COMMENT
In separate paragraphs:
1) Is this the most difficult text you have encountered? (If it is not, don't belittle the efforts of those who find it most challenging.)
2) Difficulty notwithstanding, is this more or less "satisfying" than Son?
REPLY
Wait until at least 8 people have left a comment then, write your reply to a comment that grabbed your interest.
1) I would say that this text was very difficult at first glance, but with the resources I had I feel that it was not the MOST difficult text I have encountered. When I was in 9th grade in high school I was given the book Macbeth by William’s Shakespeare. I was given no instructions on how to understand the weird language and format, and I would consider the most difficult text I have encountered due to the way I felt when reading it (filled with stress and anxiety). This text has not given me that feeling that I felt when I read Shakespeare for the first time and I believe it has to do with Professor Carasi’s in depth lecture videos. In the lecture videos, he explained the text and why it may seem so difficult and odd to us.
ReplyDelete2) So far I don’t believe I have read enough of the book to truly say that this book is more satisfying than Son of Italy. From the point where I am in the book right now I would say that Son of Italy was more satisfying to me. The story and perseverance of Pascal D’Angelo was inspiring and unique, and I really appreciated that book.
For part 2, I'd say that even in these 17 pages alone, the book already established a theme quicker than Son of Italy did. Because the style of writing continues for the rest of the story (as one would expect an author to do), I'd say that if you don't think it's more satisfying than Son of Italy now, then you probably won't feel that same way later on.
Delete1. I'm not sure whether or not it is the single most difficult text (I read sections of In Search of Lost Time, by Proust) but it is definitely one of the most difficult. As I mentioned before and as the professor mentioned, I believe this is so because of the deliberate way the author combines thought and event descriptions. This forces us to figure it out on our own and creates a more powerful imagery than we normally would have if we were reading a more simple novel.
ReplyDelete2. This book is already more satisfying than "Son of Italy" not because of the difficulty but because of the inclusion of intimate conversations between the workers, which places us more in the scene rather than describing the scene to us. It gives us a better sense of what is happening by adding the element of confusion that one would encounter in real life (such as the women wailing).
I agree with your second comment the most. I personally enjoy the conversations that occur between characters in a book. "Christ in Concrete" has much of this, and although we should not focus all our attention on this, it helps when grasping an understanding.
Delete1. I would say that this is the most difficult book that I have read. I just find myself constantly having to read over the pages because I am either confused as to who said something or if we are in Geremio's head or if we are in present time. It is slightly frustrating because I am a college student therefore I think I should be able to read any text that is given to us. It is slightly discouraging.
ReplyDelete2. I find "Son of Italy" to be more satisfying than this book. I enjoy reading about true events from a first hand account. I was able to feel as if I were with Pascal while he ate his stale bread, while he tried to learn the mandolin and failed miserably. "Son of Italy" was an easier read but that is not why it is more satisfying. I just found the story to be a lot more interesting and more engaging.
1) This is definitely not an easy book to read. It reminds me of my attempt to read Toni Morrison's "Beloved" which in itself was an experience at the time! I plan to stick it out though because I really do enjoy the strength of his language and the rich descriptions he uses.
ReplyDelete2) I think that we cannot compare the two books as I find them both very different. "Son of Italy" was an insight into a person's experience - it was very straight forward and an easy read. "Christ" is a work of art. We are able to go into the minds of characters and understand their struggles and just when we get involved with them, they are no longer there. I think that the feeling, emotion, and action of "Christ" is fascinating and is on a whole other playing field from "Son of Italy".
1. Having read many works from the Medieval Period of literature, I do not think that I would label this text the most difficult one I have read. However, Di Pietro's penchant for stream of consciousness and verbatim translation makes the book very challenging to digest. As mentioned in the lecture, a rhythm must be developed and followed if the content is to be properly engaged. There were definitely scenes in the narrative that forced me to reread in order to fully understand them, which is a tactic I would advise to all as well.
ReplyDelete2. Because of its immense difficulty and challenge, I feel that reading Christ is a more rewarding experience than that of SON. I enjoyed Pascal's narrative, but after reading a good portion of Di Pietro's I cannot shake the feeling that the experiences in SON might have been a bit "sugarcoated." Perhaps it is the writing style of Di Pietro, in the immense detailing and authentication of dialogue, but I was hit harder by the events of CHRIST than I was with the ones in SON. Both are quality accounts of the immigrant experience, but where SON focuses solely on one person's isolated incident, CHRIST is able to capture the plight of MANY, which is why it captivated me.
1) Yes, I can say that this is the most difficult reading that I did in my life. I think the reason for that I did not read much of the books in the past so this one is first on that I find difficult. It is difficult for me because author use very different writing techniques and often I have to sort by myself where is the characters own thought and where is his talk to other people, in some part all of that are together in one paragraph with no punctuation and with no experience in this kind of reading I had to read it over and over to sort everything.
ReplyDelete2) For me “Son of Italy “is more satisfying because I like gave us whole story of his life from the beginning: their life in Italy and how they came to America, how they started their job, their job search and all difficulties on their way and the success that he achieved in America. I like that there was so many stories and I was imagining every single one of it because I am an immigrant myself. We can see how immigrant life was and how they suffer in America in “Christ in Concete” too but at the point where I am reading right now is not satisfying more that “Son of Italy”
1) I have done some difficult reading in my time, as I am an avid reader. But this text is difficult in a different way. I am not used to this style of writing, the technique used is very new for me. I am not used to little to no punctuation--not really knowing who is speaking. It's interesting.
ReplyDelete2) Son of Italy was definitely more satisfying for me just because I felt I got more out of it, because I didn't find the writing style so difficult to follow. I also do not so much like the theme of Christ in Concrete, which very much centers around God.
1. At first, this book was very difficult to read and understand. However, after I got the hang of it by incorporating the tips and suggestions from the lecture videos, I now find it quite enjoyable and the story flows smoothly for me. It is still a very challenging book in the sense that it is written in a different style than any other book I have read. I definitely think this is ONE of the most difficult books I have read, but after getting past the first few pages where I now get a sense of how the story flows, I do not consider it the most difficult.
ReplyDelete2. I personally feel that "Christ in Concrete" is more satisfying than "Son of Italy." I feel a deeper emotional connection to the characters and story for "Christ in Concrete" than i did with "Son of Italy." I find it more interesting, and I also, like Brandon, feel it is more rewarding to read because of the challenge it presents.
Although I enjoyed reading "Son of Italy" more than "Christ in Concrete", I can agree with your statement that you feel a deeper emotional connection to the characters in "Christ in Concrete". Although both characters in "Son of Italy" and "Christ in Concrete" have dealt with traumatic experiences, I too have a deeper emotional connection with the characters in "Christ in Concrete". I have a deeper emotional connection to the characters in "Christ in Concrete" because they unfortunately have to deal with the death of a family member, whereas, Pascal mostly dealt with poverty and desolation.
DeleteAlthough this text is a difficult read, this is not the most difficult text I have ever encountered. I find Shakespeare to be the most difficult text I have ever encountered. This text is a difficult read due to Pietro Di Donato’s unique writing style. Pietro Di Donato frequently implements run on sentences and quotes that require you to read very slow. If you do not read this text slowly, you will find it very difficult to understand what is going on. This is not a text you can understand by reading quickly, reading slowly is essential to being able to comprehend Pietro Di Donato’s unique writing style.
ReplyDeleteI think that this book is less satisfying than “Son of Italy”. It is less satisfying than “Son of Italy” because they are two very different texts. Pascal D’Angelo wrote in a way where you felt as if you were in the shoes of one character. He made his reader become very attached to Pascal due to the fact that there were minimal characters to pay attention to. In “Christ in Concrete”, Pietro Di Donato includes a plethora of characters, which makes it difficult to focus and give all your attention to one character. I also found “Son of Italy” to be an easier read. I like when books are easier to read because I become more attentive and enjoy reading it more.
This book is different from my usual reads. Definetly up there as far as complexity, but not something you can't work through if you do some deep analyzing.
ReplyDeleteI think the often confusion between reading in english and then the transliteration of Italian into english, and the scattered dialogue it makes it easier to prefer Son of Italy of this. But both good plot lines.
1. When I read the first few words in the beginning of the book, I lost focus and realized that I would have difficulty reading this text. So far, this has been the most difficult reading I have encountered because I usually do not read material with this kind of writing style.
ReplyDelete2. I believe this book is just as satisfying as "Son of Italy" because it shows a different way an Italian family survives in America.