Week13: Conclusion ( Summer is coming!! )

Hi, Welcome to my last blog. I can't believe this is my last blog, time goes so fast! Although time passes quickly, the knowledge learned in this course will not disappear.

Looking back on this course, I truly feel it's been a meaningful experience. I've never had this type of class at UBC before. I think being able to read interesting books and discuss them with everyone is really cool. Plus, reading really helps me calm down. Sometimes when I have a lot of assignments, I get really stressed out. As I mentioned in my first blog post, the pressure of studying at university reduced my reading time, but this course has given me that time back. It allows me to have time each week to read a book.

I find that reading helps me relax and temporarily escape the pressure of facing midterms. Moreover, the books we read in class are of a genre I haven't encountered before. Previously, I tended to enjoy books with happier endings, but most of the books we read in class depict stories with endings that are not necessarily "happy." However, that's life. Just like in "The Lover," whether a couple can end up together depends on facing various trials; love that cannot withstand these tests often remains only in memories. Yet, while reading, I've also pondered whether what we perceive as the "sad ending" represents sad.

I'd like to share with you a movie I recently learned about that's been circulating on TikTok. It's actually an older film called "Me Before You." The reason it suddenly gained so much popularity is because it challenges many people's conventional views on love. While many might believe that the best outcome of a romantic relationship is for two people to stay together until the end, this movie tells us that the best aspect of love isn't necessarily the endpoint but the moments shared together. This makes me feel that everything can be viewed differently. It does not mean that what most people think is a good ending means it is a good ending. It's like when we're reading books; what I might consider a bad ending, someone else might not. In fact, from the title alone, you can see that a book is like a polyhedron, with different perspectives revealing its different facets. Take, for instance, "The Book of Chameleons." Its English title is "The Book of Chameleons," but both its Chinese and original titles imply "The Man Who Sold the Past." I think this is also the essence of our classroom discussions; each person has a different interpretation of the same book, and with Professor Jon's explanations, we can delve even deeper into each book's meaning.

I like this class very much, and I also like the different experiences that each reading brings to me. Hope everyone can have good achievements on the final and have a good summer!

Question: What is your biggest gain from this course?