José Eduardo Agualusa, The Society of Reluctant Dreamers
I thought I was the only one that thought of Freud when reading this short novel but after reading a few other blog posts, I’m glad to know that I’m not the only one. I’ll start off with my initial thoughts of the book. I like to go into some reads without knowing what to expect […]
This week we read “Agostino” by Alberto Moravia. This book was definitely the easiest to follow out of the books I have read so far. When I began reading, I thought that I would end up liking it more than last weeks reading (The Shrouded Woman) b…
This week we read “Agostino” by Alberto Moravia. This book was definitely the easiest to follow out of the books I have read so far. When I began reading, I thought that I would end up liking it more than last weeks reading (The Shrouded Woman) b…
The journey from youth to adulthood, from innocence to knowledge is prevalent throughout this book. The emotional breakthroughs of the protagonists are as unsettling as they are intriguing, especially his feelings contradicting societal norms as he has inappropriate feelings for his mother. Set in an Italian summer, Agostino explores his sexuality by trying to navigate […]
Sometimes I wonder why literature writers (or is it just the romance ones?) get so obsessed with the Oedipus complex and overall Freud’s theory. There must be something poetic or beautiful within the layers of uncomfortable incestuous relationships for these many writers to focus on it. Even though I started reading the book without any […]
Agostino was an interesting read to say the least… Although at first glance, the Freudian themes make it a bit of an uncomfortable read, once I turned my brain off to the perplexing sexualizations of Agostino’s mother I was able to appreciate the novella for what it was: an excruciatingly detailed recount of the experience […]
Well, well, well… of course, Freud is back for more! After reading the first few pages, Freud was the man who immediately came to mind. In this week’s novel, I read Agostino by Moravia, and it’s definitely an interesting book. Going into it after reading the blurb, I expected it to be an innocent book […]
Set in a beach village in Italy during the summer, “Agostino” focuses on a 13-year-old boy and explores the loss of youthful innocence and the perplexities of growing up. The central theme in this novel is sexuality and Agostino’s loss of innocence. While reading this book, I could almost imagine Freud sneering at me. Agostino […]
This Novella was an interesting ride. It follows an upper class kid who is on vacation with his mother. As the story progresses, we see the protagonist’s changing perception of his mother. I dare to question the author’s perception of women, lower social classes and Freudian theories by the way he shaped the main character’s […]
