Week Two: Lost Time in Proust’s “Combray”
by samuel wallace
Marcel Proust is an author who, despite the age of his works, portrays with great creativity the ever-present human condition–it is for this reason that his writing remains relevant. In his story “Combray,” readers are taken on a lucid journey not unlike a dream. The subjects ranging from childhood innocence to loves lost are made unique through the poetic devices of the metaphor and simile; although heightened, vague themes at first glance, they are grounded through a clever use of setting and character. It is in this unique fashion, of juggling the macro and the micro, that the perspectives of child and adult are interlocked.
Part I introduces itself as a deliberately hard work to follow. A clear attitude of drifting through life on the part of the narrator is more than apparent, yet less clear is the root cause of his insomnia-driven delirium. The flashbacks help flesh out this clash of emotions. Indeed, these are the heart of the story, told in a light which can only be summarized, by contrast to the dreary present, as vicarious living. This present plot is little more than a man trying to fall asleep early. As a result, the experimental structure lends itself to a man reliving the past which has led him to this moment, and the future he so desperately wishes to fulfil. In the purest sense, the past creates the story, and without it, there is nothing more to tell.
In “Combray,” setting complements character. Familial memories, often traumatic ones, are always told through the childhood haze of innocence, stated with the jaded tone of the adult. Relating the grief of his aunt to the splendour of church architecture, there is a subconscious connection drawn between death and faith, a possible foreshadowing of struggles to come in the journey out of adolescence. Additionally, with the main character losing himself in books, he is detached from his surroundings; he is made the spectator rather than the participant, and so there is an irony to his recollections–while undoubtedly descriptive and filled with subtle observations, the easiest way to tell a story is omitted in favour of detailing these surroundings.
As a whole, the story borders on a kind of stream-of-consciousness writing à la Joyce. There is very little plot on the surface, with a plodding pace and a careful description of detail and emotion taking precedence over the petty squabbles of everyday life. Consequently, the setting compliments the character not strictly in the way it is presented, but how the character of the narrator views his surroundings through the confluence–as well as novel symbiosis–of childlike innocence and adult experience. At times, they blended together in such a way that I was left questioning which perspective was being shown where.
I love your post! I think you summarized the narrator in Proust’s text wonderfully. Two parts stood out to me in particular: one, the point you made of the simple but true fact that the actual plot isn’t much more than a man trying to fall asleep. In my discussion group in class there was a lot of talk about the lack of plot and I think you summed it up perfectly; there isn’t really a plot, it’s just a stream of consciousness, not unlike ones that most of experience as we try to fall asleep. Secondly, your description of “the childhood haze of innocence… with the jaded tone of the adult” was something that stood out to me while I read the text as well. However, when I was reading it, I was more focused on the “jaded” tone, and how the narrator managed to put a depressing twist on every childhood memory he relived in his mind. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Hi Samuel;
Originally when I read part one, I suppose I didn’t realize that the difficulty to follow the story could have been as a result of insomnia-driven delirium. However, it makes complete sense, especially because there was ample detail given to the inability to sleep, and for the narrators longing for his mothers kiss. I thought your comment regarding the narrator’s detachment from his surroundings was interesting, and frankly spot on. For me, I found that that made the story a bit difficult to follow, but still interesting nevertheless. Im interested in hearing about what you thought of personally regarding this literary choice.