Thus far, I am having many mixed feeling towards this book. Like most in the class, I feel like the book is never-ending; but at the same time, I’m intrigued by the intricacies of the book and can almost begin to see its potential of surpassing One Hundred Years of Solitude and being what Jon claims, the greatest novel in Latin American literature.
I very much feel…confused.
When I began reading this book and noticed there were no quotation marks to distinguish dialogue, I was not excited. However, I do have to say it has gotten easier to determine who is saying what. But sometimes I am still confused as to what The Supreme is telling Patiño to write. And all the stories and historical accounts that The Supreme is telling, I just can’t seem to retain any of the information. It seems to me that the novel is progressing in an illogical manner. Personally, I just can’t really see the progression other than in their search for the author of the pasquinade. Unlike the President where characters seem to continue on in the story, in this book, it seems to me that each story that The Supreme tells is irrelevant to the rest of the book. For instance, the story of the stone people and Tevegó, it was interesting but so far (up to where I have read at least), there does not appear to be any reference or explanation of it anymore. Nothing really seems to be revisited, but instead more and more stories are told.
But sometimes I feel…enjoyment.
As we had talked about in class, it is true that the book is sometimes funny. One part that I enjoyed quite a bit was the discussion between The Supreme and Patiño regarding his regular attire (90-91). The image of The Supreme wearing “[p]atent leather pumps with gold buckles” seems quite peculiar; and it seems those belong in the closet of Carrie Bradshaw (Sex and the City, for those who are unaware) and not of The Supreme, a dictator. I also found it hilarious when The Supreme describes the portrait that Don Juan Robertson had painted of him as “a confused mixture of a monkey and a sulky girl.” (90) One can only wonder if that is what The Supreme truly looks like!
And I also feel…sympathy and admiration.
So far, it doesn’t seem like The Supreme is really as horrible as most would think. Though I’m sure he had done some pretty nasty things; however, he doesn’t appear to be that bad of a guy. First, he puts up with Patiño! On occasion, Patiño has insulted or stood up to The Supreme (see above, “gold buckle”), and yet The Supreme has yet to say “Off with your head!” like you would think most dictators would have done. He seems quite tolerant and patient with Patiño. I felt sorry for The Supreme when he was in a way betrayed by the two Swiss doctors whom he had treated quite well (114, Compiler’s Note).
On a last note, while reading this book, I feel like I’m paying more attention to the style in which it is written instead of the content. It’s just interesting how different it is, such as the lack of quotation marks, the footnotes, compiler’s notes, El Supremo’s note, differentiation between The Supreme’s private notebook and perpetual circular, and the notes in the margin of the private notebook. Again, I’m trying to figure out how everything comes together in what I hope will actually be a logical order.
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3 comments:
I agree with you that El Supremo doesn't seem that bad at all. Even though we seem to know that he has penal colonies and has people killed etc. he just seems like an old, VERY CRAZY, man. I also found the book incredibly confusing due to the style, and honestly i dont see a redeeming value to it so far. I mean, certainly it makes the book stand out and Im sure it was difficult to write and from a literary perspective perhaps the lack of quotation marks and the made-up words and density make it amazing. BUT, ive also seen pieces of art in the newspaper where its just a bunch of non-sense thats titled "homeless woman in deconstructed state of being" or something else that A) has nothing to do with the picture and B) only serves to alienate people who make an honest attempt at engaging with the art. So, i agree with you... it can be frustrating.
I agree that this book is confusing at times but for some reason I am really enjoying it.
Just a note regarding El Supremo and the fact that he does not seem like a bad guy...remember, we have to question the reliability of the narrator...Most of this seems to be written from his point of view...Of course he's going to make himself look good ;)
yea, he does seem kind of tolerating to Patino there, but then, what else could he have done. Sometimes, people need to tolerate somethings in order to enjoy a long continuos conversation and feel like you have a "friend". Even dictators would want to feel like they have a friend, one who they can say anything to as long as he doesnt anger you.
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