Monday, February 4, 2008

Well, this week seems to be a continuation of last week's readings. More to the plot is happening, but still does not seem to be in any definate direction yet. Can I copy and paste what I wrote last week to relate it to now?

So it will be interesting to see if Camilla dies or not, I feel I am just about to read about that. I wonder how it will change the story, if Angel Face becomes a suspect, as his position seems to vary. I do like reading the different perspectives on each person's actions. Since everyone talks in private, other characters are left to make assumptions or gossip about what is going on. Although we know of Angel Face's orders with Camilla and the general, others see him as committing crimes against the state. I think this is a bonus to Asturias' book in comparison to Facundo, in which we only had Sarmiento's viewpoint to learn from, Asturias lets us read from different perspectives and seems to be a much more rounded story. This helps give me the idea and feeling of living under a dictatorship, of nothing is what it seems, and what can you truly believe and from whom? Even trusted friends can turn their backs.

I continue to enjoy Asturias' vivid imagery, especially his description of Death, the Guardian Angel and the Devil on p 170. Generally, he manages to describe without overdoing it - keeping it interesting without getting lost in the smallest of scents and microdetails.

The chapter about the President's mail bag was cool as a stylistic diversion. What a bunch of snitches though. A bunch of people kissing ass to save their own, but I suppose in their situation it's for their betterment supposedly.

Perhaps this is a trend in Latin American literature - I still haven't found out about the title character yet, and the story does not seem at all focused on him, more so on the conequences of all his actions. This seems more to be a novel about the people than the government and history, but atleast the people are interesting with conspiracies, near death, and prostituition. I'll keep reading and I guess I'll find out more soon, if the President becomes a prominent character and of what happens to Angel Face.

1 comment:

jgraworth said...

I definitely agree with you about the benefits of knowing the perspectives of the different characters...seems to expand the overall picture. Various viewpoints allow us to understand how the dictatorship affected everyone, even the President.

Also, liked your comment about the title of the book. It's true we hardly know anything about the President himself! (only what others think of him and how they react around him)