Letters to the Romance World

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.

My name is Sam Wallace. I was born in North York, Ontario, but moved to what my parents affectionately refer to as the “wild west” long before my earliest memories. In school, I always wanted to major in English. I wrote a short story in second grade which my teacher went on to include in her dissertation paper, and a more recent writing, a swashbuckling novel about the Golden Age of Piracy, remains an ongoing project of mine–one which I hope to have published in the near future. Beyond these personal pursuits, yet no less complementary when put together, it is courtesy of a love of literature and all things artistic which has led me to taking this course on the Romance World.

It has been said that the best job is the one that does not feel like work at all. I share this same approach to reading, and it is for this reason I have chosen to take this course with an expansive works list. I am receptive to learning about different approaches to writing and the novel perspectives which accompany them. After all, there is no way to improve without first studying those who came before. Because of this, as well as a lack of knowledge of works from the Romance World, I hope to enrich my understanding of literature through a new lens, implementing these strategies in my own writing and striving towards literary excellence.

Right away, the format of this course appears refreshing. I enjoy the idea of cataloguing my thoughts on my own website as opposed to embarking on the tired old routine of Canvas. There is an individualistic element to the exercise. Looking through the reading list once more, I’m excited to see where this course takes me in collecting my thoughts and learning from both the authors and what myself–as well as my classmates–take away from their works. The course website, wherein all our responses are archived, serves this academic goal.

One cannot claim to know what the future holds, but through the benefit of hindsight, I like to think the past has the power to influence what comes next. If one knows that they are skilled in a field, and take the necessary steps to better themselves often enough in said field, such actions can only be seen as time well spent. Through taking Romance Studies and taking in new perspectives, I hope to better my understanding of literature and the world at large. Only then might the future offer something special.