With it being such a long time since I’ve read what I think can be counted as literature, I had hoped the Introduction would give me some clarity and guidance. However, I was intimidated by its very first sentence (╥‸╥) Everything it referenced as being so well known within contemporary Western culture were things I had never heard about! I truly felt like I was at the starting line of a race, when I barely knew how to walk. Proust’s non-linear, stream of consciousness style of writing made me want to give up after every line.
(I read some of “Combray” part 1 during UBC UX Hub’s UXathon competition this weekend (๑•́ -•̀) It made for a very interesting experience, but also a very introspective one, I think. Travelling between the already complicated passages in the book and the busy brainstorming for the competition team’s task felt like being caught in a whirlwind, but added to the myriad of thoughts that ran through my head.)
Still, I loved how clearly Proust’s words created an image of his childhood, the home, and most vividly, his feelings. Each sentence, though extremely long, felt meticulously planned. I was often surprised at how relatable the emotions felt after figuring out the meaning of a section. The description of him upstairs in bed, hearing pieces of the adults’ conversation down below, reminded me of the times I heard my parents’ laughter float into my room from the dining table when I should have been sleeping.
A really interesting concept for me was eternity and memory, which was mentioned in the conversation video. One of my favourite lines from part 1 was:
“The staircase wall on which I saw the rising glimmer of his candle has long since ceased to exist. In me, too, many things have been destroyed that I thought were bound to last forever and new ones have formed that have given birth to new sorrows and joys which I could not have foreseen then, just as the old ones have become difficult for me to understand.”
I have no idea if I understood correctly, but the flow of these few sentences sounds beautiful to me nonetheless. It made me think of what I imagined myself to be when I was young, versus how I think I am now (my predictions were very wrong (ᵕ—ᴗ—)), versus what I think I will become (I predict that my current predictions will also be very wrong). I felt suddenly very aware of the passage of time, and reread these sentences again and again. What passage stood out to you the most? How did it make you feel?
In all honesty, I think I am still very confused about everything ( ꩜ ᯅ ꩜;) but am still super excited to read more and talk about it with everyone!
See you tomorrow!
Julie ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ
2 replies on “Proust – so rich and vivid, but confusing!”
Hi Julie! I like the emoticons you used.
Similar to you, I also found many sentences in Combray to be very beautiful 🙂
The part stands out the most to me is about the madeleine. It states how smell and taste are ways to store memory, which reminds me the foods I had in my childhood.
Hi Julie ^-^ I really understand how you felt overwhelmed at first, Proust can definitely be intimidating! I also loved how you connected his childhood scenes with your own memories. The passage you chose is really beautiful, and it made me think a lot about how much we change over time!