The purpose of my interest in Latin American studies begins with my desire to learn about popular literature, and culture prior to applying for foreign exchange in Spain. The means to attain this goal and satisfy my interest was to take courses on Latin American studies, however; literature courses are not my strongest subject area, as I find it difficult to stay on top of course readings because there are a few language or culture barriers. Although, despite the small barriers, I have a strong work ethic, and feel inspired when I engage with the contents of Latin American studies. For this particular course, I hope that my efforts of this course reflect an A letter grade. From experiences with previous literature courses, my attendance and desire to stay on top of the course readings showed that I earned a B letter grade. Nevertheless, my engagement with the contents of this course increased because the lectures were very inviting and I found myself attending more in-person classes and reading more novels every single week. I often found myself curling up before bed, with my iPad, music, hot chocolate, reading the novels we were assigned.
Looking back throughout the semester, I enjoyed most of the books I read, as I did not have any knowledge about Latin American culture prior to taking this course. I would say “Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair” written by Neruda Pablo, was the most creepy, disgusting, but most impactful and inspirational poems.
As contradictory as this may seem, I did not enjoy the content of “Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair”, however; I enjoyed the structure of the poems themselves. A reason for this may be because my English has improved, or it was due to the fact that I fell in love with his work after all, despite its gruesome descriptions. When I was reading his work, I could not stop finding phrases of how he describes or perceives females as objects and it made me stressed and uncomfortable to read because of his portrayal of women. Going back to my blog, I said “I will definitely not love this man since his love poetry is very old-fashioned, chaotic, and uncontrollable”. Yes, he is a narcissistic and overly romantic guy, but if I had been a girl back then, I would have loved him like other girls because his poems made me start reading interesting poems from the time period they were written.
I am very proud of myself for finishing reading 10 books within 4 months: I feel like I have returned to elementary school where I had to read several books and write short papers every month. Many collections I read throughout this course showed me how women acted with the utmost respect toward men, and that men should act as dominating figures toward women. However, the literary reality of the revolution consists of a reflection on the role of literature as a lens through which history can be transformed into a meaningful dimension of the present.
Overall, it was a fascinating way to learn about Latin American culture and literature before going to Spain! Thank you to all my classmates and everyone who supported me! Good luck with your final exams!
Questions: Which book did you like or dislike the most? What phrases, if any, do you still remember?
You have every reason to be proud of yourself! Thank you for the enthusiasm you have brought to the class and for your reflections. Your blog post has made me think about something: that sometimes what we read can be unpleasant but thought provoking at the same time. And a lot of what we read could have been like that, because it touches on issues of violence and misogyny. I wish you the best on your trip to Spain! If you need any advice or want to talk about your preparations, do not hesitate to contact me. Buen viaje!
ReplyDeleteI like the self-reflection on the impact of the course on your ability to understand English, and your motivation to read. This course definitely had some books or poems that were easier to read than others, so to address your question, I found The Underdogs the least enjoyable, because of how simple the writing style was (although this could be in part due to it being translated). It also had a similar objectifying perspective on women that seemed pretty shallow
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree with you, that this course is an excellent introduction for Latin American literature, each week had a particular "theme" or "style" of Latin American writing which makes reading future works by Latin American authors really accessible. For a work that I found the most enjoyable, I would probably pick Pedro Paramo, because of its ideas on life after death and fatherhood.
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