Intermittent Rafaela

Mariana Furiasse
Illustrations: Pablo Bernasconi

Ediciones SM, Buenos Aires, 2016, 248 pages.

Red Series, for ages 12 and up.

Biography of the author

Mariana Furiassenació was born in Rosario, province of Santa Fe, in 1976. In 1999

published in Ecuador her first novel, Candela, winner of the International Contest
of Children's Literature 'Julio C. Coba'. In SM he has published Ramona Revela and the story

"Hilaria suspended" in the book Ten in a boat. The novel Rafael won the prize The
Steam Ship in 2002; Intermittent Rafaela is the second part.
ARGUMENTAL SYNTHESIS

Fifth year starts and Rafaela, with her extra kilos and her desire to hide from
the gazes of others weigh on him some absences. Like that of his father, like that of
Simon. And although nostalgia and discouragement sometimes appear, it feels alive,
intermittent firefly with wishes to shout that here it is. Meanwhile, it appears
Leon. The changes, difficult, occur amid doubts and reflections that pave the way for the
self-confidence and the recovery of self-esteem.

THE WORK

Background
Rafaela (SM, 2002) is a realistic novel by the same author, which explores the...
intimate conflicts of an overweight teenager who suffers the impact on her
self-esteem generated by a society that exalts the body and its image as value
unique. This story highlights the experience of feeling different in a
mirror world where everyone is forced to return identical images to the
advertised models. The protagonist, Rafaela, is sixteen years old and recounts her life to
based on the daily notes he makes in his notebook. At school he is 'invisible',
except for her few friends, with whom she cannot share the things that really matter to her
They like: books, cinema, theater, and the love for the violin that his father left him when
he left. However, his life will change completely when he rolls down the stairs and
find Simon...

Some characteristics of the genre

The novel is a changing, ambivalent, and ambiguous form, whose meaning
The rhetorical is always open. The fictional character is a being that seeks, that tries.
opening paths to destiny” (Georg Lukács, in Theory of the Novel).
 Realistic novels present stories that aim to create an effect of
reality, that is to say that they show the facts in a way that seems like a reflection of

everyday world, of society and its components at a specific moment.

The events narrated are plausible because they seek for the reader to perceive that.

imagined and created world by the author as possible in the real world. It creates a
illusory effect of reality by deepening the influence that society and its customs
they exert in the lives of the characters. Generally, in this type of works:
• it refers to an identifiable extratext for the reader (dates, places, events)
historical or cultural, customs, trends...
• the characters express themselves in a language specific to their age group, their condition
social or geographical;
• particular aspects of behaviors are mentioned or described of the
members of society: the differences, the conflicts, the discrimination,
intolerance, attitudes towards inequalities and exclusion;
• the characters evolve psychologically throughout the development of the story;
• there is a linear management of time, sometimes with projections that anticipate events
futures or retrospections that allow the reader to know events that occurred with
precedence.

The novel of initiation or learning

It is a type of realistic novel in which the development or the
generally a child or a young person — a
physical and psychological evolution of a character

through successive experiences that modify their position towards themselves, towards
the world and things. Consequently, the protagonist (hero or antihero) is
transforms into the structuring principle of the work.
Among the works considered classic of the genre since its origins, we can
mention
• Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship, by J. W. Goethe (1795).
• Tom Jones
• Oliver Twist (1838)
• Sentimental Education
• Tom Sawyer (1876)
• Funny Adventures of Juan Moreira's Grandson, Roberto Payró (1910).
• In Search of Lost Time
• Demian
• The Magic Mountain, by Thomas Mann (1924).
• The Raging Toy
• Don Segundo Sombra, by Ricardo Güiraldes (1926).
• The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger (1951).
• The Tin Drum, by Günter Grass (1959).
• EnPlan Lector SM. When fiction evokes reality, novels are cited.
contemporary works corresponding to the realistic genre and initiation by authors
Argentinians for readers from 12 years old.

Intermittent Rafaela: In this story, Rafaela, the protagonist, after months

of interruption resumes writing to narrate in detail and in a manner
self-referential, what is happening in his life as he goes through his last year of
the middle school.
The intimate narrative is focused on thoughts, reflections,
sensations that the outside produces in the interior of Rafaela. The narrative progresses to the

the manner of an unmarked diary, divided into sixty-eight

parts or moments. WhatsApp transcriptions indicated in italics are included.
The dialogues, in direct style, are interspersed within the narrative body, updating for
the reader those situations without the narrator's filter.
The other characters come to life, breathing through the point of view of
Rafaela, who summons them according to the impact they have on her.
 The story is structured around the experiences of the teenager who does not
feels good about their image and establishes painful similarities between the absences that
mark their life and their desire to remain hidden, invisible to the eyes of the world. Their

crisis and its insecurities stem from her extra kilos, as she believes she does not meet the
beauty standards imposed by a consumerist and mass-producing society. Has suffered
and suffers from intolerance and discrimination, so much so that she applies the same to herself.
attitude: underestimates oneself, does not believe in one's possibilities, does not value one's inner world, one's

sensitivity and hesitates at the possibility of believing in her beauty.

As in every novel, Rafaela's story intertwines with other stories: the

from his mother, that of his father who has been absent for years, that of Aitana, that of León. It is this

the last character who will open the opportunity for the protagonist to leave her
shell: opening up to the world, getting to know oneself, trusting oneself, analyzing oneself deeply

feelings towards Simón and making a place for love in his closed universe.
The novel concludes with Rafaela, who timidly glimpses a future with the
choice of a university career, seeking a new way to relate to
his father, accepting the challenge to draw his own path.
Intermittent Rafaela is a coming-of-age, education, or learning novel.
the plot reflects fears, insecurities, loneliness, but also expresses hopes and
longings. The protagonist evolves and achieves a maturity that reaches all the
spheres of their personality.
SUGGESTED READING AND WRITING ACTIVITIES

Before reading
1. Read the title and the back cover. Observe the illustrations carefully.
• Relate the text to the image. How is it graphically represented?
Rafaela's invisibility? Who will be the male characters of the illustration?
What role will they play in the protagonist's life?

2. Converse. What does the word intermittent mean? In what cases can it be used?
to say that someone is intermittent?

3. Read in groups pages 7 to 13.

• What is this story about? How do they imagine the protagonist?
• Why had I stopped writing?
• How do they interpret their decision to cut their hair?

4. Read page 5 and search online for the lyrics of the song mentioned:
The provided link cannot be translated as it does not contain any text.
• Among all, comment on the lyrics and the possible relationship with the novel you are going to read.

During the reading

5. While reading the novel, underline the paragraphs and expressions that indicate changes.
in the attitudes and thoughts of Rafaela:

• Changes in their way of dressing or grooming.

• Changes in social habits.
• Changes in relationships with your family.
6. Organize a profile with the characters that appear in the novel.

CHARACTERS

Best friend:

Friend's boyfriend:

Other friends:

Relatives with whom he/she lives:

Other family members:

Characters with whom he/she has maintained/maintained a romantic relationship:

Other characters:

7. Take marginal notes of the relevant events that are positive

for the protagonist.

8. Highlight the discriminatory attitudes towards the protagonist.

9. Take note of the pages that narrate events that allow you to see the
attitude of adults in relation to the conflict that Rafaela has with her environment.
Share them with your classmates.

10. Gather in small groups and transcribe the quotes onto a sheet.
show the doubts, fears, and hesitations in the face of decision-making. That is,
the situations that highlight the inconsistencies in their way of acting.
After reading
11. Discuss among yourselves what you thought of the novel.
• What parts did you find most interesting? What do you think about evolution?
psychological profile of the protagonist?

• Do you think Rafaela has regained her self-confidence? Has she managed to
value oneself outside of trends and social conventions about the model of
imperative beauty in advertising? Justify the opinions.

12. Converse. Did you like the ending?

• With a partner, create a different ending. Then, share what you
they wrote with the others.

13. Read the following definition:

The coming-of-age novel develops the story of a
child or teenager facing a life change, at an age when one does not
feel prepared for it. The plot reflects fears, insecurities, loneliness, but
it also expresses its hopes and longings. The structural axis of this type of
novels is the construction of the protagonist's personality throughout the story:
evolves and achieves a maturation that reaches all spheres of your personality.
• In small groups, write a comment explaining whether this
The work is a novel of initiation or learning (take into account the notes and cards)
that they developed during the reading.

14. How does Rafaela see herself? How do others see her? In small groups,
Choose a character and develop a monologue that reflects the response to the question.
RAFAELA SIMON LION

AITANA ROSARIO YOUR MOTHER

• Then, share what you wrote with the rest of your classmates.
15. With a partner, create lists of the reasons Rafaela might have.
to make these decisions:
Choose León Reject Simón Establish a relationship
new with her father

16. Discuss the discursive aspects of the read work.

• Who is the narrator in this novel?
• Is it a diary or a first-person narrative?
protagonist?
• What other textual types are included?
• Is the letter written by the father included in its original format or through
other forms of content reference?

17. With a partner, choose a pair of interlocutors and invent a dialogue.

related to the plot of the novel.
a. Rafaela's father and her mother.

b. The school principal and the advisor.

c. Rosario and Pablo.

d. León and Simón.

e. Aitana and her mother.

f. The father of Rafaela and his youngest daughter.

g. The grandparents among themselves.

18. Talk. What consequences do the following events produce?
The arrival of León.

The letter from the father.

Choosing a career.

Meet your little sister.

The reunion with Simón.

19. Comment on how the theme of food is reflected in the novel.

taking into account the following:
• The attitude of the protagonist.
• The mother's expressions regarding her daughter's relationship with food.
• Aitana's tips on healthy eating.

20. In groups, investigate these topics.

Diseases caused by the Healthy eating and habits

eating disorders. healthy at mealtime.

• To investigate, you can choose some of the following options:

a. Interview professionals in the field, preparing the questions together.
b. Organize talks or round tables on the topic with the participation of the
educational community.
c. Survey the school students about the foods they consume
habitually.
d. Analyze the impact of advertising on the choice of certain foods that generate
obesity.
21. In groups, analyze the beauty model related to thinness that appears.
in the media.
• Among all, discuss the influence this has on the lives of young people.

Cross-cutting themes
• The realistic novel.
• The teenage protagonist and his problems.
• Disorders resulting from poor nutrition.
• The social imposition of an ideal of beauty associated with thinness.
• Vocational guidance and the choice of a university career.
• Integration and discrimination.
• The role of the adult in youth conflicts.

Guide written by Rosario Troisi, a specialist in Language Didactics.