‘The Trenchcoat’ by Norman Manae, a part of the collection “Compulsory Happiness,” is set in Bucharest during the stirring history of the haunting truths of Romania’s last years under communist rule. At first, I thought the novel was one of the most peculiar, vague pieces of literature I had ever read. I do not think […]
Posted in Blogs | Tagged with communism, confusion, raincoat, The Trenchcoat, time
Clarice Lispector you would have loved Greta Gerwig I’m so sorry if you didn’t like this book because I’m about to sing its praise. The Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector is one of my favourite books so far in this class. For a book so short why did I almost cry at multiple […]
Posted in Blogs, Lispector | Tagged with childhood, gender, time
Hey everyone! I just finished reading “The Time of the Doves” by Merce Rodoreda and it was a ROLLERCOASTER. It is honestly very thought-provoking and I’m excited to discuss it this week! The book surrounds Natalia’s journey which really made me have a lot of empathy for her. She works so hard to make ends […]
Posted in Blogs, Rodoreda | Tagged with desire, Dreams, family, gender, history, life, story, time, war
In the beginning, Agostino’s jealousy toward his mother’s lover immediately reminded me of Proust, since he also yearns for his mother’s kisses. Both characters coveted attention from their mothers; their identities are partly contingent upon their mothers’ affection. For instance, the kisses from Prosut’s mother give him satisfaction and a sense of connection with her. […]
Posted in Blogs, Moravia | Tagged with life, perspective, time, youth
While I wouldn’t compare “In Search of Lost Time” and “Mad Toy” in terms of style of writing because they have so many artistic differences, one thing they have in common is that they both deal with the subject of time and the changes that occur to people over time. For our narrator Silvio in […]
Posted in Blogs | Tagged with betrayal, Roberto Arlt, rogue, thief, time, treachery
Louis Aragon, Paris Peasant
Posted in Aragon lecture, Lecture Videos | Tagged with avant-garde, C20th, France, history, modernism, modernity, Paris, ruins, Surrealism, temporality, time
Hey everyone! I’m so excited to do this first blog entry and get started with the course! This week’s reading, Marcel Proust’s “Combray” was genuinely like stepping into a whole new universe and was so different compared to anything I’ve read before. It was tough and there were moments of difficulty reading the text but […]
Posted in Blogs, Proust | Tagged with books, Characters, Dreams, family, Gothic, in-search-of-lost-time, life, literature, marcel proust, memory, time, youth
I particularly enjoyed this week’s reading, especially his fresh narrative style. It allowed me to dive deep into my thoughts and emotions when looking at the characters. The way Proust uses super-rich descriptive language quickly de…
Posted in Blogs, Proust | Tagged with desires, love, memory, swanns way, time
I particularly enjoyed this week’s reading, especially his fresh narrative style. It allowed me to dive deep into my thoughts and emotions when looking at the characters. The way Proust uses super-rich descriptive language quickly de…
Posted in Blogs, Proust | Tagged with desires, love, memory, swanns way, time
Reading Marcel Proust’s ‘Combray’ resembles maneuvering through a labyrinth of intricate thoughts, where each turn uncovers fresh layers of complexity and meaning. My initial interaction with the opening pages left me perplexed, prompting several revisits to grasp the essence of Proust’s distinctive writing style. However, with deeper immersion, a captivating interplay of literary devices emerged, […]
Posted in Blogs, Proust | Tagged with Involuntary Memories, Memory/Memories, time