This is my first time reading Proust. What I liked about the reading was the power of his imagination that imbued his experiences. His imagination seems to constantly overpower his reality but he eventually manages to subsume his reality, which is often disappointing, into his imagination. Reading this novel is also a form of cultural tourism for me as I’ve never been to France and thus he offered me a window into the French countryside. It is fascinating that this little village was the source of so much inspiration and imagination and stored memories that culminated in the production of this great work, and which made him one of the most influential authors of the 20th century.
Living in a time of pandemic, one can only appreciate the close-knit family group represented in Combray. I loved his description of his grandmother and how she loved the rain. Living in Vancouver, or Raincouver as we call it, after having lived in hot and arid climates in the Middle East, made me really appreciate the rains and embrace them the same way Proust’s grandmother did. I also loved his description of the doorknob and his “unconscious handling” of it. I wonder what he would have to say had he lived in our time during this pandemic, where any surface we touch might result in our demise. I also appreciate the strong sense of place in the novel, something that many of us lack nowadays because we lead such individualistic lives and our sense of place is constantly shifting because we are so fixated on materialistic pursuits rather than community and human connections.
Reading Proust is certainly not easy like Dr. Jon mentioned and the translator also forewarns the reader in her introduction. He is rather verbose and uses many big words that one has to constantly look up. One word, ‘transvertebrate’, returned no results. If anyone knows the meaning of this word do share it in the comments.
Finally, I am not sure if Proust read St. Augustine, but this novel reminded me of St. Augustine’s Confessions where he dedicated an entire chapter (book X) to imagination and memory and also discussed the death of a maternal figure, in this case Augustine’s own mother. Proust’s description of maternal figures in his story somehow parallels that of St. Augustine, where you get a sense that his recollections are full of ambivalence. His moments of happiness at the tender attention of the female figures in his life seem to be followed by a sad and oppressive sense of desertion.
Finally, The whole of Proust’s world comes out of a teacup with the episode of the madeleine dipped in tea. A recognized psychological phenomenon triggered by smells, tastes, or sounds, involuntary memory vividly reproduces emotions, sensations, or images from the past. Why do you think readers and critics universally consider this scene to be pivotal? What does the Narrator think about the experience of involuntary memory?
Hi Noor,
I loved reading your thoughts about Proust’s text and how you connected it to our present reality. In particular, I thought you brought up a really interesting point about what Proust would have to say about the current pandemic. I wouldn’t be surprised if Proust also lived during a pandemic (such as the Spanish Flu), but even then it would be very different from the pandemic we have today. As you previously mentioned, Proust focuses on human connection rather than materialistic pursuits. Today, we are still able to form, maintain, and build human connections during a pandemic through the use of technology (internet, video calls, etc.) that was not available in Proust’s time. That being said, I also wonder what Proust would make of a pandemic, and how that may impact his writing.
– Aliyah
I really enjoyed reading your insight! The novel also felt like a “cultural tourism” for me too. Proust’s imagery is really astonishing! I really like how you viewed “imagination” as a key part of the story. I totally agree. The narrator of the story (Marcel) seems to start as reflecting on his past, but later finds himself imagining within his memories and trying to create connections to his current self.
Hi, nice blog post! Just like you I also felt that Proust’s story gave me a good understanding about the 19th century France despite me never being there. I was also impressed with how such as small village could be the birth place for all his imaginations and endless encounters. Funny enough, I also looked up the word “Transvertebration” and according to the Wikitionnaire in French, Marcel Proust is the creator of this word and it means “changes in the vertebral system”.
Hi Noor! I really enjoyed reading your post because I didn’t really pick up on the importance of personal spaces and places, like the narrator’s room and the description of their grandmother through her walks in nature. I definitely feel like my sense of belonging and place is unclear, especially after moving to Vancouver last year, and rereading the narrator’s detailed description of their room and home in Combray, the sense of place it embodies really enhances the atmosphere of the story. I also picked up on the loneliness and sad sense of misplacement you mentioned, which was a defining part of the first chapter for me, because it made me reflect on some memories and realize that they were often very ambivalent as well.
Hello Noor! I really enjoyed how you were able to relate the reading to your life and the pandemic. I was able to learn a lot from your post about the reading and the symbolism behind a lot of things. It caused me to reflect on the readings more than I had.