Hi!

 Hi!

    I'm Dee, I'm a first year student and right now am hoping to major in linguistics but honestly, me dropping out or switching programs to focus on my art is still not out of the question. Truthfully, literature isn't usually my thing, but as I have to fufill my requirement I decided to take this course as opposed to one solely based around English literature. I have been learning Spanish for years (and ironically am taking Latin this term) so taking another course not centered around English seemed fitting. Of course, the class is going to be reading in English and I am really curious about the differences between the translated and original versions of books we are reading. I think that when you translate a text you usually lose something. To me, it feels a little odd to try to make a decision on whether these texts possibly contain similarities because of their linguistic heritage when we are unable to read them in their original languages to begin with. From a stance purely about the texts themselves and the stories they tell, are we not risking losing meaning through translation? At the same time, as the lecture says, it makes sense to not study this topic in a romance language. English, is a mess of a language in many ways but by being this mess it becomes a perfect candidate to further the goal of romance studies. 

    I am also just excited to be reading some interesting books. I looked up literally every book on the list and I am looking forward to seeing what they have in store. I don't have a particular theme or anything I am intrigued about, I am really just curious about the writing in general. As an artist I feel like books, in a way, are often works of art themselves and I am curious how my own art may be affected as I reflect on the readings. I don't really know what to think of the topic of romance studies as a whole yet, it is quite a lot to take in, but I expect that I am going to enjoy the class and the discussions we will have. 

Comments

  1. UnknownJanuary 11, 2022 at 8:05 PM

    Hi Dee! I also think you really lose something or meaning gets misinterpreted when you translate text. I'm interested to see how we work around that or at least acknowledge those effects. Great post!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mackenzie Dewar-PrattJanuary 11, 2022 at 8:06 PM

    Hi Dee! I'm also really interested about the implications of translation on our understanding of the novels we read in class and hope we have some class discussion centred around this. Some concepts are nearly impossible to translate into other languages or don't quite convey the same emotion when translated. I too am excited to finally get to read some interesting books, perhaps even with characters we can resonate with (I can't say I often relate to readings from my other social science based classes. Good luck with your first year, you're almost done!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Shrouded Woman/ La Amortajada

This is the first book in a while that I have sat down to start reading, and only got back up when I was done. The entire novella felt poetic, I adored the flow of the writing and it felt very easy to read in comparison to the two other books we have read so far. Along with that, I think reading something from a woman's point of view drew me in as someone who has been raised as one. While reading I went through a variety of emotions but often I just felt sad for Ana Maria, and all of the other women in the story. As Ana recalls memories from her life it becomes obvious the role women had in society at that time. Also, the constant comparisons between female characters. I could be mistaken but not once was a man's appearance described as in-depth as a woman's. Beauty, entirely defined by what men were attracted to, was constantly discussed. Contrary to the gender roles, which are less dramatically oppressive now, the male gaze is definitely as strong as ever so these parts o...
Read more

Bonjour Tristesse

     I am so glad that the past few weeks I have consistently enjoyed the books we have read. Bonjour Tristesse was filled with what reminded me a lot of high school drama. In reality I believe it was the results of both Cecile, the narrator and Raymond, her father struggling to let go of their youth. Anne, Raymond's latest fling turns out to be the change they both needed but Cecile especially did not want to accept into her life. Cecile begins the novella as a ignorant and honestly somewhat spoiled girl. She dislikes that the life she enjoyed living with her father is being changed by Anne, especially after she and Raymond decide to marry. It's not uncommon for kids to be upset when their parents remarry eventually but Cecile's plan to try to sabotage their relationship felt like a lot. I think she knew she was wrong, her frequent switches between feeling remorseful to guilty made it clear that part of her knew Anna was not actually that bad to have in her life. I was e...
Read more

Amulet, Roberto Bolaño

      One of the wonderful things I have realized throughout this course is that, despite how I have been often made to feel throughout other literature classes, it is not always necessary to pick out every detail and hidden theme from a book. I am all for analyzing stuff but I've noticed while reading and writing these blogs that often it really isn't necessary.  Roberto Bolaño's Amulet  was another great example of this for me. Last week I read The Trenchcoat  and learned about an awful situation that I had not known anything about previously. This week I also found myself learning something new and once again questioning why the American school system taught me literally nothing about other countries' history. I am sure I could have found some underlying things throughout this novel but just reading it and understanding the situation was enough.      Amulet  was a novel narrated by Auxilio who hides in a bathroom stall as UNAM is...
Read more