Comments on: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao http://heliologue.com/2008/11/15/the-brief-wondrous-life-of-oscar-wao/ Sun, 14 Mar 2010 19:56:22 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Johnsenclan » Blog Archive » Book Review: Neverwhere http://heliologue.com/2008/11/15/the-brief-wondrous-life-of-oscar-wao/comment-page-1/#comment-169858 Johnsenclan » Blog Archive » Book Review: Neverwhere Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:42:09 +0000 http://heliologue.com/?p=3016#comment-169858 [...] reviews The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot [...] [...] reviews The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot [...]

]]> By: Ben http://heliologue.com/2008/11/15/the-brief-wondrous-life-of-oscar-wao/comment-page-1/#comment-169650 Ben Mon, 17 Nov 2008 04:48:23 +0000 http://heliologue.com/?p=3016#comment-169650 I don't doubt the authenticity (Dominican-ness). I just think it's in many ways an utterly alien creation to anyone who's <em>not</em> Dominican. Explaining Trujillato by way of Dominican folklore and sci-fi/fantasy tropes seems to me a bad idea from the get-go, but maybe I'm just not extending myself far enough to meet Diaz halfway. I suppose my expectations for the book simply got in my way: I kept waiting for Diaz to prove to me that this was something <em>exceptional</em>, not simply a culturally-colorful flashback. I don’t doubt the authenticity (Dominican-ness). I just think it’s in many ways an utterly alien creation to anyone who’s not Dominican. Explaining Trujillato by way of Dominican folklore and sci-fi/fantasy tropes seems to me a bad idea from the get-go, but maybe I’m just not extending myself far enough to meet Diaz halfway.

I suppose my expectations for the book simply got in my way: I kept waiting for Diaz to prove to me that this was something exceptional, not simply a culturally-colorful flashback.

]]> By: Brady http://heliologue.com/2008/11/15/the-brief-wondrous-life-of-oscar-wao/comment-page-1/#comment-169634 Brady Sun, 16 Nov 2008 21:30:44 +0000 http://heliologue.com/?p=3016#comment-169634 I'm not sure that the pop culture references and the Spanglish were attempts to be cute, although I can see how they could be viewed that way. I'm sure it is ridiculously obtuse if you A. don't know Spanish and/or B. don't know the sci-fi/fantasy references. 1. Having read <i>Drown</i> and having heard Diaz speak, I can tell you that is the way he talks/thinks/writes. A lot of my Dominican students talk like that. 2. I think the pop culture references underscore the secret nerd hidden underneath the narrator's Dominican machismo. Nicholas hits the nail on the head when he writes that the true curse on Dominican culture is "the coding of brutality and violence as masculine ideals". I would also add hypersexuality to that list, as well as suggest that the scar goes back further than Trujillo- you can look back at least to Christopher Columbus for the origins of this "gift" that keeps on giving, ultimately consuming Oscar that same way it did the Tainos..</i></i> I’m not sure that the pop culture references and the Spanglish were attempts to be cute, although I can see how they could be viewed that way. I’m sure it is ridiculously obtuse if you A. don’t know Spanish and/or B. don’t know the sci-fi/fantasy references.

1. Having read Drown and having heard Diaz speak, I can tell you that is the way he talks/thinks/writes. A lot of my Dominican students talk like that.

2. I think the pop culture references underscore the secret nerd hidden underneath the narrator’s Dominican machismo.

Nicholas hits the nail on the head when he writes that the true curse on Dominican culture is "the coding of brutality and violence as masculine ideals". I would also add hypersexuality to that list, as well as suggest that the scar goes back further than Trujillo- you can look back at least to Christopher Columbus for the origins of this "gift" that keeps on giving, ultimately consuming Oscar that same way it did the Tainos..

]]> By: Ben http://heliologue.com/2008/11/15/the-brief-wondrous-life-of-oscar-wao/comment-page-1/#comment-169600 Ben Sun, 16 Nov 2008 02:41:19 +0000 http://heliologue.com/?p=3016#comment-169600 No, I think you're on the money in casting the book as a sort of extended metaphor (characters' nonreciprocated love as human nature, resulting brutality and despair as Trujillato <i>qua</i> acknowledgment of generalized death/misfortune). I just think it was rather inartfully done—Diáz slathers on appropriated pop culture and other such nuggets hoping that enough will stick to make his metaphor hip and accessible. No, I think you’re on the money in casting the book as a sort of extended metaphor (characters’ nonreciprocated love as human nature, resulting brutality and despair as Trujillato qua acknowledgment of generalized death/misfortune). I just think it was rather inartfully done—Diáz slathers on appropriated pop culture and other such nuggets hoping that enough will stick to make his metaphor hip and accessible.

]]> By: Nicholas Tam http://heliologue.com/2008/11/15/the-brief-wondrous-life-of-oscar-wao/comment-page-1/#comment-169598 Nicholas Tam Sun, 16 Nov 2008 01:59:34 +0000 http://heliologue.com/?p=3016#comment-169598 I read this a few months ago and enjoyed it immensely, though I agree that it was much too thick with untranslated Spanish. (Most of the Spanish phrases turned out to be curse words or synonyms for "ass", though, so they were probably there to sound punchy when read aloud more than anything.) I do think there's a coherent idea unifying the whole book: the equation of the fukú, the family curse, with the scar the Trujillo regime left on Dominicans for generations to come - especially in the coding of brutality and violence as masculine ideals. Hence, the persistent retelling of history in mythic/magical/Tolkienian terms. It's true that the title misleads one to expect Oscar to be a main character in the conventional sense of an empowered subject, when he's really just a hapless object at the tail end of historical abuse. Not that any of that makes the book more enjoyable for you, but that's how I interpreted it. I read this a few months ago and enjoyed it immensely, though I agree that it was much too thick with untranslated Spanish. (Most of the Spanish phrases turned out to be curse words or synonyms for "ass", though, so they were probably there to sound punchy when read aloud more than anything.) I do think there’s a coherent idea unifying the whole book: the equation of the fukú, the family curse, with the scar the Trujillo regime left on Dominicans for generations to come – especially in the coding of brutality and violence as masculine ideals. Hence, the persistent retelling of history in mythic/magical/Tolkienian terms. It’s true that the title misleads one to expect Oscar to be a main character in the conventional sense of an empowered subject, when he’s really just a hapless object at the tail end of historical abuse.

Not that any of that makes the book more enjoyable for you, but that’s how I interpreted it.

]]>