Study With Wouters

  Hey everyone, I hope you had a good weekend and enjoyed this week's reading, "The Shrouded Woman" by Maria Luisa Bombal. This novel tackles the captivating and intricate life narrative of Ana Maria, a woman whose existence extends beyond death as she passionately narrates her own story. It explores Ana Maria's experiences, desires, feelings, and reality through the use of magic realism. Magic realism expresses fantasy-like events with realistic undertones. It serves as the perfect way to describe the extraordinary events and realistic undertones that shape Ana Maria's journey. Within this novel, I was able to explore themes that resonate deeply with the universal human experience. Many will be able to reflect upon their own lives while reading this novel and be able to connect their emotions and struggles. Personally, I enjoyed the unique style and the powerful voice of the main character even after death; I hadn't seen anything like this before.  This nov...

  Hey everyone! I hope you all had a good and enjoyable week amidst all the chaos. As for myself, over the past few days, I read the book Mad Toy by Roberto Arlt. This book was a refreshing change from last week's Combray book by Marcel Proust. Arlt's writing style was refreshing and straightforward, missing the intricate layers of Proust's writing and instead delivering an easy and concise story to navigate. I liked how Arlt was able to convey the character's struggles without resorting to hidden meanings or messages. I found myself enjoying the narrative of a young man living a hard life, on a journey of self-discovery and trying to make sense of the vast unknown world around him. This novel is presented through a first-person narrative, which is the style I favour. Through the perspective of the main character, a young boy, I was taken through a book filled with skepticism, profound observations of society around him, and his participation in wrongdoings and unfulfil...

     I particularly enjoyed this week's reading, especially his fresh narrative style. It allowed me to dive deep into my thoughts and emotions when looking at the characters. The way Proust uses super-rich descriptive language quickly describes feelings I have but was never able to express myself verbally. It's as if he has tapped into the depths of myself, giving words to the inexpressible. Through his extraordinary talent, Proust has transported me to a world where every sentiment and sensation is tangible.      I also highly enjoyed the themes of memory and time. As someone who is inherently sentimental, the exploration of these concepts stood out to me. Additionally, love, obsessions, and desires have always ignited my genuine curiosity. I was captivated by how Proust skillfully weaved these themes into the narrative. As a passionate lover of psychology, the exploration of the human psyche intrigued me. Proust's in-depth analysis and portrayal of the c...

     Hey everyone! My name is Julia Wouters, and I am a fourth-year student studying psychology. I am super interested in forensic and criminal psychology, and I would also like to do a masters in clinical counselling. I have taken one of Professor Beasley-Murray's classes before, and I enjoyed that class, so I can't wait to see how he teaches this one!      I was born and raised in North Vancouver, although my parents are Dutch and Scottish. I have had about every household animal you could possibly name... from cats and dogs to snakes and lizards to (pet) rats and chickens. I recently found a kitten in my mom's backyard (a forest) and took it in. I wouldn't classify myself as someone who particularly enjoys reading. Still, I am always up to challenging myself. Prof Jon makes it a very engaging and enjoyable way to read literature. I easily get distracted, especially when given time to work alone. I believe the engaging nature of this class will help me ou...