The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao: Difference between revisions

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{{quote| They say it came first from Africa, carried in the screams of the enslaved; that it was the death bane of the Tainos, uttered just as one world perished and another began; that it was a demon drawn into Creation through the nightmare door that was cracked open in the Antilles. ''Fuká americanus'', or more colloquially, fuká-- generally a curse or a doom of some kind; specifically the Curse and the Doom of the New World.}}
{{quote| They say it came first from Africa, carried in the screams of the enslaved; that it was the death bane of the Tainos, uttered just as one world perished and another began; that it was a demon drawn into Creation through the nightmare door that was cracked open in the Antilles. ''Fuká americanus'', or more colloquially, fuká-- generally a curse or a doom of some kind; specifically the Curse and the Doom of the New World.}}


The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is a 2007 novel, a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Junot Díaz. The story is centered around the character Oscar de León, a [[One of Us|consummate scifi and fantasy geek]] with horrendous luck with women who wants to be the Dominican [[JRR Tolkien (Creator)|JRR Tolkien]]. The story is told through his former roommate at Rutgers, Yunior, who comes off as a [[Jerkass|bit dickish]] when he is first introduced into the story, but [[Jerk With a Heart of Gold|grows into a better person]] by the time he is writing the novel. Yunior tells the story of Oscar's life (and [[Oh, and X Dies|death]]) by tracing Oscar's story through his sister Lola, his mother Hypatá Belicia Cabral (or Beli for short), and his grandfather Abelard Cabral's own tragic tales.
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is a 2007 novel, a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Junot Díaz. The story is centered around the character Oscar de León, a [[One of Us|consummate scifi and fantasy geek]] with horrendous luck with women who wants to be the Dominican [[J. R. R. Tolkien|JRR Tolkien]]. The story is told through his former roommate at Rutgers, Yunior, who comes off as a [[Jerkass|bit dickish]] when he is first introduced into the story, but [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold|grows into a better person]] by the time he is writing the novel. Yunior tells the story of Oscar's life (and [[Oh, and X Dies|death]]) by tracing Oscar's story through his sister Lola, his mother Hypatá Belicia Cabral (or Beli for short), and his grandfather Abelard Cabral's own tragic tales.


Between all of the geek references, untranslated Spanish, slang, and footnotes, you might get lost in the text and believe that Díaz [[Viewers Are Geniuses|assumes too much]] from the reader, or that he is aiming to disorient the reader. However, understanding all of his references [[Genius Bonus|doesn't add much to understanding the text]].
Between all of the geek references, untranslated Spanish, slang, and footnotes, you might get lost in the text and believe that Díaz [[Viewers Are Geniuses|assumes too much]] from the reader, or that he is aiming to disorient the reader. However, understanding all of his references [[Genius Bonus|doesn't add much to understanding the text]].
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* [[All Girls Want Bad Boys]] - Played straight, subverted and deconstructed all in the same book.
* [[All Girls Want Bad Boys]] - Played straight, subverted and deconstructed all in the same book.
* [[Cultural Rebel]] - Oscar fit the profile to a T; Lola too, to a lesser degree.
* [[Cultural Rebel]] - Oscar fit the profile to a T; Lola too, to a lesser degree.
* [[Exactly What It Says On the Tin]] - The word "Brief" being in the title isn't for show.
* [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin]] - The word "Brief" being in the title isn't for show.
* [[Big Bad]]- You could argue that Trujillo or the fukú curse fulfill this role.
* [[Big Bad]]- You could argue that Trujillo or the fukú curse fulfill this role.
* [[Big Breasts, Big Deal]]: Beli becomes ''extremely'' well-endowed when she [[She Is All Grown Up|hits puberty]]. She's initially ashamed about her breasts, but soon begins flaunting them when she realizes that they make men fall all over her. Her daughter Lola, on the other hand, is [[Pettanko|as flat as a board]] but became just as well-endowed in a different area.
* [[Big Breasts, Big Deal]]: Beli becomes ''extremely'' well-endowed when she [[She Is All Grown Up|hits puberty]]. She's initially ashamed about her breasts, but soon begins flaunting them when she realizes that they make men fall all over her. Her daughter Lola, on the other hand, is [[Pettanko|as flat as a board]] but became just as well-endowed in a different area.
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* [[Geek Physiques]] - Oscar weighs over 300 pounds for most of his life.
* [[Geek Physiques]] - Oscar weighs over 300 pounds for most of his life.
* [[Geek Reference Pool]] - Listing all of the references that Yunior includes to various aspects of [[Geek Culture]] would take a page unto itself. But that doesn't mean we are not going to try:
* [[Geek Reference Pool]] - Listing all of the references that Yunior includes to various aspects of [[Geek Culture]] would take a page unto itself. But that doesn't mean we are not going to try:
** [[Akira (Manga)|Akira]]
** [[Akira]]
** [[The Dark Knight Returns]]
** [[The Dark Knight Returns]]
** [[Dungeons and Dragons]]
** [[Dungeons and Dragons]]
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** [[The Lord of the Rings]] and [[The Silmarillion]]
** [[The Lord of the Rings]] and [[The Silmarillion]]
** [[Dune]]
** [[Dune]]
** [[HP Lovecraft]]
** [[H.P. Lovecraft]]
** [[Love and Rockets]]
** [[Love and Rockets]]
** Daniel Clowes
** Daniel Clowes

Revision as of 13:53, 8 April 2014
"Of what import are brief, nameless lives... to Galactus??"
—Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Fantastic Four, (Vol. I, No. 49, April 1966)

  They say it came first from Africa, carried in the screams of the enslaved; that it was the death bane of the Tainos, uttered just as one world perished and another began; that it was a demon drawn into Creation through the nightmare door that was cracked open in the Antilles. Fuká americanus, or more colloquially, fuká-- generally a curse or a doom of some kind; specifically the Curse and the Doom of the New World.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is a 2007 novel, a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Junot Díaz. The story is centered around the character Oscar de León, a consummate scifi and fantasy geek with horrendous luck with women who wants to be the Dominican JRR Tolkien. The story is told through his former roommate at Rutgers, Yunior, who comes off as a bit dickish when he is first introduced into the story, but grows into a better person by the time he is writing the novel. Yunior tells the story of Oscar's life (and death) by tracing Oscar's story through his sister Lola, his mother Hypatá Belicia Cabral (or Beli for short), and his grandfather Abelard Cabral's own tragic tales.

Between all of the geek references, untranslated Spanish, slang, and footnotes, you might get lost in the text and believe that Díaz assumes too much from the reader, or that he is aiming to disorient the reader. However, understanding all of his references doesn't add much to understanding the text.

This book contains examples of:

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