490 Final Blog
This course has been one to remember. Although there is still a foul taste in my mouth from some of the texts we have read this semester – for example, Eva Luna, yeah I know, even after this long! – they were all worth reading for the experience of understanding why literature is bad. I think it is really important to be able to critique a piece of literature well, instead of simply stating that the book was bad because it was bad, boring, or cheesy. This course reiterated to me that you must understand the bad to apreciate the good, something that is at times anoying and frustrating to do, but I think essential. Who likes to read crap? Nobody. But after doing so, I definitely have a greater appreciation for a well written piece of literature. Taking this course along with Span 365 was very interesting for this reason. In the same week Id be reading the gem “Cien Anos de Soledad” por Gabriel Garcia Marquez in Span 365 and “Corazón Salvaje” o “10 años con Mafalda” in Span 490. A contrast unlike any other in my books. Because of this, I have literally put Cien Años on a pedestal at my house. I bow down to a photo of Gabo every night.. .. wait maybe ive gone too far … anyways you catch my drift. As ive mentioned before, the blogs have been great. One thing that was a little strange was that no one ever read my blogs OR commented on them! Maybe because I could never get that *ping to work properly OR more likely they just failed to catch peoples attention. But dont worry, I only cried for 30 minutes total over the semester in regards to this issue. The classroom environment was really good too. I felt like we got to know each other fairly well thoughout the semester which makes for a much more enjoyable learning environment. The debates were a good time too. It;s always fun to argue passionately over something we do not agree with. I had to play Devils advocate in every debate, and usually I was on the side explaining how these crappy books were not so crappy! Hard to do – (think Allende) . Anyways this is my last blog, so hope u enjoyed the read as much as I enjoyed to write it. See ya later.
10 comments:
"no one ever read my blogs OR commented on them!"
You poor thing... Well, I read them, a least. And here's a comment!
And as to your question "Who likes to read crap?" Haven't we seen that the answer isn't "Nobody," but in fact lots of people like to read "crap"? And perhaps there are good reasons for that, as well as bad ones.
All hail to the cult of Gabo!!
Who likes to read crap?!?!?!
Well...
Have you ever passed by a magasine stand? Have you ever seen a Vancouver newspaper? Have you ever glanced at the first dozen shelves at Chapters books?
Somebody reads this drivel. I know that on several occasions I've been cought scanning the outrageous headlines of the Vancouver Sun, or better yet.... the Province <<< shutter >>> (good sportspage though!!!)
I did enjoy reading your last blog, and sadly, I too was one of the many victims of the boring, unread blogs. Pity.
"Who likes to read crap?" - I liked this....but I have to disagree, I know a lot of people that like to read 'crap' at least by my standards of 'crap'. As far as I am concerned, any romance novel that you can find in the check-out line at the grocery store is crap (for example), but I cannot help but to think that these books sell for the very placement of them within a store where you impulse buy your way right through the grocery store. Or at least I do (shameful smile here)....similarly, why do so many people read smutty (crappy) magazine? Its because the put them right where you are at your weakest moment, while you wait to be rung up and then you figure, "oh, what is a few extra twonies?" Too bad grocery stores don't stock the 'good stuff' - i.e. classics. Maybe we would be a well-read society if that were the case.
Hi Blake,
A couple things I loved about this blog entry, well wait actually three so that'd be a few, not a couple but whatever, I digress.
Thing 1:
I skimmed your latest entries and you have so many comments now! So super. I was lame and probably should have expanded my blog reading horizons outside of the people who sit within a one chair radius of me. Anyway, I hope your tears are dried up now!
Thing 2:
I totally agree about the needing to be exposed to the bad to appreciate the good (see my inane comparison to one of my mix CDs on my blog haha).
Thing 3:
I have been so totally jealous of everyone reading Cien años de soledad this term. I have tried to read this book before and I jsut couldn't get into it, I was so frustrated with all the people with their same names and it seemed like while lots was happening nothing was happening. I'm sure this isn't the case as it is such a well-loved and "good" piece of literature, and that's why I was like Ugh! I want to be reading that in JBM's other class too! Plus it looked like you had a lot of time set out to look at it, and its so much better when you don't have to rush through a big whammy of a book like that. Anyway, I'm envious of your love for this book.
The end, look, that comment was so long it's like I made up for the lack of comments before!
Gillian
wow, look how many comments you have now. I am sure your blog's weren't boring, it was the *ping thing. Poor Blake, don't cry. I just got stuck reading the same blogs every week, tried to branch out a little, but I think I read more blog's in English as I was too lazy read in Spanish. Terrible I know.
I agree with you, I also think it is important to be able to critique literature, and this course was definitely helpful in teaching these skills. I am sorry though, that Eva Luna left such a "foul taste" in your mouth... maybe you should have read it instead of eaten it.
no, seriously though, I guess you're right, it wasn't that great of a book.
as for "who likes to read crap", apparently millions of people as the books we read were bestsellers. Apparently, the Alchemist "changed the lives of millions of it's readers".
By the way, I have also built a shrine to Cien Anyos.
Nazzie, what are you doing here? You're not even in this class!
I cringe seeing Anna Nicole Smith on 5 magazine covers (along with Brittney and Jessica Simpson). People who have the least importance in our lives seem to be covered pretty extensively. Even BBC posts stories about Anna, but at least they have the decency to not make it the leading story.
Ashea,
I have to challenge the assumption that the Alchemist changed peoples lives (I know it's not your assumption). I don't know one person, or have heard of one person, who changed their life because of this book. Out of the 40 million readers I'm sure there are a handful, but the perctentage has to be point zero, zero..something of the readers. Making the assumption a HUGE exageration.
i'm confused because i have seen comments on your blogs before! maybe they have amassed over the past week. or maybe your computer wasn't registering them? i don't know. but your blogs certainly merit comments, whether or not or when they have been written....
i really have to agree, even after nearly 4 months of distance between me and eva luna that is STILL the book that most irritates me. why? it's not that i liked esquivel's any better, or arlt's (definitely not). but somehow allende managed to get her silly wandering storyteller to crawl under my skin and poison me every time i think back to the nights i spent forcing myself to read the book. ugh. we should start a facebook group against it.
Dave, that was sarcasm. I guess it didn't translate, I should have added *insert eye rolling here :)
Cheers,
Ashea
yeah blake i agree completely, i feel foolish in judging the "worst book i ever read" for the reasons i did....
i remember when you said zorro by allende actually! funny that seems like forever ago now... :)
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