Hello Everyone,
My name is Melika Niki, and I am pleased to be starting this course to learn about Latin American Literature. I do not have a large amount of background knowledge on the subject, but I was persuaded into this course over other literature requirements at UBC. I expect this course to be informative yet engaging in different ways due to the learning style.
I can not wait to make new friends, have thoughtful conversations, and get to know everyone else over the course of this term. For those wanting to get to know me, let me introduce myself. I am a second-year student majoring in sociology. I am from North Vancouver but grew up in North Vancouver and Coquitlam. My family is originally from Iran, but I was born here in Vancouver. My hobbies include figure skating and snowboarding, but I also enjoy games like puzzles. I finished five puzzles over the winter break this year, which was one of my favourite indoor activities.
This week's lecture was primarily an introduction to the course, stating the objectives that are set and what we will gain as learning outcomes through time with active participation. With these goals, we will learn how to appreciate and learn from literature. However, it is essential to note that this literature is not classified as white men from the 19th century because we are not learning about history but rather the literature itself. Literature can not escape history, just like we can not escape history, but it is important to dive deeper and look through the text, not just within its context or time frame.
In class, we also mentioned how literature is at play. It is ever-changing, and as stated in the online lecture, “there are constraints and limits to every game”(10:41). These constraints can include a handful of things such as gender, geography, history, and context, but there is still a lot to explore within the text. I am interested in learning what is inherently different from Latin literature that we may not find in other areas of literature. Personally, I do not have enough background knowledge. Therefore, my anticipations and associations with Latin American literature may be far from what I will end up actually learning. However, it may not even matter at all what genre of literature we are reading because it is socially constructed and does not need meaningless significance imposed towards it.
Discussion question:
My question for you is what your favourite genre of book is? Mine is romance novels. I adore love stories and romantic books about couples whether it is enemies to lovers or any other customary form. With so many genres such as fiction, thriller, fantasy, action, etc. I want to know your absolute favourite.
Hi Melika,
ReplyDeleteGreat post and nice to meet you! To answer your question, my favourite genre would have to be historical fiction. I love the merging of fact and account with fiction and embellishment; I also hope to see some of these qualities in our readings this term. S
Hi Melika! Thank you for your post as it was very nice to read. I also have little background knowledge on Latin American literature but am really excited to see what we learn from the course! In regards to your question, I also love romance novels as I find them very lighthearted and adoring to read. If I had to choose a single trope to read, I would probably say friends to lovers, with one of my ultimate favourite romance books being "the cheat sheet" by Sarah Adams.
ReplyDeleteThanks again and I'm excited to be in class with you!
Hey Melika
ReplyDeleteIt was nice reading you indroduction and getting to know a little about yourself. I also love snowboarding! BC is just the perfect place for it. To answer the discussion question; my favourite book (and movie) genre would have to be dystopian fiction. I think the content that comes from these kinds of works is very thought provoking and helps me consider idea I would have otherwise not come up with.