Reading Down Memory Lane

Hello! I started thinking, "what was I reading exactly a year ago?" and realized I could answer that by just looking at my old posts! I did so and found that I was in between finishing 1Q84 and starting Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, both by my favorite Haruki Murakami. It's so weird looking back at my posts, I hope everyone enjoys them as much as I do! :-P.

I've been having such a literary few days, reading non-stop! Especially now that my most special friend Alex is reading the Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson; he loves it! I've been finishing up Nabokov's Pale Fire, which hasn't gotten any less crazyy...in fact, the opposite!. In class today we discussed the novel as being an example of an extremely unreliable text. Charles Kinbote, the narrator, is a self-appointed editor and commentator to John Shade's poem, both of which (the poem and the notes) make up the novel. It is apparently very possible that one of the two characters is made-up by the other (who is doing the making-up is not even clear!). Kinbote is often referred to by other characters as insane or deranged, so perhaps it is him that is making up the story, and that would put Shade's poem in the shadow of doubt; who really wrote the poem? More so, what is the poem really about? As a commentator, Kinbote hopes to illuminate the "true" nature of the poem as a retelling of the exiled king of his homeland, the (fictional) Zembla. Apparently, Kinbote is said king (or he thinks he is…if K. exists at all!) Both Kinbote and the King are named Charles, and he seems to know personal details of the Beloved King's exile and escape. Or is he just crazy?

The funny thing is, many of his comments in this way make sense; the poem does have what seem to be references to the king, whom a group of Revolutionary assassins called The Shadows want to kill. This even though Shade, the purported author of the poem, is American, knows nothing of Zembla (apart from what Charles Kinbote has relayed), and seems to be writing more about his own life and the meaning of it. Plus, we don't seem to get too much about Shade in the commentaries--Kinbote talks a lot about himself/the King. Still, Kinbote's comments make sense, sometimes!

It is a funny and fun read, though sometimes a little frustrating. It is a short read and I should be finishing with it today, which is great! I can't wait to finish Oscar Wao, which has been as great to read as it was the first time. Totally hilarious and engrossing, Junot Diaz's novel spans two (/three) generations of a Dominican family and is set both in America and in the D.R. The novel is a must-read, especially for lovers of contemporary fiction. Diaz is immediately recognizable for his colloquial style of writing, with curse words and spanglish all over the place! It's great!

Anyways I just wanted to write a little update after reading old and exciting posts. :) I'm off to read!