To start off, I think “Combray” was an excellent choice for our first text in this course. At the beginning, I was utterly confused and lost. Yet, the story seemed somewhat familiar due to its use of sleep and childhood. It does a beautiful job at inviting readers with an experience they most likely have had. That is, tossing and turning in bed. Personally, I have been woken up because I thought the movie I fell asleep to was still running or that I had missed my alarm, even though it was still deep in the night. This is similar to the author’s reflection of wanting to put a book down that they believed was still in their hands. While my eyes moved across the page, my brain was busy piecing together the narrative. It was like trying to solve a large puzzle.
In all honesty, I felt overwhelmed and frustrated at myself for not being able to understand the text. In particular, I was worried because I still had many more pages to read but could not lay my finger on what was happening. This was one of the most unique experiences I have had as a reader, especially since I am more familiar with academic works that relay information in a clear cut way. However, I am starting to realize that the beauty of literature is how it can be interpreted differently. I truly spent the entire day pondering, rereading certain parts, and trying to venture into Proust’s special world.
An aspect that stood out to me was the sense of comfort gained from his mother’s goodnight kisses and the extreme lengths he would take for it. While reading about his deceptive plan, I was so hooked. I wanted to know if a mere letter would be enough for his mother to venture upstairs or if he would be caught before anything even happened. It made me reflect on my childhood to see if I could recall something that gave me a similar feeling that the kisses would for Proust.
One memorable quote was from the madeleine scene where the author writes, “Clearly, the truth I am seeking is not in the drink, but in me” (45). In a way, this reminded me of a Bible verse. The lime blossom tea that Proust drinks reflects his childhood memories, something that can only be discovered internally. Likewise, I admired how the sight of the madeleine had no effect on rekindling memories until it was tasted. While this novel was definitely a harder read for me, I think it was a great introduction to the Romance World and literature.
With all that said, my question to you is: Was there anything from your childhood that gave you a sense of comfort that you sought dearly? Does a certain food unravel emotions like how the madeleine and lime blossom tea did for Proust?