Being sick and dealing with a headache while reading this book is like trying to make sense of the obscure patterns of a plaster ceiling while you lay in bed unable to sleep. As someone who isn’t usually challenged by works of literature like Combray or Swann’s Way, I often struggled to piece together the overall plot of the novel and what exactly the different images described by Marcel Proust were trying to accomplish or illustrate to me as a reader. I’ll be embarrassed if I’m the only one who struggled with this book, but often times the transitions and the jumping through time and reality were not made clear to me as a reader and I found myself rereading many parts of the work.
Reading Combray often left me with the feeling of slight annoyance along with reverence. I realize that Marcel Proust is indeed a great writer and that his ability to sort of swirl you around with descriptions of different experiences and moments is noteworthy. However I feel that much of his work came off as unplanned and perhaps he wrote Combray as it went and included whatever daydream was in head at the time of writing. I’m not as compelled by his story or the plot of the work, something that I particularly look for in other storytelling mediums such as movies and manga.
As the first book of the course, I feel like it did accomplish part of what I’m looking for in RMST202, which is to be challenged as a reader and grow from those experiences. Although as someone who still considers himself as a “non-reader” I don’t think Combray really helped me to become a reader or one who yearns to flip pages as it was, to me, too confusing.
Overall, when I start a book or any story, I hope that the work can take me on an adventure and out of reality. The book need not to be science fiction or something completely fantastical, but it needs to have adequate imagery and illustration techniques along with a clear direction with its plot and characters. I’ve noticed that truly great stories are rational and are filled with intention, but at the same time invoke intrigue, surprise, and deeper emotions. These kinds of great stories leave me a different person than when I hadn’t yet encountered them, and all I wish for is to be able to stumble upon that story for the first time once more.
When I first picked up Combray, I had little expectations of the book as I wanted to keep it a surprise, being that it was my first book in a while. I noticed that it had many glowing reviews and was widely considered a masterpiece on Goodreads. Perhaps I’m not adequate or skilled enough as a reader to comprehend the elements of Combray, but personally it fell short to these high praises and even made me question how much I can rely on Goodreads for future reference. 1.5/5.
What rating would you give Combray and why?
Jonathan, perhaps Proust’s literature may be more accessible to you if you don’t think you are reading “a masterpiece.” In reality, we are not looking for you to be a certain type of reader during the course, we want you to discover what type of readings you like (and be able to say why). In my case, I love manga. Did you find any similarities between Proust’s narrative techniques and other things you have read?
Hi Jonathan!
I agree with a lot of the points you made about Proust’s Combray. I think as a result I’d probably rate it a 5/10. I could see what purpose this serves in the literary canon and how it differs from previous books and different interpretations of elements (ex. Time) however it didn’t hit home personally, and I didn’t really enjoy it in that sense
Hello Jonathan, I cannot imagine trying to delve into this book while being sick. It definitely required all of my mental capacities. Be reassured, you’re not the only one who struggled!
Your thought about whether or not Combray was meticulously planned was interesting, and I’m not sure whehter to agree or disagree. Maybe you feel this way because of the fact that it is not what you were expecting, or maybe it really wasn’t very planned out!
Hi Jonathan!
I agree that this book was a challenge to read and gave me some headaches too. However, I can’t imagine being sick on top of trying to understand words on a page that seemed to go all over the place. This leads me to another thing I agree with, which is when you said that you felt that Proust just wrote as it went without much planning. So don’t worry about feeling any embarrassment of sorts struggling to understand or find a connection to the book because I felt a lot of similar things as you.