Alex's RMST Blog

Joseph Zobel's "Black Shack Alley," originally the French work "La Rue Cases-Nègres," translated into English by Keith Q. Warner, offers readers a deep insight into the harsh realities of post-slavery Martinique through the eyes of its protagonist, José. Set against the backdrop of poverty, oppression, and resilience, the novel paints a real picture of life in the shanty towns and sugarcane fields of the French Indies. "Black Shack Alley" is primarily an autobiographical story that follows the journey of José, a role model for Zobel, and M'man Tine, his grandmother, and guardian. Through their stories and the stories of other black people living in poverty, Zobel sheds light on the hardships, customs, and spirituality of a group of people who were once slaves of the rich French during this sad and desperate time period. The distinctive quality of Zobel's work is his inventive storytelling approach. Zobel deeply explores the lives of the oppres...

   Life, Death, and Cinematic Montage in María Luisa Bombal's "The Shrouded Women" The line between the known and the paranormal is blurred in María Luisa Bombal's book "The Shrouded Woman," offering an intriguing exploration of life after death. The story revolves around a women, Ana María's death. Though her body is dead, Ana María's awareness is alive, enabling her subconscious  to observe people who were once her family t he grieving of her death . Through the protagonist Ana María, who lies dead yet conscious in her casket, Bombal uses a cinematic montage method, contrasting aspects of the real world with the portrayed mysterious world of death. The story is told through a series of disjointed memories in which Ana María recalls important events in her life. This disconnected storytelling approach is similar to the montage method of filmmaking, which contrasts unrelated sequences to form a cohesive whole. Ana María has conflicting interpretation...

 Illustrative parts of Nadja This book explores the fascination of a man who meets Nadja, an intriguing woman while strolling through Paris. His interactions with her and the deep insights he gains about her shape the story. This book stands out to me because of its unique structure, which effectively integrates well-written narration with captivating illustrations and artwork. "Nadja" adds visual components that support and improve the narrative in a written novel, where text is always so dominant. I find the use of graphic images in the novel refreshing to see as it is very unusual in novels for adults. The change from a typical novel not only attracted my attention but also took me back to the children's books such as Dr. Sues and Robert Munch books I read as a kid, given how long it's been since I saw illustrations in books.  The inclusion of images in "Nadja" serves a dual purpose. First of all, it gives the story a depth of artistic complexity that enh...

This week’s reading, Marcel Proust’s Combray, was very challenging for me to get through. This book was very different compared to anything I'm used to reading. With the book's heavy details and symbolism, I had a very hard time trying to stay engaged and focused throughout my reading. I became confused following the timeline and location after reading a few paragraphs. I found myself having to re-read pages multiple times for me to semi-understand what was going on. I felt like I was only scanning the words and being left confused, more than I was reading and taking in the knowledge of the book. The book was really heavy. The author uses detailed sentences and vivid descriptions to manage the jumbled memories from dreams.  Even though I had trouble reading Combray, there were some interesting moments in which I understood Marcel Proust's complex world. Though difficult to understand at the beginning, when I understood what Proust was writing it painted a very clear image i...

 Hello, my name is Alex La Vecchia, I'm a first-year student here at UBC currently in arts. I was born and raised in Ottawa Canada. I'm a massive sports guy and I'm on the UBC football team, I have also played hockey my entire life.  I come from a big Italian family with all four of my grandparents being born in Italy and immigrating to Canada between the 1960s-1970s. Growing up in my Italian family has shaped my identity and values. Along with the great homecooked meals and large holiday gatherings, my family has made me into the man I am today. Growing up a hockey player in my family with my two younger also hockey players was cool. We were always competing and we brought out the best in each other. We are huge Ottawa Senators fans- even though they are terrible, we are loyal. Around 2 years ago I switched to a football player and it was the greatest decision of my life and is the reason I am here today. I'm a New Orleans Saints fan and a Drew Brees idolizer. Brees is...