Strangehold of English Lit.

The definition of strangehold, in case you didn't know, means complete or overwhelming control. It seems relevant doesn't it, that since The US and Britain have been leaders on this earth for so long, in terms of economics, politics, and industrialization, that they would also be leaders in the ways of literature. Both countries are both famously known for going to foreign lands and attempting to convert others to their (our) ways of thinking. Religion would probably be the most controversial and popular ideal that was imposed on others. So it comes to know surprise to me that English Literature has also been the most imposed and passed around literature there could possibly be in this world.

The white people (as a race) have had less problems to deal with through the course of history then probably any other race on the face of the earth and therefore probably have the most relatable literature possible. The books and novels are not like ones from other continents where peoples are dealing with racial issues, collapsing governments (or lack thereof), natural disasters, etc. It has always seemed to me that countries outside the US go through much more struggles than us, and so in turn have much more to document in terms of writing. The writing would of course be layered in meanings and come from a voice that has truly undergone struggles.

Don't get me wrong, English Literature is a great thing by far, but I think it's safe to say that much of it is comprised of romance, (aka Jane Austen) drama, mysteries, and science fiction, not personal struggles. It is interesting to hear from another's view how the English Lit has affected the people who aren't English.

Esquivel: Como Agua Para Chocolate

This novel (and movie) was a real eye-opener into the realms of magical realism that is so common and famous in the Hispanic world. It puts a new light on the ideas of romance, lust, sadness, and depression. The story seems to involve the reader (much like The Continuity of Parks) because Tita's feelings often afflict the other characters, which in turn affects the reader's feelings.

The common theme of food and its important contribution to the plot is thoughtful and sensuously provoking. When Tita makes the quail in rose petal sauce, despite Mama Elena's disapproval of the gift from Pedro, the reader experiences the feelings Tita has because of the recipe for the dish. To me, the recipes were instructions of how one should feel during a certain occasion. The quail was the representation of the love Tita had for Pedro: the dish was so overwhelming to all who ate it that they also were filled with these burning desires. Even Tita's mother experienced the memories of love, somewhere inside her cold heart.

Sadness and depression consumed Tita for much of the novel. We felt this when she cried into the fondant for Rosaura's wedding cake and also when she lived with Doctor John and did not eat much. Esquivel introduces the idea of reading with your senses which in turn creates this magical realism that is hard to find anywhere else. It is the difference between eating store bought tomato sauce and noodles out of a box to homemade noodles made with fresh eggs and flour, real sauce with crushed tomatoes from the garden, and shaved parmesan reggiano. Not only does the latter taste much better, but the taste is left on your tongue long after you've already swallowed. Some might call it the difference between cheesecake made with tofu as opposed to cheesecake made with real sugar and butter.

Yes, the novel is dramatic in every way: every part of the story is comparable to a soap opera, but the difference is how it was told and how it is remembered. The fact that Gertrudis wanted to shower and caused a fire instead, ran away into the desert, and made love to a man while riding on the back of a horse is a very extreme way to express the lustfulness of a young girl. It was, however, most effective in getting the point across.

For the record, my boyfriend is a chef and HATES dramas, but loved the movie because of the way it tells the story of food.

Allende: Zorro

I thoroughly enjoyed this graphic novel, perhaps because it was of historical context or because the characters were real and genuinely heroic. Wagner, the artist, really captured the essence of putting characters in a heroic light, yet conveyed true feelings in a more casual illustration. He gave Diego and Bernardo their own unique facial expressions for each scene.

Allende gave the novel comical elements as well. "Mierda" and "Dios" especially were used often and the way Diega de la Vega acted like a "zorro" was excellent, by constantly using trickery against Sergeant Gonzales.

Although the scene of raping and killing Diego's mother proved difficult to swallow, the scene was necessary in order for Zorro to fully become the hero he was, for something so horrid would have to happen for him to want such revenge.

The novel was a definite success in my view and I thank Allende for giving us readers such a thrilling legend!

There were actually two images in the novel that I though to be most epic. The first was the traditional Spanish garb he had changed into in order to reenter his old home, accompanied by the large image of himself dressed in black garb behind it, almost life size. The other was the large portrait of him atop Tornado, rearing back on his hind legs in the full moon. The image is so overwhelming. One would never see that nowadays!

Borges: King of Puzzles

Jorge Borges is a writer that is able to illustrate a puzzle with the power of words. He needn’t use pictures because then our minds would not have as much creative leisure. Though each of his three short stories contains depictions of murder, he creates a worthwhile journey and a shocking surprise at the end. The plots are so well-rendered that it seems to not matter when death occurs: it’s almost as good as an addicting romance novel. (Did I just say that?)

In the short Emma Zunz, Emma is in a battle against herself. Her goal is to feel victimized by another even though she victimized herself. How does one contain feelings that only others have felt? Borges decides that it is actually possible for 3 and 3 to make 5, but you must subtract 1 first. Truth can be truth, but evidence must change sometimes. This is what is so fantastic about magical realism. I enjoy the fact that Borges’ characters can explore and discover, yet misinterpret and reinvent. Who ever heard of a person that tricked herself into thinking that she’d been raped? Why would a person even desire to feel such a horrid thing? Then again, the theme of revenge appears on the horizon and we understand.

The Garden of Forking Paths again illustrates the desperate journey one man will make so that he can communicate an important clue. In the end, it seems death will always make an appearance, perhaps because it is the most obvious method of getting one’s point across. Death even occurs when quite unnecessary. Borges’ character states, “It seemed incredible to me that day without premonition or symbols should be one of my inexorable death.” Is it bravery or stupidity that Yu Tsun knowingly fabricated his own death sentence? Let us say both: it makes for a more exciting story.

Baltasar Espinosa has replaced Jesus in a more modern tale of The Crucifixion: The Gospel According to Mark. Borges creates a plan for Espinosa to follow just as Jesus did. He demonstrates the battle of good versus evil, the thirst to learn and understand versus ignorance. The Bible teaches that Jesus died in order to save all people from their sins and to express the most ultimate form of love. He felt the most excruciating physical pain and died willingly though he did not have to do so. Unfortunately, Espinosa’s relatives were ignorant and misinterpreted the story for their own benefit. An individual in their right mind would lead by Jesus’ example instead of Pilate’s example; however, mankind has one more sin under its belt.

Marquez: The Cheesecake with Real Butter

Some very important lessons can be learned from reading "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" and also "The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World." Both contain similar, even opposing ideas in which things are not always as they should appear.

Unfortunately, most images that I have seen of angels are entirely surreal and divine. White and gold are most usually the dominant colors. If a non-typical angel fell from the sky and looked as if it belonged to a species of vermin, I would probably be alarmed at first. But I feel as if after getting to know the angel, I would change my feelings. Didn't people expect Jesus to be a royal king? To wear jewels and a crown? I always remember the story of Beauty and the Beast, the Disney version. "...a young prince had everything his heart desired: he was spoiled,

selfish, and unkind. But then, one winter's night,

an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away. But she warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within. And when he dismissed her again, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress. The prince tried to apologize, but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love in his heart. And as punishment, she transformed him into a hideous beast and placed a powerful spell on the castle."

What can be learned from treating those who look common and ordinary like filth? Hopefully, one can learn that it is always best to treat others the way you would want to be treated.

Marquez also made another very valid point when he wrote "The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World." In my own interpretation, helped along by my professor, I was asked how Estaban related to Playboy magazine. Because Estaban was dead, the only way to get to know him was through his physical being, his body. Possibly the women were so overcome with emotion because they had never been allowed to handle a man like this before. They could touch him with their hands and explore with their eyes. This is so similar to the purpose of Hugh Heffner's genius creation. Issue after issue, women pose scantily clad for the cover and nude on several inside pages. The concept is pretty direct: you can feast with your eyes. It might be best to have fun by yourself so that you can have a more intimate experience. This is a very one-dimensional way to look at things. Perhaps Marquez suggests that viewing the human body by lustness alone is a very shallow thing to do. Or possibly he is offended that people become so distracted with the idea of external beauty that they forget about internal beauty? However Marques really feels, I do share his feelings. Nobody is meant to be just a pretty picture.

Cortazar: Am I Dreaming?

The Continuity of Parks is a thought-provoking piece of work. I found it simply amazing that as a reader, I could involuntarily take part in the short story I was reading! Never before had this happened!

During the last scene in the story, el amante comes into the house and goes to the second floor where the narrator is sitting in the green velvet chair. This is a moment when only I, the reader, knows what will occur and the man in the chair doesn't!! As Palmer said, I, the reader, am also a stalker in the story because I have witnessed a private moment.

In my essay, I compared this moment to a painting I once studied in an Art History class. (It's amazing how literature and fine art go hand in hand!) The painting is titled "Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window, by Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer. We can assume the girl is in private by the almost mournful look on her face. She is in her bedroom, which may incline that the letter is from a lover. The most effective factor in this portrait is the sweeping curtain which crops part of the scene from view, as if I had intentionally stuck my head around the curtain for a better look. Because of this, we know that this scene is meant not to be seen; it was meant to be private. Like Cortazar has included the reader in the story, Vermeer has included the viewer in the painting. And I find this genius in the way the observer is actually participating! The Continuity of Parks will be a well-remembered piece of work.

Our Demeanor at Wakes is a piece of work that takes the pink elephant in the room and proudly displays it for all to see. What I mean is that Cortazar has taken human actions that most of us try to ignore or say we don't do, but do, and wrote an entire short story about it. He makes fun of the way people can be so hypocritical. Everyone can relate to the story because almost all people have at one time or another cast the first stone even though they were with sin.

Often I imitate my boyfriend while he's playing Call of Duty (an Xbox game where it's apparently required to cuss for every other word said and then shoot people as if in a war zone.) His behavior becomes so ridiculous and different than his usual nature, even though I'm sure he's just going with the crowd, that I start literally will mock him for it. And for some reason, he gives me the funniest look for doing so. Basically, I admire Cortazar for having the guts to make this commentary on the people that cannot really be themselves. (Wouldn't it be ironic if Cortazar actually went to wakes of people he didn't know and acted exactly as his characters had done?)

Cortazar's Axolotl itself is a dream. While reading it, I found myself being kept in a purgatory-like world where I was constantly on the verge of leaning towards both reality and imagination. When leaning towards this reality (some might call this the "literal meaning")I observed the narrator obsessing over the axolotl and letting the Aztec-looking creature consume him. He personified the character of the axolotl and created a world in which it had feelings. Was the axolotl really a human in disguise? Possibly the narrator wanted to escape his own world, so he created another where he could enter at any possible moment. This reminds me of Alice in Wonderland. Alice was quite bored with her own world, so she invented one with extraordinary people and exotic places. Perhaps the narrator will become so engulfed with his own thoughts that he will forget about what is really real. It's like a disease: if his mind tells him he is an axolotl, he will become one and will see himself as one.

The aforementioned perspective says that the narrator believes he is an axolotl, but on the contrary, I would also say he is one and has truly become the axolotl. I can empathize with the narrator though. Often while reading a good book, I really want to be the character and feel what he or she is feeling. Good or bad. Every time I read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, I wish I could feel what Harry feels when he finally realizes that he must give himself up for death and no one else can help him. Can you imagine feeling this way? Additionally the Harry Potter series has a literal meaning and numerous metaphorical meanings that can relate to daily life.

I also wanted to consider the narrator. This was mentioned in class I believe, but is the narrator's sex male or female? I often picture a narrator with a vague sexual identity with the sex of the author. In this situation, the narrator is Cortazar himself. Ironically, when he personifies the axolotl, he says that the salamander wished a man would write a story about axolotls. Does this conclude that Cortazar is looking through the glass at himself? Or is he looking at his own reflection? I suppose this may be a short story where the conclusion is in the hands of the reader and is open to interpretation.

Response to Popol Vuh

The Popol Vuh, in a way, represents everything I believe. But also, it speaks of stories and characters that I know cannot be true. I relate to this story because it is quite similar to the story of creation from Genesis that I was taught from the Bible. And also the story tells of things that I firmly believe in, but may be entirely fictional. For example, Chapters 1-5 speak of several gods, one for each different aspect of creation it seems. Christianity has always taught that there is only one god, and that to honor any other god is a sin. Hmm.

Fortunately, most everyone can relate to the creation story because it speaks of humans, which is what we are. All humans have ancestors and might even share some many of the first ancestors; so in this way, the story is relatable to most anyone or anything that breathes.

Yes, I was taught that God (the Creator) made the heavens and earth, the animals, sky, sea, land, and humans. God took dust from the earth to make Adam, the first man, and took a rib from Adam to make his female companion, Eve. The Popol Vuh speaks of an entirely different story. I find it amusing that in this account of creation, the Creator had a "trial, an attempt at man." And there was also a flood in which the Creator wiped out the sinner just as their was in Genesis.

So that;s enough of me making observations from the Popol Vuh. I wanted to say that reading this has broadened my mind to different takes on the creation story, let alone religion. I respect these beliefs because religion is often the foundation for which many communities, such as the Mayans or Aztecs stick together. In addition, I find it refreshing to see cultures passionate about their beliefs; however, I start to get confused when there are so many gods for different purposes.

I did enjoy how epic the stories were. It is surprising how often murder occurs thousands of years ago. It's as normal as can be. And I did like the reference to the humans looking like monkeys. Was this a nod to the topic of evolution or are they even related?

These chapters make for very good reading, but are hard to take seriously because they are definitely fictional.