marieeveviel12-blog

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You couldn’t see, you couldn’t know...

You couldn’t see. You couldn’t know. You were not there. But, I was. I decided to challenge myself and go to two different places I usually don’t work to – as in ever. Why two? Because I feared and dreaded this experience and my little pinkie told me I would need a lot more material to cover this blog post. However, it’s only now that I’m back in the comfort of my home office that I’m able to pond two sentences that actually makes sense. Let’s go back to an earlier time today. First stop: Café Parvis, 12:30 PM, November 29 2017, downtown Montréal. What does, exactly, about a coffee shop screams productive environment? People are moving in and out constantly. There are usually many other patrons occupying seats and tables. During busy times, you might not even be able to find a seat. People yap on their phones. People talk amongst themselves. Music that you can’t control plays on the PA. There is nothing productive about working from a coffee shop. If I wanted to simply get out of the house and take a break, coffee shops can provide an excellent outlet. I could actually interact with baristas and perhaps even other patron, get a hot, stimulating beverage, or maybe even a pastry if I am into indulging myself. But working? I think not! Second stop: Jeanne Mance Park, 2:45 pm, November 29 2017, Plateau Mont-Royal. I wouldn’t even go to this place have it not come to my attention that some people actually do try to work in a park. According to what I believe is an urban legend, the process would be enjoyable because “It’s nice outside” or “I have wireless internet, so let’s go to the park and write”. But my experience was followed by a face-palm. Yeah, right it’s nice outside! Perhaps in other seasons, but not in Montréal at this time of the year. But let’s say for argument sakes that we’re not in November; let’s imagine it being a nice day in summer time. If I thought coffee shops were distracting, parks are doubly, maybe triply so. You know how people in offices lament their daytime imprisonment when it’s nice outside? That’s probably healthy. They’re at work for a reason, after all. If you’re escaping your office for the glory of outdoor writing, you’re probably going to find yourself so distracted by the pretty surroundings that no work gets done. Also, have you ever tried to use a computer in any kind of sunlight? Unless you have superhuman typing accuracy, it just doesn’t work. Coffee shops and parks are environments that promote distractions, and where you’ll likely get nothing done if you’re anything like me. Or if you do get anything done, it probably won’t be done as well as it could be.

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Writing Centre

When it comes to articulate, expand and clarify my thoughts in English, I sometimes find it difficult to transform ideas into smooth and logically sounded effective arguments. Because of that, I have often been told that my essays structures were disorganized and that they lack “flow”. Some of my returned works even had comments on them, such as “unclear,” “awkward,” or “confusing”. Comments like this often left me wondering if I had a good grasp of the basics of English grammar, and if not, then perhaps did I need to brush up on my grammar. But, am I really the only one confused by commas? Afraid of semi-colons? Mystified by modifiers? Well, I found out that I was not alone! Although the rules and conventions of English grammar and punctuation are reasonably simple, many students, like me, believe they are difficult to learn, let alone apply. But the Université de Montréal writing center recognizes the importance of effective writing and also how challenging writing can be. In university, writing is the main means by which students engage thoughtfully with course themes and communicate their ideas to their instructors. And, grammar mistakes can be costly - literally! At university we lose marks if poor grammar and punctuation weaken our ability to clearly convey ideas. The mission of the Writing Center is to work interactively with students to improve written, oral, and visual communication. Through its individual writing instruction, the Writing Centre helps students to become successful and confident writers. They introduce us to some basic principles of cohesion and coherence and provide practical suggestions for achieving logical consistency at the sentence and paragraph levels. They consider patterns of information flow, how to maintain focus within and between paragraphs, and how to use grammatical elements such as deliberate repetition, enumeration, and parallelism to signal to readers the relationship between different ideas. Believe it or not, we can make our writing significantly more energetic and engaging by improving control of your sentences. The writing center focuses on the variety of sentence structures available to us, and helps student understand what role each can play in creating effective patterns, rhythm, and flow.

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Outlander

We’ve talked a lot about adaption this semester. We’ve read a few books, attended plays, watched films and discussed what those adaptations does compared to their original medium. So, in the same optic, I dedicate this blog post on Outlander , a T.V series adapted from a series of books by Diana Gabaldon. Last Sunday December 10th marked the end of Season 3. My head is spinning a bit, and not in a particularly good way. There’s a fine line between being a lot of different things at once and simply doing too much. Outlander  has long blended genres and woven a complex narrative, centuries-spanning drama, but this season has been an unfocused and overloaded mess. So much has happened and yet nothing at all. This third season began so strongly, but weathered disastrously as the episodes keept going. This has been by far the most wide-ranging of the  Outlander  seasons, taking us not just from Scotland to England and the new world, but back and forth in time as well. Our characters had to age 20 years, not to mention travel between the 20th and 18th century. I think this show is at its best when it forgets it’s an epic and just focuses on the world of its characters. There was far too little of that in Season three and far too much rushing around. Gabaldon third book “Voyager”, on which Outlander third season is adapted from, is originality 882 pages long and its storyline’s really complex. However, this season teared through the story with little regard for the source material, was only thirteen episodes long and definitely climaxed too early. I am upset about the way the characters were handled, especially in the last couple episodes. I know that this series is based on existing books and that an adaptation is a type of derivative work, but in my opinion it doesn’t excuses the flaws with the characterization and the storyline this season. Outlander has previously made changes to characters and story for the sake of improving upon the novels and has executed it brilliantly in the past two seasons. So, what exactly went wrong with this one in pre-production? The way Geillis Duncan storyline is portrayed this season doesn’t really hold up with the original source material. An important character, Murtagh Fitzgebbons Fraser, has been kept alive in the show contrary to the books. Why? We don’t know yet. Will we finally learn why he was keep alive and happened to him in the new world, as well as how will it influence the show’s storyline in the future? Why did Mr. Willoughby suddenly develop a huge murder-worthy crush on the half-witted Scottish seer instead of being the traitor he’s supposed to be? So many questions remain unanswered. However, my biggest wish and concern for Season 4 has nothing to do with unanswered questions. Even though I am very critical of this season and disappointed by it, I love the books and I love the show and want it to get back on course. I hope the show re-centers itself and built a narrative that doesn’t get off track. I want to see what happens to Claire and Jamie next on their new adventure in America, as season four is currently in production and is slated for sometime in 2018.

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Have you ever traveled somewhere far away in a different country just to see where your favourite novel takes place? Perhaps you’ve taken a trip to London to see the Globe Theatre for yourself and watch a Shakespearean play like they did back in the day. Or maybe you’ve been on a Jane Austen tour to witness where the beloved author grew up. Visiting a place where a piece of fiction or an author comes from is of one of the oldest forms of tourism known today as literary tourism. Literary tourism is a kind of cultural tourism that involves visiting a place or taking part in events based on a piece of fiction or the writer’s life. You could follow the footsteps of a fictional character, see a space, landscape, or building described in the text, or visit the home or grave of a deceased author. But foreign places, like England for instance, are not the only locations immortalized by fiction. Much closer to us, our wonderful city of Montreal literary tourism is just as rich as any other. Not too far away, we can visit Ontario Street to witness the setting of Dany Laferrière’s novel "How to Make Love to a Negro without Getting Tired" before continuing onto Saint-Laurent where Zoe Whittall’s "Bottle Rocket Hearts" is set. Continuing the tour towards the French publishing house north on Saint-Laurent, Librarie Gallimard may be familiar for Montrealers. Heading off to the Mile End it is possible to visit the setting of Sigal Samuel’s book "The Mystics of Mile End". There are other iconic places in Montreal, such as the Saint-Viateur Bagel Shop which is featured in Mordecai Richler’s "The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz", Mount Royal which is most probably mentioned in any work of fiction that is set in Montreal, Park Lafontaine where Michel Tremblay’s novels, such as "The Fat Woman Next Door Is Pregnant" is set. I was inspired to visit Saint Henri, which was Gabrielle Roy setting for her novel "Bonheur d’occasion", my very first literary work ever read about Montreal. "Bonheur d’occasion" (1945) is considered to be one of the finest novels written in Canada.  Its author, Gabrielle Roy, is often referred to as "La grande dame" of Canadian Literature in French. In 1947, "Bonheur d’occasion" was first translated into English by Hanna Josephson, which is a slightly abridged version of "Bonheur d’occasion". It was also made into a film in 1983, the year Roy died. The novel, which explores the working class life of Montrealers during the last days of Great Depression and the beginning of the Second World War, is about a family living in Saint-Henri, in slums, on the wrong side of the track. On the other side of the track, one goes up a hill to Westmount. Given its nearness to the very centre of Montreal, Saint-Henri was a very poor area of Montreal. Now, while still rough around the edges, Saint-Henri is becoming fairly trendy and is a great place to go exploring beyond the usual tourist haunts. It certainly makes one want to visit the streets and locations of Montreal through literature, doesn’t it?

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A must place to go!

 There is an event each year that I never miss: The Salon du Livre de Montréal. I love this event that celebrates the pleasures of reading in all its forms, in all its states and for all audiences, not to mention the love of the book and the passion of words! Toddlers or older, neophytes or experts, authors, illustrators, readers and visitors, everyone surely find his happiness. The Salon du Livre de Montréal is a real book gathering not to be missed for book lover and is an undisputed showcase for Québec and international literature. A must go to in the cultural sphere in Québec; Montréal’s Salon du Livre propels books and its creators onto the public stage. This year, the Montréal Salon du Livre is officially 40 years old. The popular event, which started last November 15 at Place Bonaventure until last November 20, invited the public to meet poets, novelists, essayists, authors and illustrators, as well as to discover the many activities, such as exhibitions, dedications, meetings of authors and illustrators and animations proposed by this new edition to celebrate its 40th anniversary. Also, new thematic trails have been developed and a special attention has been given to the 375th anniversary of Montreal this year who takes this opportunity to highlight and rediscover its literature and authors. To mark it, the History of Canada-Montréal Pavilion has been redesigned to give greater importance to the city and its authors thanks to an exhibition. Furthermore, Illustration Québec presented the exhibition of illustrious authors, revealing 18 large-format portraits of Montréal authors especially for the occasion. More than 2000 authors, among them Michel Tremblay, Patrick Senécal, Denise Filiatrault and Louise Penny, met the public, and more than a thousand publishing houses, especially during the signing sessions. This year, the Salon du livre awarded Michel Tremblay the title "Le Ténor du Salon du livre". The importance of Réjean Ducharme's "Le Lactume" was highlighted and an exhibition around it unveiled 198 drawings and text, plunging the public into the author's universe. In collaboration with the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde, actress Marie-Thérèse Fortin read passages from "La distresse et enchantement" her upcoming show, and the public also had the chance to listen to some lines of "Bonheur d'occasion" by Gabrielle Roy which publication of the novel on August 12, 2017 was designated as a historic event, under the Cultural Heritage Act.

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Profession

What do you want to be when you grow up? That’s a question kids may have heard a lot from their parents and entourage. Choosing a job or career is one of the most important decisions in life. But when you’re like most young people and you don’t know the answer to the big “what do you want to be” question, you stress about it and it’s really no fun. Being undecided or changing your mind is normal. Take me for example; I spend a lot time figuring out what I wanted to do with my life and once I did and took the measure to start making it real, I hit a wall. However, I’m one of the lucky enough ones to have a passionate interest, which was a good place to start exploring the options for what I could do. That’s how I end up in English Studies. The purpose of this program is to introduce students to the analysis and criticism of texts, the acquisition of knowledge on culture and works of literature and help to the improvement of the English language. With a strong general culture and a strong command of the English language and the ability to think coherently and creatively, graduates in English Studies can find interesting opportunities in several sectors such as Publishing, Journalism, Advertising and Translation, Public Relations and Function, Research and Documentation or Tourism. In addition, some degree combinations that include English studies will also increase career opportunities, for example employment in teaching, university or college research, which could help them gain access to literary communities and more easily integrate senior management positions and responsibilities in a variety of fields. Depending on the student preferences and the desired career path, English study programs can also be the ideal launching pad for the MSc and PhD in English Studies, or a host of other programs such as Comparative literature, Languages ​​and Cultures, Communication, Librarianship or Translation. Careers in Publishing are particularly interesting these days. Digital publishing, which includes areas such as e-books and electronic journals, as well as online magazines and news sites, is currently revolutionizing the field. The thriving domain constantly need of graduates with the skills to help them keep evolving in this digital area. An English graduate who enters publishing careers may be involved in a variety of areas, including administration, production, editorial, marketing, public relations and sales. Generally the best way to boost graduates employment in Publishing can be through internship at a publishing house, have a self-published blog or creative portfolio and of course posses enough knowledge of the contemporary world of print and digital publishing.

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English literature

I’m sorry to admit that studying English literature has never been part of my plan. As a matter of fact, I entered this program as a last resort. Which, I have to admit, is a bit weird and I found questioning myself about quite a bit lately. You see, my original plan was to become a translator. But to my great despair, I didn’t pass the French entrance exam and thus, couldn’t be accept in the program. However, having passed the English entrance exam, the University of Montreal sent me an email in which they present me a series of programs that could interest me as a second choice. Now, it’s not hard to guess what my choice end up to be, right? But the question is; why did I choose this particular program among all the others? Funny enough, the answer is not so far off what Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, John Green and Lisa Bu says in their respective videos. I’ve always like to read for as long as I remember. So much, that in my teens I developed a growing impatience with the translating process of books. At that time, I only used to read in French and I absolutely hated (still do) the waiting time period it takes for books to be translated in French while they were already out in English. That’s when I decided to start reading in English even thought I used to speak and understand it very poorly at the time. The process was a bit bumpy at the beginning, but I managed to go through it quite quickly and easy enough. That impatience of mine made it so that I ended up not only being capable of reading in a language other than mine; it opened doors that were previously looked to me. It gave me the possibility to understand one accessible reality into another through language, instead of being cut short by the version of one single perspective. It’s in that moment that I understood the impact a language can have on about absolutely anything. Because I’m so twist, I used to amuse myself by watching back to back the same film and bought the same books in both languages just to compare them and to see if I got the same message these mediums are trying to communicate. I perhaps didn’t get the chance to be accepted in the program I originally wanted, however, it did permitted me to get back in touch with the source that inspired me to want to become a translator; and that is English literature. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSYw502dJNY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ihs241zeg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ibCtsHgz3Y&t=238s

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Not so fever after all!

There are too many times in students’ academic lives, where it is required to meet the expectations set by the class by reading some books or texts. Honestly, I dread every single one of those times. I’ve never been too keen with this academic aspect, because, too often than not, these books or texts don’t talk to me on a personal level. Reading is, for me, a very personal experience. It’s something that I feel really deeply about and because of it; I don’t like to be told what to read. Especially, when I know I’ll be disappointed in the end. Deborah Moggach novel Tulip Fever is no exception. And to think someone’s decided to make a movie out of it, I mean, what were they thinking? This isn’t a book with a great and revolutionary storyline. It’s average, at best. Maybe some of the problem with book is all on me thought. I read it with the movie in mind, and it probably sort of killed the book itself in my eyes, instead of viewing the book and the movie as two different entities. But, I think even then, it wouldn’t have salvaged either one of them. The book and the movie are just...not good. How could the producers and director thought possible to make a good movie out of this book, when the initial material is, at the very beginning, not good enough and all too over the place with its multiple characters? Did they tried to give the plot more depth by adding some changes in the background of the principal female character and even went to the extent of creating new characters that are not in the book initially? Whatever the answer is, the movie took away the only single positive aspect of the book; it took away all the emotions out of the characters, which changed the relations between one another, as for example between Sophia and her husband Cornelis. Instead, it made the characters looked very shallow and without depth and substance. Frankly, there aren’t too many things that neither the book nor the movie did too well. However, if I had one positive thing to say about the transfer from paper to screen, it would be about the cinematography. Visually, costumes wise and settings, the film is very well done and represents what I think would be an Amsterdam in the 17th century. This is, in my opinion, the only thing that made the film bearable to watch.

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It Happend Just On My Way Out!

Considering I’m a fake-first-year and will be graduating at the end of this semester (hopefully, unless of a sudden catastrophe) it would be logic to assume that today’s visit at the library of the University of Montreal was certainly not my first time, right? Well to be honest...it actually was! Yes, that’s right! After having spent two and an half years at the University I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve only been there once in my whole academic life. I knew where it was and I knew that a whole floor is dedicated to the department of Asian studies, but strangely I never went and used it. How did I ever manage to survive and pass my classes without all this documentation at hand? If I had known what I learned during this visit, it certainly would have made my life easier these past two years instead of tearing my hair out and spending numerous nights without sleeping to hunt the internet for valid information for my papers and essays. Which were not so bad considering their provenance...I think? Anyhow, I believe this visit is something every first year should do because it will help them so much in their studies. The explanations on Atrium and on how to use it are very enlightening. Google Scholar is absolutely amazing! I didn’t even know it exist. I truly wish I had known about it way sooner, and the fact that we can work from home and have access to this academic database makes it incredible even more. Just like Google Scholar, MLA International Bibliography is also a good place for students to make their researches and for which we can easily view and download the PDF’s if need necessary. I’ve got the feeling I will be on those platforms quite a lot this semester for my papers and essays that are required in the majority of my classes. A big thank you for this visit, really!