The Shrouded Woman

 The Shrouded Woman 

The Shrouded Woman is my second text I have read for this course, and compared to the first novel Swann's Way, I really enjoyed it. When I first began reading I was worried I was not going to understand the story as i found Swann's Way difficult to understand. Despite going into it thinking I wouldn't understand, after the first page I was completely hooked to the story. 

Similarly to Swann's Way, one thing that stood out to me was how beautifully descriptive and visual this story was. The language used was intense and thoughtful, but not to the point where it overcomplicated the story, it was the perfect amount. This aspect of the novel allowed me to feel as though I was there in all of these different situation with Ana Maria, and experiencing these things with her. It felt like a real journey into her mind where she wasn't necessarily telling me as a reader these stories, but almost like I was in her mind without her even knowing. These memories that she is reminiscing felt so personal and intimate which made the story very real to me and provoked many different emotions. 

I also really enjoyed that not only was the story told through her thoughts but the fact that she is dead makes it even more interesting. I'm not too much of a reader so maybe other novels exist from this perspective, but in my personal experience I have never heard of or read a novel from the perspective of someone that is dead. This made her memories even more emotional and beautiful to read. 

I loved how Ana Maria was still feeling emotion for past lovers, her children etc.. as they were visiting her casket. Death is not something I think about often, but this novel had me wondering, will I be able to watch over people in my life visit my casket? Will I be able to reminisce on memories of past lovers and family members one day? The way the story is told made me believe that this is how it is when you pass away, just watching people from your life visit you one by one and begin to remember every experience you shared. It also made me think about how I perceive situations in my life. Ana Maria has her own memories but I wonder if we are seeing these memories being told to us in a bias perspective because we are in her mind, or if things played out differently according to who's mind we are in? 

In conclusion I thought this story told beautifully real stories of love, family, and memories. I enjoyed it a lot :) 

Comments

  1. BiancaFebruary 1, 2022 at 4:02 PM

    Hi Sidney!

    I also loves how engaging the story is and the way in which the reader takes part of a journey through Ana Marìa's memories. In my opinion, the different narrators allow to see the main character through different points of view. I felt like the narration was similar to a puzzle: we gather different views on Ana Marìa and her life. At the end of the novel, we have a complete idea of how she is perceived by the people surrounding her.

    Bianca

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  2. deeFebruary 2, 2022 at 2:45 AM

    Hello : )

    In comparison to you I do often think about death for whatever reasn (lord that sounds depressing). Because of this I found that the way Ana Maria watched as her family members grieved her and pondered her life, while a great storytelling tool, to be a very distressing possibility. Personally, I deeply hope I don't have to experience what Ana Maria did in this book, just yeesh no thanks.

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  3. harshi jhaveriFebruary 2, 2022 at 1:31 PM

    Hi Sidney!

    "The language used was intense and thoughtful, but not to the point where it overcomplicated the story, it was the perfect amount."
    I totally agree! As compared to Swann's Way, Bombal's use of language was far easier to comprehend, yet, similar to Proust, it was extremely poetically and beautifully written. As you mention, it was the perfect amount to make understanding the text much easier and far more enjoyable:)

    As for your last question, I would guess that everything would always play out differently depending on whose mind you are in. Just like in reality, everyone's perspective is slightly different to one another, and to pinpoint an exact truth is often tough. Therefore, I believe that everything is, to an extent, biased in some way.

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