There's really nothing so disconcerting as being near the end of a course, and having the text finally returned from Barnes and Noble, thus having to read the text on GoogleBooks, where random pages are omitted. Ugh.
Anyhow, what a nice, snarky story. Bolano has a real grasp of language, everything seems to float and glide ephemerally, and it has a very poetic effect. However, it failed to really grasp my attention. I can appreciate the criticism of the Chilean intelligentsia, and the appearance of Neruda (after I've been longing to buy a particular collection of his for the past month or so), but the story itself just didn't seem that interesting at all. I was a tad disappointed, but my version was also missing some pages.
I really don't know what to say about it. I think I must be missing something more than pages; I just didn't get it.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Monday, May 3, 2010
ggm
Hurray for GGM.
My mind is scattered to about fifty different corners of the world right now. What an awful week. I can't do this in an orderly fashion, apologies.
The act of relentless letter-writing is also present in his novel Love In The Time of Cholera. There's a whorehouse there, too, and I feel there must be one in memories fo My Melancholy Whores as well, which I've yet to read.
Dreams. Interpretation of dreams. The subconscious tied the mystical in a superstitious culture. Animation of lifeless things- such as the kitchen breathing on page 9.
"Sacrificial tools" used to kill Santiago. Same instruments used to kill pigs. Santiago expresses a desire not see animal deaths early in the narratie, when rabbit entrails are torn out and thrown to the dogs.
Narrator is collecting accounts, sort of like a journalist.
p.82 folk remedies
My mind is scattered to about fifty different corners of the world right now. What an awful week. I can't do this in an orderly fashion, apologies.
The act of relentless letter-writing is also present in his novel Love In The Time of Cholera. There's a whorehouse there, too, and I feel there must be one in memories fo My Melancholy Whores as well, which I've yet to read.
Dreams. Interpretation of dreams. The subconscious tied the mystical in a superstitious culture. Animation of lifeless things- such as the kitchen breathing on page 9.
"Sacrificial tools" used to kill Santiago. Same instruments used to kill pigs. Santiago expresses a desire not see animal deaths early in the narratie, when rabbit entrails are torn out and thrown to the dogs.
Narrator is collecting accounts, sort of like a journalist.
p.82 folk remedies
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Aura by Carlos Fuentes
Carlo Fuentas' Aura is a nice little short story about an obsessive narrator who is seduced by a witch(?). At least I think that's what happened. It reads like so many horror movies, especially when he recognizes the photos as himself and Aura.
But, I have to say, reading something written completely in the second person was interesting. Don't think I've ever read that. I liked th detail of the plants in the porch garden. It was interesting that they were all poisonous, but also interesting that the narrator could identify all of them.
The cats are ghosts of the ones she strangled, I think?
Overall, something a little Skinemax about it, like late night erotic horror b-movie, but still very well-written. He jumps from future to present tense, too. A very quick read.
But, I have to say, reading something written completely in the second person was interesting. Don't think I've ever read that. I liked th detail of the plants in the porch garden. It was interesting that they were all poisonous, but also interesting that the narrator could identify all of them.
The cats are ghosts of the ones she strangled, I think?
Overall, something a little Skinemax about it, like late night erotic horror b-movie, but still very well-written. He jumps from future to present tense, too. A very quick read.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Cortazar's The Pursuer
I absolutely loved this story. By far the most inteesting, for me. I love how you see this life of excess and tragedy through a self-righteous gaze. it remnded me a lot of the movie and novel The Talented Mr. Ripley. When Bruno was trying to get feedback about his book near the end and they were by the river I got the feeling who would try to kill Johnny maybe.
So, basically, I thought it was very international. It refers to a lot of different locations, and I feel like there's a sort of modern clarity to the language. There's also a sort of clean/orderly/matter-of-fact element that works well with the narrator being a journalist. I always like stories told through a sort of side character.It was like a jazz Gatsby.
I tried to take notes throughout the text, but it's difficult to react to because I just enjoyed it so much. The past is referenced in a way that seamlessly provides background information. The characters are also really interesting, absolutely all of them. I like how a lot of detail is paid to clothing and setting. It's important in fiction, but also a journalistic technique for establishing a scene, and it really works well with this story. I just saw the Runaways movie (haha!) so this kind of read like a very good behind-the-music movie. Cannot wait to learn more about it in class.
So, basically, I thought it was very international. It refers to a lot of different locations, and I feel like there's a sort of modern clarity to the language. There's also a sort of clean/orderly/matter-of-fact element that works well with the narrator being a journalist. I always like stories told through a sort of side character.It was like a jazz Gatsby.
I tried to take notes throughout the text, but it's difficult to react to because I just enjoyed it so much. The past is referenced in a way that seamlessly provides background information. The characters are also really interesting, absolutely all of them. I like how a lot of detail is paid to clothing and setting. It's important in fiction, but also a journalistic technique for establishing a scene, and it really works well with this story. I just saw the Runaways movie (haha!) so this kind of read like a very good behind-the-music movie. Cannot wait to learn more about it in class.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Pedro Paramo by Juan Rulfo
Pedro Paramo is a story whose narrative is twisting and unpredictable, destabilized. Points of view shift, and the past and present are illustrated side by side.
I really enjoyed the ghosts' knowledge of the living world and vice versa. There's definitely elements of magical realism here, but not just in the psychic and living-dead elements. A lot of the language has a sort of fairy-tale style to it; simple, pretty, charmed. I personally found the dialogue of an old woman's ghost to be terribly delicate and sweet on p. 54:
"Drink it! It will do you good. It's orange-blossom tea. I know you're scared because you're trembling. This will ease your fright."
At the same time that this is presented in ways as a reality, it can also be viewed as the scattered, fragmented thoughts of a man grief-stricken at the loss of his mother.
The story also seems marked by a lot of negative space and silence, absence and disappearance. Other than that, I'm not really sure what I have to say about the novel other than that it was a pleasant challenge.
I really enjoyed the ghosts' knowledge of the living world and vice versa. There's definitely elements of magical realism here, but not just in the psychic and living-dead elements. A lot of the language has a sort of fairy-tale style to it; simple, pretty, charmed. I personally found the dialogue of an old woman's ghost to be terribly delicate and sweet on p. 54:
"Drink it! It will do you good. It's orange-blossom tea. I know you're scared because you're trembling. This will ease your fright."
At the same time that this is presented in ways as a reality, it can also be viewed as the scattered, fragmented thoughts of a man grief-stricken at the loss of his mother.
The story also seems marked by a lot of negative space and silence, absence and disappearance. Other than that, I'm not really sure what I have to say about the novel other than that it was a pleasant challenge.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
The Final Mist
I really enjoyed reading Bombal's short story (novella?) The Final Mist. I felt like the characters were nicely developed, and it was a very successful ghost story for several reasons. First of all, it is not as if the epiphany of her encounter being with a ghost comes out of the blue. The grounds for the protagonist's marriage is based on a previous death, that of her cousin Daniel's first wife. The protagonist says that she feels as if she is merely a replacement for this woman, particularly during sex. So, right away, there is a very macabre element to the story's sensuality. In a way, the protagonist is haunted by the memory of the woman she is not.
Also, there is a lot of aquatic imagery. It is raining constantly. She goes swimming. Daniel always brings her a glass of water after their awkward intercourse. The house is constantly damp. Fog rolls in and out. Water generally symbolizes life, but fog is often associated with the supernatural, and dampness with decay. Overall, all the water-related imagery makes for a morose, almost gothic setting, creating the perfect atmosphere for a ghost story. At the same time, water symbolizes life in a sensual aspect as well, so this serves to complement the other genre the story fits. Lust and love become inextricably entwined with death for a woman who cannot stand her life.
It is particularly interesting that the boy-Andres- who also recognizes the woman's ghost lover drowns shortly after seeing the ghost. This part made me a little curious as to Chilean or South-American superstitions about the afterlife. I tried to find out if seeing ghosts is considered some sort of fatal omen, but quickly realized I have no idea how to research that sort of thing.
Also, there is a lot of aquatic imagery. It is raining constantly. She goes swimming. Daniel always brings her a glass of water after their awkward intercourse. The house is constantly damp. Fog rolls in and out. Water generally symbolizes life, but fog is often associated with the supernatural, and dampness with decay. Overall, all the water-related imagery makes for a morose, almost gothic setting, creating the perfect atmosphere for a ghost story. At the same time, water symbolizes life in a sensual aspect as well, so this serves to complement the other genre the story fits. Lust and love become inextricably entwined with death for a woman who cannot stand her life.
It is particularly interesting that the boy-Andres- who also recognizes the woman's ghost lover drowns shortly after seeing the ghost. This part made me a little curious as to Chilean or South-American superstitions about the afterlife. I tried to find out if seeing ghosts is considered some sort of fatal omen, but quickly realized I have no idea how to research that sort of thing.
Monday, March 1, 2010
The Invention of Morel
To be honest, I didn't finish it (yet).
Here I was leisurely skimming Bombal over again in complacent delight that we had such a short reading, when I checked the other blogs and saw....whoops.
From what I've read in it so far, however, I think it's lovely. I can see its ties to Borges, but the language is a little simpler, cleaner, easier. Of course it does not have the same aesthetic power as Borges' prose, but I personally find it less confusing, very clear. Since I couldn't get that far in the actual text yet, I cheated a little and found a plot synopsis. The idea of capturing people's souls via reproducing reality on a machine is very interesting to me, since it's the belief in a camera's ability to capture a human's energy is not uncommon among indigenous people.
The suspension fo reality, or "false" reality, or a "copy of" reality is very reminiscent of Borges.
Overall, I am not a massive fan of science fiction, but this is written in the simple tone of masters like Bradbury. I can't wait to finish this book, hopefully sometime in the next couple days. I'll do a better, more complete blog post as soon as I am done.
Here I was leisurely skimming Bombal over again in complacent delight that we had such a short reading, when I checked the other blogs and saw....whoops.
From what I've read in it so far, however, I think it's lovely. I can see its ties to Borges, but the language is a little simpler, cleaner, easier. Of course it does not have the same aesthetic power as Borges' prose, but I personally find it less confusing, very clear. Since I couldn't get that far in the actual text yet, I cheated a little and found a plot synopsis. The idea of capturing people's souls via reproducing reality on a machine is very interesting to me, since it's the belief in a camera's ability to capture a human's energy is not uncommon among indigenous people.
The suspension fo reality, or "false" reality, or a "copy of" reality is very reminiscent of Borges.
Overall, I am not a massive fan of science fiction, but this is written in the simple tone of masters like Bradbury. I can't wait to finish this book, hopefully sometime in the next couple days. I'll do a better, more complete blog post as soon as I am done.
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