SPAN 312

     Hi there! I hope that everyone has enjoyed their easter weekend! For my last week, I choose to read Fever Dream. Although I wish I could've said that I loved this book and that it was the perfect way to wrap this class up…It wasn't my favourite, unfortunately. Not to say that it was my least favourite because there were definitely some interesting/thought-provoking concepts throughout the novel. However, I definitely felt myself getting lost throughout and having a hard time keeping track of what was going on… The narration between Amanda and David was hard to follow at times. As the title of the book implies, sometimes these memories being described were dreams and sometimes real life. Which in some ways added an interesting perspective and uniqueness to the overall structure, but at the same was a little confusing.       In regards to the lecture, I think the lack of providing context about the scientific elements and the genetically modified soybeans in Argentina and So

This week I read My Tender Matador by Pedro Lemebel and I have to say I enjoyed it, but it was not one of my favourites from the term so far. Even though this was considered a shorter read’, 170 pages still felt like a lot for me this week on top of my other classes. But I certainly appreciated the unique approach this novel took to cover important themes.  This book brought themes of sexuality and identity, politics and activism and love and relationships to life. What was most intriguing for me throughout the novel was one of the main characters (whose name we never really learn), the Queen. This character shines a light on the struggles and obstacles of being someone who does not fully identify as a man or woman. We learn a lot about this character through her relationship with Carlos who is a university student. The queen is so completely in love with this man, however, it seems that his relationship with her gears more to when it's convenient for him. As mentioned in the lectu

  I actually really liked this short novel. This book was for the most part pretty interesting and left me wanting to know more as I went along. However, there were certainly some chapters that ended up feeling a bit lengthy and irreverent when thinking about the novel as a whole. Altogether though, definitely one of my favourite styles of writing from the previous literature covered so far.  I enjoyed how at the beginning of the book, it was following the lives of university students in their early twenties studying poetry. I imagined it as an interesting group and felt relatable as a student with friends in poetry. I was certainly intrigued by Alberto Ruiz-Tagle and had a funny sense of him as we began to learn more about his character. He presented some unique qualities that were unlike the other poets, whether that be from the attention he received from women, or his really nice clothes and his mysterious and cold poetry. After his visit to the twin's house, this funny sense I

Hi there! I hope everyone is doing well. This was a really intense read that was unique from so many of the books we've read up until now (although there were definitely many themes that overlapped more broadly with previous readings). Moreover, the style of writing was much easier to follow in my opinion as it mimicked the style of a diary entry vs some complex and confusing vocabulary that we've been used to. The fact that this was an autobiography and was told from a young woman's point of view really added to my experience of feeling connected as a reader. I was constantly trying to put myself in her shoes and imagine how challenging a life like this would've been. I simply cannot fathom it. I was appalled by not only her own injustices but the injustices her family and community continued to face throughout the book. Whether that be through their lack of food, incomprehensible working conditions, taking care of family members, or the constant threats they would rec

     Hello everyone! This week I read Captain Pantoja and the Special Service. Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was much different than any other book I've read in this class up to now, so I definitely appreciated the change in writing style and the storyline. Throughout the lecture, there is mention of the humour present throughout this novel and whether or not Vargas is successful in making his reader laugh. To answer that, my friend Jordan and I read this book outside together on a lovely sunny day and I can definitely say we were giggling. However, not necessarily at any jokes being made, but more so in terms of the way things are described in such a strange yet serious way.  One instance that had us giggling was in the letter being written to Chi Chi from Pantoja's wife, Pochita. I thought the way in which it was written was really raw and felt personal. For example, “I nearly had a stroke, ChiChi, the woman was so covered in make-up there wasn't room for a drop more,

     Hello everyone! If im being honest, Im not sure if I was a huge fan of the second half in comparison to the first. My first mistake was avoiding the advice to read in larger sections, but at the same time, it was a long book and that was the only way I could do it. I found it more difficult to keep track of the characters' names than anything else. I understand that there is meaning behind the passing down of these names, but I was having a tough time… which often left me feeling a little discouraged. However, I think that there is something important and intentional about the passing down and reusing of names from previous generations. Perhaps there is some hope that the name is given, would somehow be translated into the characteristics of what made that individual’s name worth passing. However, I know that it sometimes happened that characters didn't match their name, or were even the opposite.       In the second half of the book, Macondo begins to go through changes q