Blog #14 - Conclusions
So this is it, huh? I normally find myself more than done with courses by the last week of the semester… but I am finding myself feeling quite bittersweet when reflecting on the process of this course. And to be honest, I wish it didn’t have to end. Of all of the courses I have taken, I think this is in the top 3 courses that I have truly enjoyed. It was a course I could truly just dive into without stressing about answering the “right way”. I learned through the perspectives of others, through the very educational lectures by Jon, and from the questions and conversations posed in class.
This course provided a range of handpicked novels that were not only truly enjoyable to read, but that educated us along the way about many relevant themes across Latin America. Before taking SPAN 312, not only had I not intentionally picked up a novel to read and enjoy for the last 10 years, I had never intentionally picked up a novel written by a Latin American author. I feel really proud to say that because of this course, I have now done both. Through this course, I have seen a glimpse of the history of Latin America, and it really emphasizes that I need to dive deeper and develop more of an understanding about the history of other countries in Latin America.
Thank you Jon and Daniel, for the effort, time, and care you have put into this course, and in turn… put into us. Daniel — thank you for always responding to our blog posts in such an insightful and gentle way (even if we post at 11:59pm…sorry), and Jon, thank you for the engaging lectures, the thoughtful drink pairings, and the incredible amount of care you’ve put into this course. You turned what started as a prerequisite for my degree into a course I really looked forward to each week. Thank you for sparking my love of reading again.
And so this game of hopscotch is done… we have jumped from the first square, all the way to the end and back again. So where now? I guess we can turn around and start all over again…
My final question for discussion: If you were to continue reading Latin American literature, which book would you read next? Would you reread one of the novels from the course? Would you choose a book written by one of the authors you were introduced to?
We finished the course... and you did very well! You have every reason to be proud of yourself. That is the "right way" to approach this type of literature, with love for reading. I will miss reading your ideas about what you are discovering, thanks for sharing them with all of us. And if you are still curious about other literary works, do not hesitate to contact us!
ReplyDeleteWhen I first registered for this course, I had guessed based on the title that Hopscotch by Julio Cortázar would be one of the readings. Like some of the other books we've read, it's one that I have a copy of that I've been meaning to read for a while but haven't gotten around to. So that's my answer for where I would be interested to go next in Latin American literature.
ReplyDeleteI also find myself having a hard time letting go of this course! To answer your question, I actually already have my next read: "El amor en los tiempos de colera" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I loved "A hundred year of solitude" so I KNEW another one of his books were the next read for me.
ReplyDeleteHi Cadence! I feel the same way about the carefully curated set of texts we got to read, really quite an impactful set of books. I’m actually not sure what I read next though, I feel like after some time has passed there will be a certain author that sticks around in my mind more than others and I’ll go that route.
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