I have found reading “The General and his labyrinth” interesting as for the first time I find myself sympathizing with the dictator of our dictator novels. I was most excited to read this book of all the books we are reading as it was written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, one of my favourite authors, and my wiki topic! I have to say that this is not my favourite of Marquez’s novels however, of all the books we have read this semester, it is so far at the top of my list.
As I read this novel, I compare it a lot to Garcia Marquez’s other novels and really look for his style throughout it. Most notably is the fact that this plot is historically accurate and thus Marquez is restricted to portraying these facts. Here I also see solidarity, as I see the General as a very lonely man.
Also, I find it interesting that we never talked about the epigraph in this novel- “It seems that the devil controls the business of my life. (Letter to Santander, August 4, 1823)” We spent so much time looking at the opening letter in “Yo el Supremo”.
Something that I noticed from the very beginning was how in depth Garcia Marquez goes into descriptions. That of the General shaving on page 5 is notable as it goes into such vivid detail. “Then he plucked the hairs in his nose and ears, polished his perfect teeth with charcoal powder on a silver-handled silk brush…”(5) and it goes on and on! Do we really need to know such specific details?! Again we get this on page 10 when it says “His body burned in a bonfire of fever, and he was farting stony foul-smelling gas” I would like to read that in Spanish!
Furthermore, the fist part gives light to what an important figure the General was at this time. He had José Palacios, who “knew and loved him so well…”(40) and then an entourage of five men always with him on his voyage. As well as seven pack mules who carried what seems to be all of his belongings (31).
tag: span312
Monday, March 24, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
I the Supreme
As I am struggling through “I the Supreme” all I can think about is the fact that I am going to need to read this over and over to fully understand it. I think that it is a good practice in reading and accepting the fact that there are some things that just might go over my head and also I constantly am forcing my self to focus as I read it.
The hardest part of the book is that the dialogue is not portrayed traditionally. Conversations are clumped into one paragraph and no quotations are used, thus it is hard to follow who is talking. As the book goes on, it is becoming easier to distinguish between the Supreme and Patino as we begin to know the characters better. The way in which we are just following each person’s stream of consciousness is frustrating at times because I find myself craving action. After twenty pages I can look back and have to struggle to come up with what the action actually was. I am reading another book in my Portuguses Lit class right now that does the same thing (Hour of the Star). I have to force myself to just go with it and accept the lack of action. The compilers notes add a completely different spin to the book as they are one more interruption to the flow of the narration, yet necessary to read.
Finally, I like that we are reading about Paraguay as I really know very little about it and don’t know if I have ever even read a book about this area.
tag: span312
The hardest part of the book is that the dialogue is not portrayed traditionally. Conversations are clumped into one paragraph and no quotations are used, thus it is hard to follow who is talking. As the book goes on, it is becoming easier to distinguish between the Supreme and Patino as we begin to know the characters better. The way in which we are just following each person’s stream of consciousness is frustrating at times because I find myself craving action. After twenty pages I can look back and have to struggle to come up with what the action actually was. I am reading another book in my Portuguses Lit class right now that does the same thing (Hour of the Star). I have to force myself to just go with it and accept the lack of action. The compilers notes add a completely different spin to the book as they are one more interruption to the flow of the narration, yet necessary to read.
Finally, I like that we are reading about Paraguay as I really know very little about it and don’t know if I have ever even read a book about this area.
tag: span312
Monday, January 28, 2008
What a relief. I have to say that so far I really prefer El Senor Presidente. I really like the narrative style as we get the prospective of numerous characters as to what is going on. However as it jumps from character to character I get a bit confused.
I loved the description of Dona Venjamon. From the instant that I read her name I laughed and I love the way the narrator describes her as, “a woman of colossal build, who required two seats in the tram (one for each buttock) and more than eight yards of material for her dress (53).” I really thought this description was hysterical and well written.
The book really makes clear the corruption that exists in this country. Security men are paid off so the men can pass by to kidnap the young girl as if it were nothing (68). Angel face simply gives the man 100 pesos, and “his objections were at once overcome” (68).
Asturias portrays all the corruption as everyday occurrences and part of life in this country, which demonstrates the corrupt nature of this place. He inserts these details so simply that it is clear they are everyday occurrences.
I find it interesting that thus far the “president” plays a very small role in the plot. While it is clear that the actions of the characters were set out by him, he plays a small vocal role in the plot thus far. The little bit we have read of his direct presence such as on page 35-36 he is clearly a powerful dictator who is not fazed by the unjust death of one of its citizens and has no problem having the death be reframed in order to make himself look good to the public eye. His personal interests are clearly his first priority.
tag: span312
I loved the description of Dona Venjamon. From the instant that I read her name I laughed and I love the way the narrator describes her as, “a woman of colossal build, who required two seats in the tram (one for each buttock) and more than eight yards of material for her dress (53).” I really thought this description was hysterical and well written.
The book really makes clear the corruption that exists in this country. Security men are paid off so the men can pass by to kidnap the young girl as if it were nothing (68). Angel face simply gives the man 100 pesos, and “his objections were at once overcome” (68).
Asturias portrays all the corruption as everyday occurrences and part of life in this country, which demonstrates the corrupt nature of this place. He inserts these details so simply that it is clear they are everyday occurrences.
I find it interesting that thus far the “president” plays a very small role in the plot. While it is clear that the actions of the characters were set out by him, he plays a small vocal role in the plot thus far. The little bit we have read of his direct presence such as on page 35-36 he is clearly a powerful dictator who is not fazed by the unjust death of one of its citizens and has no problem having the death be reframed in order to make himself look good to the public eye. His personal interests are clearly his first priority.
tag: span312
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
I have to say that I was hoping to find the second half of “Facundo” a bit easier to read but I instead have found it hard to get through. I really have had to make myself sit to read it. It is chock full of fact, details, and statistics that become tedious for me as a reader.
One thing I find very interesting though is the way in which the narrator continues to be caught up in comparing barbarism and civilization while he tells Facundo’s story. This obsession with the civilized Europe is really interesting. One thing I find interesting is Sarmiento’s view that Spain is not as civilized as the rest of Europe. I can see it in the sense that he looks negatively on Spain as the Spanish conquered his country, but I haven’t thought of them as close to ‘barbaric Africa’ and disconnected from the rest of Europe.
Sarmiento idealizes the rest of Europe especially France. Mostly he marks Argentina as completely oppsite of Europe. Although he seems quite proud of Buenos Aires and this pride can be seen in the way in which he speaks about it as cultured and ‘civilized’. He boasts of the abundance of English, French, German, and Italian last names, never mentioning the Spanish names that are most likely equally if not more, prolific. His pride for Buenos Aires is also notable. He writes just 3 pages about Cordoba and 8 pages about Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires, he praises, was as advanced if not more as the rest of Europe. He notes, “Buenos Aires professed and believed everything that the learned European believed and professed” (123). This battle for Sarmiento to connect his country is never ending.
tag: span312
One thing I find very interesting though is the way in which the narrator continues to be caught up in comparing barbarism and civilization while he tells Facundo’s story. This obsession with the civilized Europe is really interesting. One thing I find interesting is Sarmiento’s view that Spain is not as civilized as the rest of Europe. I can see it in the sense that he looks negatively on Spain as the Spanish conquered his country, but I haven’t thought of them as close to ‘barbaric Africa’ and disconnected from the rest of Europe.
Sarmiento idealizes the rest of Europe especially France. Mostly he marks Argentina as completely oppsite of Europe. Although he seems quite proud of Buenos Aires and this pride can be seen in the way in which he speaks about it as cultured and ‘civilized’. He boasts of the abundance of English, French, German, and Italian last names, never mentioning the Spanish names that are most likely equally if not more, prolific. His pride for Buenos Aires is also notable. He writes just 3 pages about Cordoba and 8 pages about Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires, he praises, was as advanced if not more as the rest of Europe. He notes, “Buenos Aires professed and believed everything that the learned European believed and professed” (123). This battle for Sarmiento to connect his country is never ending.
tag: span312
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Facundo 1-5
The first five chapters of “Facundo” present a very interesting introduction to the book and the country of Argentina. He creates an introduction to the geography of Argentina, which is the first hint for me that his target audience is foreigners. He is does not seem to be directing this book towards Argentines who live there, and most definitely not to the gauchos who he criticizes and boxes into a category of horseback riding hooligans.
I cannot help but be struck by the binaries that he creates between urban and rural- city and country. On page 51 Sarmiento paints a vivid picture of a the native town as “the disgraceful reverse side of the coin,” with dirty children and this idea of filth everywhere, which is in stark contrast to the modern, clean ‘European’ urban world of Buenos Aires that he describes. Why is Sarmiento painting this picture of his country in stark difference? - Depicting the vast majority of his land as savage and just a small part as civilized. I think this is in great part to attract the ‘civilized’ reader, be it from France or any other part of Europe. He strives to create connections and perhaps erase some misconceptions that most have of the Americas as being purely barbaric and uncivilized, by creating this image of the urban city. By marking these stark differences between rural and urban, he complies that this barbaric nature exists, but only in the country and attempts to attract the foreign audience to his home.
Today, I think that many of these same preconceptions still hold for urban and rural peoples of all over the Americas. This idea of savage and cultured is very prominent. We can see the dichotomy existing in comparing the so-called ‘developed world’ to the ‘developing world’ as well as from urban to rural. I personally am from a really small town (less than 1000) and people are constantly asking me how I go shopping, how do I survive in the city, why I came all this way to go to school, and the list goes on. There are thousands of stereotypes about people from the country, and in fact that of always being on horseback (page 73) even still exists (to a certain degree).
tag: span312
I cannot help but be struck by the binaries that he creates between urban and rural- city and country. On page 51 Sarmiento paints a vivid picture of a the native town as “the disgraceful reverse side of the coin,” with dirty children and this idea of filth everywhere, which is in stark contrast to the modern, clean ‘European’ urban world of Buenos Aires that he describes. Why is Sarmiento painting this picture of his country in stark difference? - Depicting the vast majority of his land as savage and just a small part as civilized. I think this is in great part to attract the ‘civilized’ reader, be it from France or any other part of Europe. He strives to create connections and perhaps erase some misconceptions that most have of the Americas as being purely barbaric and uncivilized, by creating this image of the urban city. By marking these stark differences between rural and urban, he complies that this barbaric nature exists, but only in the country and attempts to attract the foreign audience to his home.
Today, I think that many of these same preconceptions still hold for urban and rural peoples of all over the Americas. This idea of savage and cultured is very prominent. We can see the dichotomy existing in comparing the so-called ‘developed world’ to the ‘developing world’ as well as from urban to rural. I personally am from a really small town (less than 1000) and people are constantly asking me how I go shopping, how do I survive in the city, why I came all this way to go to school, and the list goes on. There are thousands of stereotypes about people from the country, and in fact that of always being on horseback (page 73) even still exists (to a certain degree).
tag: span312
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
final thoughts.....
This course has been great for me. I, like everyone else, still haven’t fully answered the magic question, but I feel that I have looked at human rights in ways that no other course has shown (more to be seen in my paper!!). I think we will all leave (at least) slightly more depressed then when we walked in the first day, yet far more enlightened.
In terms of course layout I wish we had had a little less time with all the theory and gotten to spend more time looking at case studies, which I think we sadly because of a lack of time just skimmed over. The three hour classes were great for having plenty of time to get into group discussions and really have a chance to talk things out. I loved the freedom we had in our case studies. It was really nice for me personally to take the time to read up on Chiapas before I head there in January! I hope that next year there will be a course to follow this up as I think there is so much more to explore.
Jon thanks so much for Monday night it was a really great way to end the term. A highlight for sure! Also please keep in touch about Latin American Studies as I really would like to do something to create more of a community.
tag: last301
In terms of course layout I wish we had had a little less time with all the theory and gotten to spend more time looking at case studies, which I think we sadly because of a lack of time just skimmed over. The three hour classes were great for having plenty of time to get into group discussions and really have a chance to talk things out. I loved the freedom we had in our case studies. It was really nice for me personally to take the time to read up on Chiapas before I head there in January! I hope that next year there will be a course to follow this up as I think there is so much more to explore.
Jon thanks so much for Monday night it was a really great way to end the term. A highlight for sure! Also please keep in touch about Latin American Studies as I really would like to do something to create more of a community.
tag: last301
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Anti-Chavez Protest
CNN proudly boasted on its headlines yesterday that hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans were out on Saturday to rally in support of presidential candidate Manual Rosales. In the last poll Chavez led by 30 points but this rally is said to show that Rosales has the strength to win. It will be interesting to see what the results are!
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/americas/11/25/chavez.protest.ap/index.html
tag: last301
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/americas/11/25/chavez.protest.ap/index.html
tag: last301
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