SPAN 312

This week I read Robert Bolaño’s Distant Star. I read the book outside with Jordan and Daisy and I must say we enjoyed reading it (especially with the sun shining). The book was certainly dark in its elements of murder and violence, however it remained thought provoking. The book reminded me of stories I used to read as a child such as Nancy Drew given its mystery tone. I also enjoyed the way in which the story was told, and in the beginning I found the narrator themselves to be mysterious and at times confusing. The narrator not only described the scene but also played an active role in the story, which resulted in an engaging experience for me as the reader. I found myself trying to discover their name or story throughout the book. Having this type of narrator also seemed to shape how I perceived the other characters. We gain their thoughts, internal voices, dislikes and opinions on every page, this active narrator certainly persuaded me how I interpreted characters such as Wieder. I...

  Reading Pedro Paramo by Juan Rulfo this week was certainly easier to follow then last week's readings, and I enjoyed being able to feel as though I could understand and unpack the writing. Unlike last week's reading, the confusion I felt while reading Pedro Paramo felt more narrator based confusion rather than philosophical.  From my initial understanding of the story as I read, it begins with a story of a man in search of his father. As you read you begin to understand the reasoning behind his search for his father as a request of his dying mother. Something I did find a little shocking was how the story shifted from being centered around the young man to being centered around his father. This shift between lives continued and caused a sort of circular feeling to the text that gave it a lot of differing perspectives. The shift in direction and perspective made it engaging to understand who is narrating. Additionally, descriptions of the town in which the story takes place ...