SPAN 397: Reflective Narrative
The objective of this independent study was the analysis of some classic novels in Mexican literature. The goal was to see the evolution of Mexican literature and the different styles and subjects that the authors picked to write their stories.
The professor recommended to me a series of Mexican novels and I studied their story plots, characters, settings, and themes. The novels that he chose were El Periquillo Sarniento, El Zarco, Balún Canaan, Los de Abajo, Santitos, Como Agua Para Chocolate, La Tumba, and Aura. Then the odyssey started from the first novel published in Mexico (El Periquillo Sarniento) to modern novels whit themes of the last decades (Santitos, La Tumba).
This class helped me to see the different style of the writers and how the themes in the novels have become more complex. The first novels talked more about romantic and heroic situations while the modern novels emphasized more on social aspects of their characters.
A very important aspect of reading literature from different times is that we can see how society itself has evolved. In some of the early novels in Mexican Literature we can see how some values were considered very important, such as absolute obedience, and defined roles as husbands and wives. The idea of machismo, as a bad concept, was not developed during that time and was even glorified. With the evolution of societies and the globalization of the world, those ideas have changed at least from today’s point of view, and we can see those changes through literature when we read the different plots and the different way that the characters think.
Another interesting feature of the comparison of the literary works is that we can see how Mexico itself has changed. The narratives of these writers could transport us to the different places and time where the characters are living their adventures. Then we can be part of an army of rebels in the Mexican Revolution or a woman that is trying to understand her place in a most modern society with a machismo heritage ideology.
This is a course were I had the opportunity to explore literature at my own pace. For my final work I turned in a series of essays and analysis with my perceptions and opinions about the pieces that I read. This is a course that I strongly recommend for people that like to read and have an interest in to exploring the different facets of Mexican literature. It is really helpful as well to understand Mexican idiosyncrasies through Mexico’s own literature, in its own words.
The professor recommended to me a series of Mexican novels and I studied their story plots, characters, settings, and themes. The novels that he chose were El Periquillo Sarniento, El Zarco, Balún Canaan, Los de Abajo, Santitos, Como Agua Para Chocolate, La Tumba, and Aura. Then the odyssey started from the first novel published in Mexico (El Periquillo Sarniento) to modern novels whit themes of the last decades (Santitos, La Tumba).
This class helped me to see the different style of the writers and how the themes in the novels have become more complex. The first novels talked more about romantic and heroic situations while the modern novels emphasized more on social aspects of their characters.
A very important aspect of reading literature from different times is that we can see how society itself has evolved. In some of the early novels in Mexican Literature we can see how some values were considered very important, such as absolute obedience, and defined roles as husbands and wives. The idea of machismo, as a bad concept, was not developed during that time and was even glorified. With the evolution of societies and the globalization of the world, those ideas have changed at least from today’s point of view, and we can see those changes through literature when we read the different plots and the different way that the characters think.
Another interesting feature of the comparison of the literary works is that we can see how Mexico itself has changed. The narratives of these writers could transport us to the different places and time where the characters are living their adventures. Then we can be part of an army of rebels in the Mexican Revolution or a woman that is trying to understand her place in a most modern society with a machismo heritage ideology.
This is a course were I had the opportunity to explore literature at my own pace. For my final work I turned in a series of essays and analysis with my perceptions and opinions about the pieces that I read. This is a course that I strongly recommend for people that like to read and have an interest in to exploring the different facets of Mexican literature. It is really helpful as well to understand Mexican idiosyncrasies through Mexico’s own literature, in its own words.
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