The Trenchcoat by Norman Manea was a book which had importance and meaning, hidden by the disguise of normalcy. At first read, the book depicts the drama and relationships of many characters, and displays their conversations over dinner parties, and in the privacy of their homes. It is only in the small details where one […]
Posted in Blogs, Manea | Tagged with censorship, class, communism, history, life, politics, revolution, Symbolism, war
Mercè Rodoreda’s novel, “The Times of the Dove,” was a captivating and page-turning read told through the lens of a resilient and hardworking mother who struggled through the Spanish Civil War. The narrator, Natalia, provided readers with valuable insights into how women lived through the war and the challenges they had to face to provide […]
Posted in Blogs, Rodoreda | Tagged with hope, love, marriage, motherhood, Suffering, Symbolism, war, women
Like most of my classmates have stated in their posts about this week’s book, it’s definitely a more challenging read than expected. It felt slower and harder to get through than most books as there were parts I found slightly boring, and it took me a bit of time to get a feel of the […]
Posted in Blogs | Tagged with childhood, marcel proust, memory, nostalgia, Symbolism
Marcel Proust’s “Combrary” is a beautiful reflection of Marcel’s past and how this shapes his current habits. Whether it is his sleeping habits that are influenced, or the way he views architecture, in this chapter, the past is truly recognized for its importance. The novel starts by describing his sleeping habits, which he connects back […]
Posted in Blogs, Proust | Tagged with family, Symbolism, Tensions
“All she, and Bolaño, can do is ensure that the echoes of their song, the traces of that generosity and courage, endure as both promise and warning.” This statement from Professor Beasley-Murray, for me, was a very precise one-sentence summary of the meaning behind Roberto Bolaño’s Amulet. Indeed, this story seems to be the living […]
Posted in Blogs, Bolaño | Tagged with history, literature, Magic Realism, modernism, recollection, Symbolism, temporality, war
Norman Manea’s “The Trenchcoat” was a very interesting read. I did feel a bit lost while reading it, until I realized it was not about the details of the story that mattered. Once I adjusted the way I was reading it, the story became much more enjoyable. It felt very distant and impersonal for quite a bit of the text. It focused quite a bit on interpersonal relationships, with the use of symbolism to describe life at that time in Communist Romania. A lot of the story involves reading between the lines of the text to be able to understand the underlying messages.
While not explicitly mentioned within the book, the novel describes life under Communist Romanian President Nicolae Ceaușescu. Ceaușescu was famously executed along with his wife on Christmas Day, ending communism in Romania. Manea is able to paint the scenes of the story through symbolism. Much of what he writes throughout the story has double meanings and plays into a larger picture. He was unable to explicitly mention specific people or parties to ensure his safety and that of his family. I did not realize that so much of the story would depend on understanding some of Romania’s history. Luckily, going into the novel I had the past knowledge necessary to understand the timing of the story.
I think that a lot of the importance of this story is how it can impact people. Sadly, there are many countries with improper rulers and unfair laws. There is a universality to the text that can still be utilized and compared to the world today. Bad governance has been prevalent all throughout history and modern times.
Throughout the dinner party, I kept asking myself: what am I missing? It felt very mundane and uncomfortable and I was unable to see the significance of it. I am open to hearing anyone’s interpretations of that scene as I would like to know how other people understood it.
I really enjoyed Manea’s writing style. I’ve began wondering if his other novels are similar to this one. Do they all convey political undertones? How have they impacted the lives of those who have read it? Furthermore, how does it represent Romanian beliefs and social circumstances during that time?
My question to the class is: What do you think the purpose of the dinner was? Were there secret messages or was it to set the scene of the mysterious trench coat?
Norman Manea’s “The Trenchcoat” was a very interesting read. I did feel a bit lost while reading it, until I realized it was not about the details of the story that mattered. Once I adjusted the way I was reading it, the story became much more enjoyable. It felt very distant and impersonal for quite a bit of the text. It focused quite a bit on interpersonal relationships, with the use of symbolism to describe life at that time in Communist Romania. A lot of the story involves reading between the lines of the text to be able to understand the underlying messages.
While not explicitly mentioned within the book, the novel describes life under Communist Romanian President Nicolae Ceaușescu. Ceaușescu was famously executed along with his wife on Christmas Day, ending communism in Romania. Manea is able to paint the scenes of the story through symbolism. Much of what he writes throughout the story has double meanings and plays into a larger picture. He was unable to explicitly mention specific people or parties to ensure his safety and that of his family. I did not realize that so much of the story would depend on understanding some of Romania’s history. Luckily, going into the novel I had the past knowledge necessary to understand the timing of the story.
I think that a lot of the importance of this story is how it can impact people. Sadly, there are many countries with improper rulers and unfair laws. There is a universality to the text that can still be utilized and compared to the world today. Bad governance has been prevalent all throughout history and modern times.
Throughout the dinner party, I kept asking myself: what am I missing? It felt very mundane and uncomfortable and I was unable to see the significance of it. I am open to hearing anyone’s interpretations of that scene as I would like to know how other people understood it.
I really enjoyed Manea’s writing style. I’ve began wondering if his other novels are similar to this one. Do they all convey political undertones? How have they impacted the lives of those who have read it? Furthermore, how does it represent Romanian beliefs and social circumstances during that time?
My question to the class is: What do you think the purpose of the dinner was? Were there secret messages or was it to set the scene of the mysterious trench coat?
I initially started reading this text before watching the lecture – a mistake on my part. Prior to watching the lecture, the text didn’t make much sense to me, it was vague and ambiguous and I felt as though I was missing context. After watching the lecture and learning that Manea had written this text […]
Posted in Blogs, Manea | Tagged with censorship, meaning, Symbolism
At our last class, Professor lightly hinted that I often overanalyze texts to find a deeper meaning that perhaps might not exist so I carried this with me in the reading of this text. Without the lecture as a precursor, this text was nearly incomprehensible with a familiarity necessary to understanding the setting of the […]
Posted in Blogs | Tagged with anguish, answers, anxiety, communism, norman manea, panic, politics, Symbolism, unclear, upperclass
Hey everyone! Norman Manea’s The Trenchcoat was certainly an interesting read. Reflecting upon the reading, I am still not entirely…
