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Week 2: Mama Blanca’s Memoirs

 Hello blog readers,


The reading for this week was Mama Blanca’s Memoirs by Teresa de la Parra. As my first official blog post for this class, I was unsure of what to write about, but the foreword of the novel led me to have questions I wanted to rehash throughout this post. 


In the foreword, we are introduced to Mama Blanca and this young girl who ended up getting the memories after Mama Blanca’s death. This young girl then became the editor of the text as she and Mama Blanca became close friends, even though Mama Blanca was a much older woman, old enough to be her grandmother. Which made me question what made their relationship so special. This could be because the young girl truly enjoyed spending time with her, unlike her own kids. Mama Blanca and this young girl took walks together, played piano together, and Mama Blanca even passed down wisdom to the young girl with her memories and stories before giving her the manuscript.


This confused me as the novel was dedicated to Mama Blanca’s children and grandchildren, not the young girl specifically, but still, her kids did not get the manuscript. Why was that? Was it their judgment towards Mama Blancas social class or their history growing up? The text states that “it is dedicated to my children and grandchildren, but I know that if it came into their hands they would smile tenderly and say: One of Mama Blanca's whims, and they wouldn't even bother to open it. It was written for them, but I am leaving it to you. You read it if you want to, but don't show it to anybody”(12). Initiating that this manuscript was unique, but so was their relationship. Mama Blanca stated that “This is the portrait of my memory. I leave it in your hands. Keep it a few years more in my memory” (12). Memories were a majority of what we saw throughout the text, so it is interesting to have Mama Blanca mention it to the young girl as she leaves her life work to her.


The theme of memory was definitely a central theme throughout the novel. We were looking back on past moments through Blanca Nieves's childhood. We were taken through the stories from the child’s perspective. For example, how her mother treated her differently than her sisters due to her hair. Curly hair almost was published as a sin, which Blanca is still nostalgic about, as it is mentioned in various points of the text. 


Question: 

Overall, I found the foreword interesting, and I still wonder whether or not it was a betrayal for the girl to publish Mama Blanca’s work even after her death. Do you think it was justified for the young girl to publish Mama Blanca’s work to have her memory persist? Or was it a betrayal? 



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Comments

  1. JonJanuary 16, 2023 at 2:48 PM

    I address the issue of betrayal in my video lecture... did you find that helpful?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MelikaJanuary 16, 2023 at 2:55 PM

      Yes, thank you. These were just thoughts while reading the novel itself.

      Delete
  2. nicholasJanuary 16, 2023 at 5:36 PM

    Hi Melika!
    I share your interests. I found myself very intrigued by the forward and the preface of the book - before I really knew which direction the editor/Blanca would take us in. So I'm glad you brought up these thoughts!
    I think it was certainly betrayal (because how could it not be when she is doing something specifically asked not to do), however the act in my eyes was perhaps one of the most moral and wise things she could do with what she had - given that we are here today being mystified yet drawn in by the fantastic memory-led storytelling of what otherwise would have "died with her".
    Thanks for bringing this up!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sam WallaceJanuary 16, 2023 at 6:04 PM

    Great post. I thought the issue of betrayal was well captured in the text and in your post. I believe it has to do with generational differences concerning a clash of old and new ideas on privacy, class and memory.

    ReplyDelete

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