spanish but not really

 I want to start this post by saying that The Madwomen by Gabriela Mistral was the first of the books we've read that I actually really liked. As in, I want to buy my own copy and reread it until I feel I understand it. I'm not sure exactly what it is about this collection of poems that really resonated with me, but something about it did.  It's interesting to me how this is a collection of poems as opposed to a novel; I don't remember if the restriction to solely novels/novellas carried over to this course from RMST 202 last year, but it was something I noticed. I'm glad it's this way though because I think poetry can be just as, if not more, hard-hitting than novels, and are certainly an important part of literature. Poetry in translation can always be a tricky thing to navigate because inevitable you'll lose some of the layers and nuances behind each word selection and intentional rhythm when you change the language. That said, I find Latin American poetr...

 Mariano Azuela's "Underdogs" was an interesting novel. Touted as "the" novel of the Mexican Revolution, I can kinda see why. Personally, I'm not too familiar with the specifics of the Mexican Revolution, but I do know about other revolutions so I'll assume similar threads between them all. This novel offers an unconventional presentation of a revolutionary drive; while the traditional story that is often mythologised and taught in schools and media posits that revolutionaries are firstly and foremostly passionate about "the cause" - whatever that might mean - this isn't always the case. I actually really liked seeing the growing unbotheredness over the course of the novel. I personally am a touch cynical and have never believed that all revolutionaries were as dedicated as history classes tell us and honestly, I feel slightly validated by seeing that this was indeed the case sometimes.  I thought the nicknames were a fun part of the novel,...