Like (two) Rolling Stones

New reading group cycle with Mariela Burani

How does it feel to be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone
(Bob Dylan, ‘Like a Rolling Stone’) 

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It is 1914, on the verge of war, Petronella, a young woman struggling to make her way in a hostile London, goes away on a trip to the countryside with an admirer and another couple. Tensions will soon arise as she will find herself entrapped in a ‘love quartet’.

It is 1971, let’s make love and not war, William Honeywell, a young visiting English Literature professor in an American University arrives ‘armed’ with all the nouvelle critique to deliver his classes – Barthes, Tel Quel, Marx, Adorno – but it will not be enough to face students who will do anything for good grades. Anything.

In the next two meetings of the Reading Group we will explore ‘Till September Petronella’ and ‘Composition’, short stories which, although set in the past, echo concerns that still reverberate. Whether as tragedy or as farce, both protagonists are under siege from multiple fronts and find themselves wandering like two Rolling Stones …

Stories to be discussed:

Saturday 13^th November at 10 am: ‘Till September Petronella’ (1960) by Jean Rhys

Saturday 27^th November at 10 am: ‘Composition’ (1976) by Malcolm Bradbury

How are we going to work?

You read the stories before the meeting. Jot down your impressions, your ideas and associations. We discuss them on the date of the online meeting.

The stories will be sent by e-mail prior to the meeting, with enough time for you to read them.

How much does it cost?

For APRIR members: $600 each session. One advance payment for both sessions: $1100
For non-members: $900 each session. One advance payment for both sessions: $1650

Pay by bank transfer AND email the slip to secretaria@aprir.org.ar

Banco Nación Suc. 3020- Rosario
CBU Nº 0110444240044427146462
Cuenta Corriente Especial
Nº de cuenta: 444271464/6
Asociación de Profesores de Inglés de Rosario
CUIT: 30680502109