overall I don’t really know what I think about this book, there was a lot that I found really cool and interesting but also there was portions that were really disconcerting as a modern reader. Maria Luisa Bombal’s novel … Continue reading

Proust "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.   

Proust "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.   

The Shrouded Woman Analysis

 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 Analysis

 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?

INTRO BLOG

 Introduction!

Hello! My name is Jeremy Boyd, I am a 3rd year arts student and really looking forward to learning more about romance studies. I took a romance studies class a couple years back for the first part of my literature requirement and I am back again looking to fulfill the other half of the requirement. I have really enjoyed listening to the lectures and I am excited to continue to share my thoughts on the different texts throughout the semester.  

INTRO BLOG

 Introduction!

Hello! My name is Jeremy Boyd, I am a 3rd year arts student and really looking forward to learning more about romance studies. I took a romance studies class a couple years back for the first part of my literature requirement and I am back again looking to fulfill the other half of the requirement. I have really enjoyed listening to the lectures and I am excited to continue to share my thoughts on the different texts throughout the semester.