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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
No me resultó pesado. Se toma su tiempo sin que le importa lo que nos ocurre a nosotros. Nos obliga a seguirle el ritmo o dejarlo, y nos recompensa con un viaje de los sentidos y las emociones pocas veces logrado en la literatura. Ya mismo arranco el segundo.
I struggled to make my way through this book, but it felt like a rite of passage. Our class discussions brought it to life for me in new ways that illuminated meaning and motivated me to keep reading. In the end, I bought in to Proust’s project. Now that I’m familiar with his world, I’m determined to finish the full 3,000 pages one day out of genuine interest and not just obligation, albeit not any time soon.
Un hombre se rebuja en la cama y mientras trata de recordar dónde se encuentra, que esa habitación es su habitación y no otra en la que hubiera estado a lo largo de la vida nos introduce en esa vida, en el mundo interior que en ella se ha desarrollado, en la capacidad de la memoria sensible para arrojarnos a otros momentos ya sea por la posición del cuerpo mientras se busca la mejor postura para dormir o por el sabor de una magdalena sumergida en la tila. Así se despliega este prodigio de flujo de consciencia que es no sólo Por el camino de Swann, si no todo En busca del tiempo perdido -porque, a fin de cuentas, esta es la puerta de ese monumento al arte, a la memoria y a la mutabilidad humana que son las siete novelas que componen la obra proustiana-. En esa evocación del propio pasado, de ese momento de la infancia del narrador en Combray se revela el mundo interior de ese personaje innominado, de su familia y de ese vecino que los visita; pero también el arte y sus posibilidades de significación. Es también la novela de un amor, el amor de Swann por una mujer que no encontraba atractiva pero ante quien cayó completamente rendido, enamoramiento en el cual también el arte dota de significado a ese amor y viceversa -la frase de la sonata de Vinteuil-.
As the first book of a much larger work, Swann’s Way certainly feels like a prelude, a necessary background perhaps, but that doesn’t take away from its individual beauty.
Very much a stream of consciousness book, I really appreciated getting lost in the never ending sentences and the strange jumps between one thought and the next. Firstly, we’re introduced to the narrator as he reminisces about his childhood, barely understanding what the adults around him are talking about, and culminating with his first glance at Gilberte. The final part reconnects to this era too, with the narrator and Gilberte now being playground mates. But the real meat of this novel is the central part, a digression into the life and psyche of Gilberte’s dad, Mr Swann.
It’s interesting how when the story for all intents and purposes switches to a third person narration, it loses none of its deep introspection and exploration of the human mind. In particular, we are given a very self-centred and one-sided perspective through Swann’s eyes, in his pursuit of Odette. Now, I totally see why Simone de Beauvoir didn’t like this, but I have a severe weakness for books that unashamedly portray the male perspective. And Swann’s infatuation and then near obsession with Odette is really something to behold. Yes, it is deeply imperfect, and I think the author doesn’t shy away from showing the gender based double standards of his society, even though perhaps he leaves any type of criticism or even irony about it between the lines. But I don’t think he was moralistic about it either. I’m okay with knowing that a man may consider his pride hurt when a woman cheats on him, even though he wasn’t entirely faithful at the beginning, either. I feel privileged to be given insight into that, to witness that all consuming passion. And on the other side, Odette is definitely portrayed as wicked in a way, but I liked how free she is. She’s a weird female character, because she is both the representation of perfection and entirely flawed in the eyes of the men (and women) around her, and that’s the only way we see her due to the perspective we’re offered. But her return, under a different guise, in part 3 suggests that there may be more our narrator was simply not privy to, and puts his reliability in question (after all, he’s only drawing on second hand accounts).
To me, that was the highlight of the book. I know there are a lot of other themes that emerge, just, but I think they’ll be more apparent to me once a read the following volumes of this saga, if you will. I just really enjoyed the writing most of all, like at the end of the day, for as much praise as I wrote before, this as a stand alone story is nothing special or exciting, it kinda reminded of Henry James, rather than say, Edith Wharton. But it’s not a self contained novel, it’s merely an introduction, so that’s the basis I’m judging it on. I would say it’d be silly to stop here if you wanted to read Proust, like I don’t know anything about the rest of in search of lost time other than that not many people attempt to read it, but you can just tell this feels unfinished and writing this review just now I want to see what’s next really badly.
Very much a stream of consciousness book, I really appreciated getting lost in the never ending sentences and the strange jumps between one thought and the next. Firstly, we’re introduced to the narrator as he reminisces about his childhood, barely understanding what the adults around him are talking about, and culminating with his first glance at Gilberte. The final part reconnects to this era too, with the narrator and Gilberte now being playground mates. But the real meat of this novel is the central part, a digression into the life and psyche of Gilberte’s dad, Mr Swann.
It’s interesting how when the story for all intents and purposes switches to a third person narration, it loses none of its deep introspection and exploration of the human mind. In particular, we are given a very self-centred and one-sided perspective through Swann’s eyes, in his pursuit of Odette. Now, I totally see why Simone de Beauvoir didn’t like this, but I have a severe weakness for books that unashamedly portray the male perspective. And Swann’s infatuation and then near obsession with Odette is really something to behold. Yes, it is deeply imperfect, and I think the author doesn’t shy away from showing the gender based double standards of his society, even though perhaps he leaves any type of criticism or even irony about it between the lines. But I don’t think he was moralistic about it either. I’m okay with knowing that a man may consider his pride hurt when a woman cheats on him, even though he wasn’t entirely faithful at the beginning, either. I feel privileged to be given insight into that, to witness that all consuming passion. And on the other side, Odette is definitely portrayed as wicked in a way, but I liked how free she is. She’s a weird female character, because she is both the representation of perfection and entirely flawed in the eyes of the men (and women) around her, and that’s the only way we see her due to the perspective we’re offered. But her return, under a different guise, in part 3 suggests that there may be more our narrator was simply not privy to, and puts his reliability in question (after all, he’s only drawing on second hand accounts).
To me, that was the highlight of the book. I know there are a lot of other themes that emerge, just, but I think they’ll be more apparent to me once a read the following volumes of this saga, if you will. I just really enjoyed the writing most of all, like at the end of the day, for as much praise as I wrote before, this as a stand alone story is nothing special or exciting, it kinda reminded of Henry James, rather than say, Edith Wharton. But it’s not a self contained novel, it’s merely an introduction, so that’s the basis I’m judging it on. I would say it’d be silly to stop here if you wanted to read Proust, like I don’t know anything about the rest of in search of lost time other than that not many people attempt to read it, but you can just tell this feels unfinished and writing this review just now I want to see what’s next really badly.
Criticize: sorry, but not this time!
"In Search of Lost Time" is one hundred and twenty-six posts on our favorite site. The net, libraries, and bookstores are full of studies, theses, biographies, analyses, etc. I feel like a bit of an ant, tiny in front of this monument. So, my post will be a testimony because I want to share a few crumbs of happiness!
"Swann's Way," first volume.
And then, the whirlwind of life, the rare moments of one's own, literary novels, etc. Still, I had to wait many years before finding the right moment to isolate myself from Marcel.
So there you have it. I was finally able to taste the delights of Combray, see the Swanns again, and let myself have carried away by the magnificence of the Proustian style. Of course, I would still be in bad faith if I forgot to mention the effort that must sometimes provide in the face of the density of specific passages, but everyone knows that.
On the other hand, what about the emotion aroused by the poetic intensity? I would be remiss if I forgot to mention the finesse of tongue-in-cheek humor punctuating the story. What spirit!
On the other hand, I was curious to read some biographical articles on the author; I wrote the text in the first person. I needed some clarification to situate better the situated characters, the family or social framework, or even the place names. Fiction and reality have mixed; they give a truncated biography and are sometimes confusing.
Thus, the young narrator places himself as an only child in the heart of his family, and Marcel Proust had a brother who was two years his junior. He has wholly obscured it; it does not appear anywhere. But, on the other hand, because of this, he perhaps gives us here, behind the scenes, one of the keys to his mental construction linked to unavoidable suffering. Troubling.
This mother-child relationship is also moving, illustrated by the famous "evening kiss" ...
I chose to read "La Recherche ..." in order. However, some emeritus Proustians do not make it a necessity. Until now, having arrived in the middle of the second volume, I remain convinced that it is easier to understand the evolution of the work and especially the impressive and abundant gallery of characters in this gigantic human comedy.
Thus, I am immersed in a great work of modernity in another century, tasting a compelling philosophical thought that it is delightful to let yourself have lulled by prose that sometimes touches the stars.
"In Search of Lost Time" is one hundred and twenty-six posts on our favorite site. The net, libraries, and bookstores are full of studies, theses, biographies, analyses, etc. I feel like a bit of an ant, tiny in front of this monument. So, my post will be a testimony because I want to share a few crumbs of happiness!
"Swann's Way," first volume.
And then, the whirlwind of life, the rare moments of one's own, literary novels, etc. Still, I had to wait many years before finding the right moment to isolate myself from Marcel.
So there you have it. I was finally able to taste the delights of Combray, see the Swanns again, and let myself have carried away by the magnificence of the Proustian style. Of course, I would still be in bad faith if I forgot to mention the effort that must sometimes provide in the face of the density of specific passages, but everyone knows that.
On the other hand, what about the emotion aroused by the poetic intensity? I would be remiss if I forgot to mention the finesse of tongue-in-cheek humor punctuating the story. What spirit!
On the other hand, I was curious to read some biographical articles on the author; I wrote the text in the first person. I needed some clarification to situate better the situated characters, the family or social framework, or even the place names. Fiction and reality have mixed; they give a truncated biography and are sometimes confusing.
Thus, the young narrator places himself as an only child in the heart of his family, and Marcel Proust had a brother who was two years his junior. He has wholly obscured it; it does not appear anywhere. But, on the other hand, because of this, he perhaps gives us here, behind the scenes, one of the keys to his mental construction linked to unavoidable suffering. Troubling.
This mother-child relationship is also moving, illustrated by the famous "evening kiss" ...
I chose to read "La Recherche ..." in order. However, some emeritus Proustians do not make it a necessity. Until now, having arrived in the middle of the second volume, I remain convinced that it is easier to understand the evolution of the work and especially the impressive and abundant gallery of characters in this gigantic human comedy.
Thus, I am immersed in a great work of modernity in another century, tasting a compelling philosophical thought that it is delightful to let yourself have lulled by prose that sometimes touches the stars.
Took my time, a little bit every day over a couple of months. I loved it. Beautiful and insightful. Really taps into the human experience. I scoffed when I once heard someone say you could read just a page a day and that would give you plenty to chew on, but now I totally get it. So often I had to reread (and reread!) a sentence or passage before moving on, but I was consistently rewarded for sticking with it and I would smile out loud. This edition also had a few reviews and a couple of interviews from when it first came out in 1913 which were really interesting. So excited to be underway now with Within a Budding Grove.
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
funny
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes