At first glance, I wasn’t sure what to make of Perec’s book’s title. In class, we previously discussed the influence and significance of a title. We first discussed how the choice to keep “Bonjour Tristesse” in its untranslated form gave the book some context in just two words – i.e. that it is French. We also later discussed how the different titles of “The Time of the Doves” may have affected our perspective of the book, for example, in comparison to the title “Diamond Square”, these titles are completely unrelated to each other but still represent the book. Furthering that discussion, Perec’s title “W, or the Memory of Childhood” was peculiar to me. The latter part of the title is pretty basic and self-explanatory, but the former is quite abstract and made me wonder what “W” is meant to symbolize in the text, and why it is mutually exclusive from childhood memories. “W” is later revealed to be an uncharted island by Tierra del Fuego, from the fantasized imagination of his childhood – something I couldn’t have really picked up on just from the title itself. However, the elusiveness of the title also made me more curious about it. I think it’s really interesting to look back at our childhood memories as an adult and see them differently with a new, more experienced perspective. That being said, I enjoyed following Perec’s journey of introspection and uncovering memories – whether they are the truth or fantasy.
Another aspect that stood out to me while reading the text was the consistent switch between chapters. Half of the book was autobiographical while the other half carried on with the fictional story. I’ve come across this style/form previously not only in literature but also in movies and television shows (though I can’t think of any in particular at the moment), but they typically follow the same genre and relate to each other, whilst also having there own distinct storylines/narratives. Overall, I’m not usually a big fan of this form/structure – but I see how Perec is attempting to piece together these fragmented childhood memories consistently throughout the book. Between these two alternating narratives, we also witness events through the lens of reality and fantasy, which gradually merge into one near the conclusion of the book.
My question is whether you felt like this book was two stories in one, or how implementing the two alternating narratives made the book stronger/meaningful or more enjoyable.
Tag: memories
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Thoughts on Proust’s “Combray”
Proust’s novel “Swann’s Way” was a bit difficult to follow at first. Though I was able to pick up on a few main themes through the first and second sections, I often found myself lost in the text – and not in the form of fantasizing or escapism, but rather in confusion. I felt like I was reading a piece of literature that required background knowledge on the narrator/protagonist that I simply did not have. I also found myself getting lost in the timeline of the text, I wasn’t quite sure where I was in the space and time of the text, much like the narrator. Perhaps blurring the lines in time was exactly what Proust intended to do. I think it would reflect Modernism in that sense, as it explored creativity and imagination instead of the traditional rational and logical thinking. Proust leaves the text up to interpretation instead of providing a straightforward, black and white narrative/storyline.
I really enjoyed how the narrator discusses sleep and memory and how they affect each other. In particular, the narrator noted how whenever he sleeps, he recalls memories of his childhood and gets the opportunity to rediscover those memories in a new light. Nonetheless, those childhood memories will never be exactly true, as they are broken fragments being pieced together to form a similar but new memory. Moreover, as time goes on, eventually all the fragments of a memory will fade away, as the narrator notes when recalling the woman from his dreams. I think this theme is interesting because it explores and experiments with the relationship between reality and the subconscious. This connects back to Modernism because it is representing how literature was being used to think outside the box instead of following the traditional ways.
Another aspect I found interesting about this text was the narrator’s need to be kissed goodnight by his mother before bed. I’m not quite sure how old the narrator was at this point (hence me being lost in the text), but it seemed like a big deal to the father, so I assume the narrator was at least older than a toddler. I think this factor raises an interesting point and question about mental health and how it was greatly overlooked back then in comparison to today. This part of the text made me curious about whether mental health was given more attention after the emergence of Modernism, a time in which people were getting more in touch with their thoughts and feelings, or rather introspective.