Starting the novel “I the Supreme” I was struck by how different it was from the other two books we’ve read. It was hard to get into because I don’t know the situation surrounding this story. The reader was immediately thrown into the setting without much introduction. I wish that “I the Supreme” had an introduction like that of “Facundo” which set the reader up for what was going to be read. So I am going to take this time to summarize a bit of background around the Paraguayan dictator Jose Gaspar Rodriguez de Francia (or just Francia) who is the inspiration behind this novel. Francia was the first leader of Paraguay following the country’s independence from Spain from 1814 to 1840. He was previously a doctor of theology and was prepared for Catholic priesthood (which he never entered). Francia was set apart from other Paraguayan leaders because he had a significant amount of education under his belt. He ran the country during his dictatorship with little outside influence, with only the aide of three other trusted men. Francia is famous for striving to create a social utopia within Paraguay based on Rousseau’s Social Contract ideals. This included isolation, stopping all external trade, and building up national industries to sustain the nation. Also he banned higher education, newspapers, and the postal service, installed a strong secret police force, and put most of the government’s money towards military spending. He seized control of the Roman Catholic Church and closed all national borders. Many of his decisions during his reign reflect a kind of paranoid leadership; for example, in order to minimize the control of the local Spanish he forbid them to marry among themselves and forbid anyone to conduct weddings other then himself. I find that knowing these facts help me to understand the beginning of “I the Supreme.” They set up a picture of a nation that is isolated from outside influences; an area that is controlled by a very few number of influential people, all spawning from Francia. The character of Patiño is one of the few men that is close to the dictator. I predict that the aura under this dictator will be similar to that of “El Presidente.”
6 comments:
Rachel, OK, but how does the novel "set up a picture of a nation that is isolated from outside influences; an area that is controlled by a very few number of influential people, all spawning from Francia." Or does perhaps I, the Supreme paints a different picture from the historical narrative you've consulted... it is after all a novel, not history!
so my blog started off with almost exactly the same sentence as yours. that's kind of embarrassing. :$
but i guess it's good to know someone else was thinking the exact same thing.
now that i know some background from reading your blog, the story seems to make a bit more sense. it does seem like they are in an isolated setting, and that the dictator is working to create some sort of perfect state.
Thanks for the background information. That helps get me into the novel a bit more too. On the other hand, I found the lack of introduction more entertaing: thrown into a story, open, without a monotonous introduction. I find introductions set the scene, and as Jon said, this is novel.
I also had a hard time getting in to the book...mainly because I found it difficult to know who was speaking. The background you provided definitely helps to clarify a few things. Thanks so much!
Thanks for providing the background information of this novel! It does help me to understand what is going on as I found it very difficult to read too!
All the background is very interesenting. I think that we have to understand all the context in order to understand the novel. Its hard to read the book even if you know the background but I think that with this information you will be capable to make a good analysis in the second post
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