I found Castillo's Letters to be amusing and powerful. Just like we noted last week in the class, her use of diction and concise words is what really brought it home for me. It is her succinct diction that made these two women come to life. They are humorous, clever, sweet and poetic. In fact, it is their poetic prose that I most connected with—they speak with such eloquence that it made their stories more than just images in my head. It was a full on movie. Castillo’s descriptions were unique and thoughtful and that is something that needs practice in my own writing. To be able to describe something with such unique clarity it leaves the reader saying “Huh, that’s such a great image. Looks like a painting.”
I simultaneously admire and was not a fan of the epistolary format of the novel. I think it’s a great, unique, fantastic way to share and tell a story. However, I felt confused on more than one occasion. Although these two women were completely different, their diction sometimes would not allow me to tell them apart. However, I enjoyed Teresa’s poignant poetry over Alicia’s rambling letters. I have often toyed with the thought of writing a novel through poems because I have seen it done well so many times. I have never once thought of combining an epistolary with poetry. I think that’s what makes Castillo’s Letters so wonderful. In having her characters write poetry in their letters and write earnestly and honestly, she has created them wholly for the reader. That creation is sometimes lost even in the best novels that use poetry as their format. It is also difficult for me to establish a voice for my characters, a tone. I would love to be able to flesh out such wonderful characters as Alicia and Teresa.
If anything The Mixiquahuala Letters inspired me to break the bonds of normal story telling and prose and to combine, morph and create new ways to share a story. Can’t wait!
No comments:
Post a Comment