Reading ‘Combray’ has left me confused but quite intrigued. I’ve only read up to the first part (page 48), and it took me a bit to figure out what was even going on. The narrator (whom I assume is Proust himself) keeps switching between past and present, and sometimes it’s hard to tell if he’s remembering something or if it’s happening in real time. It somehow feels like Proust is trying to show how memory actually works in real life—that memories tend to overlap and ‘bleed’ into one another instead of being neatly organized for the reader’s convenience.
What really stood out to me was his relationship with his mother. Although I acknowledge that the narrator was still very young, he seemed very dependent on her and her goodnight kisses. The moment where he waits in the hallway for his mother is probably my favorite one so far. It shows how intense his need for her is, but also how aware he already is of that need. It’s like he’s old enough to see his own vulnerability but too young to control it. It somehow made me feel quite sad for him as well, as at the end of the day, he was just a child after all.
I also noticed how much Proust’s writing focuses on small details—like sounds, smells, or textures—and how those bring memories back. I thought the part about the madeleine and tea (even though I only got up to the first part) was really cool. The act of eating a cake seems quite insignificant at first, but it opens up this whole world of memory for him. It reminds me of how random objects or topics can trigger certain memories to play in my head, as well.
Overall, I’m still not totally sure what to make of the book, but I like how it depicts childhood feelings and memories. I also love how descriptive and ‘dreamy’ his writing feels. As someone who barely even remembers her own childhood, I somehow feel nostalgic reading about his. My discussion question would be: Is Proust’s attachment to his mom meant to show something universal about childhood, or is it more about his personality specifically?
2 replies on “Thoughts on ‘Combray’ – Proust”
“I also noticed how much Proust’s writing focuses on small details—like sounds, smells, or textures—and how those bring memories back.” Perhaps that’s where Proust’s mastery of language shines through. As you say, in several passages we observe an interplay between language, memory, and the senses. Thanks for your comment!
“It’s like he’s old enough to see his own vulnerability but too young to control it.”
I thought this was a very good observation. I think it blends with the doubling aspect of the narrator, who as you mention switches from past to present back to past. I think that maybe at the time as a child he would’ve not been super aware of his vulnerability or able to pinpoint exactly why, but knows that waiting for his mother will make him feel better. But his older current self would be able to better describe it in words, and we only see the older self reminiscing on the younger self, so we can’t really know what child narrator “truly felt”, only through the older self’s lens. Kind of like those time travel movies where a character watches their past self make mistakes; with age they can describe it but can never prevent or change the past, just understand it.