Fairy Tale

I did not make a new list this Friday because I already have a fair amount of books and not as much time to read them as I would like, so I would like to keep my list as it is until I make a dent in it. Meanwhile, some quotes from "Reading Lolita in Tehran" pertaining to the theme of relating reality with fiction:

"Again she repeated that she would never get married, never ever. She said that for her a man always existed in books, that she would spend the rest of her life with Mr. Darcy-" -pg 32

"Reaching for a pastry, Mitra says that something has been bothering her for some time. Why is it that stories like Lolita and Madame Bovary- stories that are so sad, so tragic- make us happy?Is it not sinful t feel pleasure when reading about something so terrible? Would we feel this way if we were to read about it in the newspapers or if it happened to us? If we were to write about our lives here in the Islamic Republic of Iran, would we make our readers happy?" -pg 44

"Every fairy tale offers the potential to surpass present limits, so in a sense the fairy tale offers you freedoms that reality denies. In all great works of fiction, regardless of the grim reality they present, there is an affirmation of life against the transience of that life, an essential defiance. This affirmation lies in the way the author takes control of reality by retelling it in his own way, thus creating a new world. Every great work of art, I would declare pompously, is a celebration, an act of insubordination against betrayals, horrors, and infidelities of life. The perfection and beauty of form rebels against the ugliness and shabbiness of the subject matter. This is why we love Madame Bovary and cry for Emma, why we greedily read Lolita as our heart breaks for its small, vulgar, poetic, and defiant orphaned heroine." -pg 47 

Reading Lolita in Tehran

They were what you would call loners, who did not belong to any particular group or sect. I admired their ability to survive not despite but in some ways because of their solitary lives. We can call the class "a space of our own," Manna had suggested, a sort of communal version of Virginia Woolf's room of her own.
(Nafisi, 12)

Another reason why I enjoy novels and biographies and manga etc. is because every one in a while you find a story that is so different from your own life story, but at the same time you can identify with it. Nafisi writes, "The theme of the class was the relation between fiction and reality," (6). As I began the book last night, I could not help but identify with these quotes. In a flash, I realized how amazing it was that I had chosen this book first.

First of all, I started this blog with a specific theme. I wanted to share my thoughts on the biographies/haikus/whatever that I wanted to read this year. I wasn't quite sure what I would write about, since I didn't want to write reviews per say. But as I read, I realized that, at least sometimes, I can also use this blog to explore the relation between fiction and reality. Only in this case it's not quite fiction, since I am reading mostly nonfiction. How about we say the relation between two or more people's life stories? Two or more realities of different people? Of different places? Or different time periods? Of different cultures? For instance, while I do feel a connection with the female students in this book, I am not from Iran, I do not have to wear a headscarf, I do not have to worry about reading forbidden novels. I love reading books such as this because I am able to learn about women's lives in different cultures. And sometimes you can find a connection, even though they are so far away or so different from you.

The first quote posted at the top struck me last night. I too am a loner, especially this semester at my college. My three closest friends went to study abroad in England for an entire semester. I am without a roommate, and I am much to shy to want a new one. I have a group of girls I hang around with, but I do not know them as well as my other three friends. I feel shy around them, but I also enjoy their company. We have a lot in common, but I can't seem to find my place within the group. Before the new semester began, I spent a lot of time worrying about if I would be able to survive by myself. My college is five hours from home, so I could not go home to be with family. I would have to become braver and put myself out there, again, as I had done when I first came to college. However, I had become accustomed to having my three closest friends. Not to mention the previous semester was a horror story. I was intensely worried about myself. "I admired their ability to survive not despite but in some ways because of their solitary lives." I wanted to be able to be able to say this about myself. Granted, attending college alone is not exactly something you have to "survive," at least in the context that some women in the world have to "survive" the oppressions put on them int heir home country. But still, bravery is bravery. Can't we all have our own woes and anxieties and braveries, even if they are at vastly different scales?

Anyway, I found these relations exciting, not only because they gave me a reason to write in this blog, hehe. I was also excited because I started this blog and project because I knew I was going to be mostly alone this semester. Whenever I feel lonely or sad, I always turn to fictional characters and worlds, just as these women are doing in "Reading Lolita in Tehran." However, I decided this time to take a look at the real world and real people who lived or are living in it. These relations made me feel like I had just finished a puzzle, and everything fit together. However, that is only with this book so far. I don't know what I will write about when I get to the next few books. We'll see.