Novela Picaresca

Podcast Español: Alberto Coury, Bernardo Lambach, Eduardo Amorim, Felipe Artiaga y Pedro Lagos 10A.

In this episode, I analyze Bernhard Schlink’s novel “The Reader”. Michael Berg is the main character and the narrator. He tells the story of the post-war Germany, when he falls in love with Hanna Schmitz, a woman twice his age. Although there is a big age gap and social class difference, they live a quite beautiful love story. But one day, Hanna simply disappears, leaving young Michael alone and with his heartbroken. He next sees her when she is on trial for Nazi post-war crimes, but she refuses to defend herself. She guards a secret more she judges to be more shameful than murder—illiteracy and war crimes.

William Golding’s 1954 novel tells the story of a group of children who are alone on a deserted island. They develop a system of hierarchy and organization, with rules and division of labor. Without the assistance and supervision of adults, the children become violent, crazy, and brutal. On this podcast I give a quick summary about this complex masterpiece and analyze it, with my vision of the story.