English Reading Journal
Book Title: Real Time- Stories and Reminiscence
Author: Chaudhuri, Amit
Publishing company: Picador
Year of Publishing: 2003
Number of pages: 183
Student: Chung-Huan (Allen), Tsai
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The book is mainly focus on two parts, one of which is the collection of fifteen stories happening in the modern Indian subcontinent, while the other part showed the readers two retellings of Hindu mythologies. I have been interested in the mysterious land, India, for a long time. Therefore, in order to get a closer look and of India and to know more about people's lives in this land, I chose the book which is written by an Indian writer.
During the first of reading, I have concentrated on the first story of the book, Portrait of an Artist. The narrator, a sixteen-year-old boy, was a literature lover and loved writing poems. During a visit of his uncle in Calcutta, he met the tutor of his cousins, whom they called Mastermoshai. Mastermoshai, a fifty-year old man, was also a poet and wrote several articles for local publishing. He really appreciated the talent of the narrator and gave the young boy several opportunities by lecturing him with classic literature and introducing him to the publisher in Calcutta. Mastermoshai, a man living in tragedy of the death of his wife and son, seemed to have a new meaning of life after the appearing of the narrator. However, since a quarrel between these two and narrator's moving to England, they, who had been connected by the fantasy of literature, were separated. According to the later information got from narrator's mother, Mastermoshai died of poverty and loneliness.
I strongly felt the affection they gave to each other during the story and could sense the strong connection between these two main characters. They were brought together by the same enthusiasm of poems and literatures, even the sorrow and pain of the Mastermoshi was nearly been healed at that time. After the quarrel, I think, perhaps, they might want to make up after but the self-esteem stopped them from showing their real feelings.
In the story, I can also find the strong scent of the Indian culture. For instance, the book started with a Hindu festival, Durga Puja, when every house at that day in Calcutta was decorated with lights and everyone was full with joy, which I think that it is a strong contrast with the sad end of the story. The writer smartly puts Indian culture in the book and does not make reader think that it is just a line of a story but a complete image of the full story.
Although this is not the first time for me to read an English publishing, I find that a fiction, or a literature work, is much harder than materials I have read before. I used to believe that reading a novel might be easier than reading an English textbook; however, the truth is that novels get more deep meanings which should be carefully and repeatedly thought by reader. For me, reading a novel is a process of thinking and I really enjoy it. However, to make my next reading more comfortable, I should do some margin notes next to each paragraphs. I think doing the margin notes can allow me to get more out of the novel. Student: Chung-Huan (Allen), Tsai
49677007
