365 so far...

so far i have enjoyed certain aspects of the class and found others a little difficult. although i think we all have some background on magical realism, this class really delves into it in great detail. after first reading Asturias i definitely felt a little worried about what was to come as i found Asturias very difficult to understand and follow with vocabulary i had never encountered before. i didn’t really enjoy leyendas de Guatemala as much as i thought i would. i didn’t understand enough of it to really get into and enjoy it.

i was happy when we moved on from Asturias de Carpentier. although the vocabulary was also difficult in el reino de este mundo, i found the storyline much easier to follow (as there was an actual storyline this time and not just a collection of short stories or legends as in leyendas de Guatemala) and i enjoyed getting to know the characters. i especially enjoyed the fact that the story was completely based on real people and real events (with the exception of Ti Noel) and i consider it a great way to learn of the Haitian Revolution and the events that took place. i really learned a lot that from reading this book and it was great to read it in this context rather than in a history book. the magical realism in the book was interesting to read and also helped me understand the importance of magical realism in latin America.

i find our classroom discussions very helpful in understanding what we have just read (especially since i have had such difficulty with the vocabulary in our first two books). i like to hear other people’s opinions for it helps me open my mind to different outlooks on the subject that we are discussing that i had not considered earlier. i do find it difficult to keep up with the blog though. i have never kept a blog before and i usually forget we even have to do it until 10pm on Sundays. it is helpful though to have everyone’s opinions displayed on one website. it also helps to understand the readings.

so far i have enjoyed this class and the readings. i find the format pretty good although there is often a lot to keep up with with the blogs and Wikipedia pages. i do really look forward to reading cien anos de soledad although i suspect it will also be a challenge for me.