Hello everyone, 

I would like to begin my blog post with discussing the introduction of Combray written by Proust. There are three main posts I found most interesting. To begin, this novel is not his thoughts but his world as a whole, both his voluntary and involuntary memory. It is similar to a biography as it recounts his life events but it is also a novel that explains his journey as a writer that began in childhood. Furthermore, because this novel is written in first person it conveys something unique, almost as if he is a lost and confused adolescent attempting to discover himself and imagining what he wishes to see. For instance, he imagines Gilberte, a person who looks at him with disgust as a woman with blue eyes and immediately falls in love with a manufactured idea of her. This idea is explored in section 2 and I will discuss it further on in this post. Lastly, there is a note about translation explaining that translations can sometimes alter meanings. For example, the verb chercher in French can mean both to look for and to try. Therefore, the English equivalent would be to seek, but this translation is not entirely accurate. Some words are kept in french as an attempt to maintain integrity and to step away from this notion of betrayal that translation can cause as we discussed. 

This novel discussed Marcel’s journey as a writer and a reader, relating to the notion of a good read that we had discussed in class He describes reading as, “ what I was to love so in his style was not apparent to me. I could not put this novel I was reading” (Proust 96). I agree that a good reading is meant to be an immersive experience and stylistic experience meant to transport you to the world of books. He further explains that reading is like meeting a woman and becoming further drawn to her nuances. Although I would never choose this analogy to explain my feelings I agree and understand what he is trying to say. It’s not just about reading symbols on a page, but understanding them and applying them to a greater context. Unfortunately I would not personally consider this a good read because I found it quite slow and difficult to understand at first. 

In addition, I want to further explain my thoughts about Marcel’s infatuation with Gilberte as it showcases his pessimistic views of love and his similarities to Swann. Not only does he fall in love with an idealized version of her. He becomes disappointed that she is unable to live up to his ideals surrounding her physical appearance. Ultimately, he becomes hypocritical and is unable to see women as who they really are, objectifying them like Swann 

My favourite quote from this book: “The woods are dark, but the sky is still blue” (Proust 123).

Question: What are your thoughts about Marcel’s Infatuation with Gilberte?