While reading Agostino, I found myself saying “What?!” audibly every time a scene surprises me. During other times, I even physically back away from my screen when I feel uncomfortable. For instance, when Agostino describes his mother’s appearance, and…
Hi Everyone! This week I chose to read Agostino by Moravia. I think this was an interesting read, but it made me uncomfortable at times. It includes a lot of discussions about growing up, trauma and class. In the beginning of the novel, Agostino is a high class child living with his mother, and […]
A conversation with Gaoheng Zhang
This book for me was the best one yet. I swear being able to fully understand what I am reading makes it all the more enjoyable. In the lecture the professor talked about the power of fiction. I found it interesting that although this is obviously a work of fiction, it never felt as though […]
Boy this read was a dramatic one but one I did enjoy even if I got quite confused. Despite my confusion due to the back and forth between many characters in Ana Maria’s life I found this book profoundly deep, seeing glimpses of her life through the interactions she has with other people. I believe …
Hi everyone, For week three of the course I read the novel Mad Toy written by Roberto Arlt. This novel is about a young criminal and his life in poverty as he grows older. In comparison to Proust’s Combray I found it to be a faster, more enjoyable, immersive read. If I was rating […]
Compared to the last novel “Combray”, I found Mad Toy to be a much easier read. The most distinct aspect of this book is the way the content is categorized. The book is split into four parts, each representing a different episode of the main character, Silvio’s life. “The Band Of Thieves”, just like this […]
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…
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…
Reading Arlt’s “Mad Toy” left me with a heavy heart. As I read through the chapters, I feel that Arlt’s narration of his life only gets more depressing. It seems to me that Arlt has never had a genuine connection with anyone before he met Rengo, yet he loses him in the end. From joining […]
