Journal Entry #2
April 14th, 2015
One aspect of this course I love is the richness of the subject matter and the depth that our collective analysis reaches. We delve into In Search of Lost time as if each page is a labyrinth of poetry waiting to be charted. We plot a course for each other through the complexity of its passages, lighting the way past twists and turns. Exploring the daunting vastness of this novel alone would be the literary version of crossing the Sahara without a caravan. Classroom discussions are an engrossing cacophony of diverse perspectives, and I often revel in the simple pleasure derived from discussing a thought provoking book. The classes are engaging, but I don’t want to lose sight of my own self-defined goals for what I hope to take away from the experience. I intend to use the study of these subjects as a means of honing my own narrative voice, and not just to develop myself as a writer but to find in the experience some inspiration. I have yet to determine just exactly how I hope to use my writing; either as a career, a career tool, or simply an art. I practice writing with the hope of ultimately using it to make the world a better place, one way or the other. Even at this stage in the course, by simply being exposed to so many new ideas I am beginning to use the material as a springboard for many reflections and thoughts of my own.
Over the weekend, I finished Dora Bruder in one sitting. To be honest I was a little anxious to finish it and move on to other schoolwork that I felt creeping up on me. If that subtracted anything from the experience it was nice to at least form a singular impression of the work from reading cover to cover. I must say that on an aesthetic level I did not enjoy reading the book, as I did not appreciate the author’s style of writing. To me, the author’s employment of meticulous details amongst disjointed biographical tidbits came across as an incongruous mix that as a reader always felt slightly off putting. With my own critical review aside, there were many things about the book that impressed me. The author’s pioneering attempts at merging memoir writing or “narrative non-fiction” with historically factual information struck me as innovative and original. As we discussed in class, it even defies an accurate categorization by the publisher, which leads one to question the very concept of what constitutes historical truth in writing. What’s more, the author uses his attention grabbing style to bring a new twist in perspective to the subject of the holocaust, which it seems to me is often recounted from quite a predictably traditional approach.
As I was walking home from class today on the edge of the primordial forest which appears to be on the verge of enveloping most of our campus, I could feel the stress releasing from my body just at the sight of it. It struck me at that moment how brave it was for the author of Dora Bruder to openly lay bare all of his imaginings and almost superstitious beliefs in a work of literature intended to portray history. Patrick Modiano has the audacity to hint at an earnest belief that the souls of those lost in the holocaust have left a tangible mark on the world stemming from their presence, in a work that presents historical research meant to be taken seriously. In a similar vein, I personally believe that there is something intrinsically healing in the natural world that eludes scientific quantification yet exerts a tangible spiritual influence, but I’m not sure I would have the conviction to intimate that belief with the world on the level which Modiano did as an author.
It is an inspiring example that Dora Bruder is the work of a novelist clearly following his own heart. He has made an impact on the hearts and minds of his readers by approaching the subject of the holocaust from the unique perspective of dwelling on what it really meant to have lost the lives of so many individuals, and by raising harrowing yet thought provoking questions about how society remembers them. Although I may not be able to chose a creative path overnight by simply setting my mind to it and diligently plodding away at a clear goal as may be the case with some other professions, being exposed to the inspiring work of visionary and idealistic authors is a definite step in the right direction and a compelling example to follow.