Scan barcode
A review by kdavis
Remembrance of Things Past, Volume I: The Captive, the Fugitive & Time Regained by Marcel Proust
Well, after seven long months, I’m finally done with In Search of Lost Time a/k/a Remembrance of Things Past. Surprisingly, I can honestly say that I would like to read it again sometime.
Rating this particular book, which is actually the last three volumes of Proust’s novel is tricky so I'm not going to do it. As I mentioned in my updates, I didn’t care for The Captive or The Fugitive at all. Those volumes are largely about the jealous, dysfunctional relationship between the narrator and Albertine. I found them both to be very emotionally taxing. However, I found the final volume, Time Regained, to be very enjoyable. In that volume, the narrator has an epiphany while he is at a social event with the usual suspects. He looks around and suddenly notices that everyone is old and decrepit, even to the point that he can't recognize them, including himself. He decides that he should write a novel. (I don’t think that’s really a spoiler, is it?) For me, the hidden gem in Time Regained was a long, but really lovely essay on artists and the creative process. In the end, I was very impressed that despite the fact that Proust died before he could really smooth out the inconsistencies with some of the characters (they disappear, reappear, die, come back to life), the ending still makes sense and all seven volumes truly read like one novel.
In the unlikely event that any of my friends out there want to tackle this project, here’s what I wish I had known seven months ago:
1. Slow down. This novel can’t be read quickly without missing important details.
2. Pay attention. Nothing is in the novel just for the heck of it. It all relates to each other by the end.
3. Be ready to look up lots of words you don’t know. I also used Google translate frequently, because when Proust quotes other authors or artists it isn’t translated.
4. The novel is semi-autobiographical. Knowing a little background about Proust would have been helpful. He was one strange dude, and you will be reading some strange things.
5. When I finally picked up one of the audiobooks, I realized that I was mispronouncing almost all of the names of the characters in my head.
6. Be patient. Proust is like your old great-great-uncle who traps you in a corner at a family gathering to tell you stories about when he was your age. He has a point, eventually. Just sit back and enjoy the story.
7. This sounds a little cheesy, but if you let it, this book will change the way you see the world around you. Proust was an artist at heart, and he observed everything around him with great intensity. I found the fact that he could translate this into words really fascinating.
8. Know why you are reading this. The first question out of peoples mouths when you tell them you are reading Proust will be "Why?". My usual answer, accompanied by a shrug was, "I was bored."
The surprise benefit of reading all seven volumes of Proust? Everything else I read from here on out will seem really, really short.
Rating this particular book, which is actually the last three volumes of Proust’s novel is tricky so I'm not going to do it. As I mentioned in my updates, I didn’t care for The Captive or The Fugitive at all. Those volumes are largely about the jealous, dysfunctional relationship between the narrator and Albertine. I found them both to be very emotionally taxing. However, I found the final volume, Time Regained, to be very enjoyable. In that volume, the narrator has an epiphany while he is at a social event with the usual suspects. He looks around and suddenly notices that everyone is old and decrepit, even to the point that he can't recognize them, including himself. He decides that he should write a novel. (I don’t think that’s really a spoiler, is it?) For me, the hidden gem in Time Regained was a long, but really lovely essay on artists and the creative process. In the end, I was very impressed that despite the fact that Proust died before he could really smooth out the inconsistencies with some of the characters (they disappear, reappear, die, come back to life), the ending still makes sense and all seven volumes truly read like one novel.
In the unlikely event that any of my friends out there want to tackle this project, here’s what I wish I had known seven months ago:
1. Slow down. This novel can’t be read quickly without missing important details.
2. Pay attention. Nothing is in the novel just for the heck of it. It all relates to each other by the end.
3. Be ready to look up lots of words you don’t know. I also used Google translate frequently, because when Proust quotes other authors or artists it isn’t translated.
4. The novel is semi-autobiographical. Knowing a little background about Proust would have been helpful. He was one strange dude, and you will be reading some strange things.
5. When I finally picked up one of the audiobooks, I realized that I was mispronouncing almost all of the names of the characters in my head.
6. Be patient. Proust is like your old great-great-uncle who traps you in a corner at a family gathering to tell you stories about when he was your age. He has a point, eventually. Just sit back and enjoy the story.
7. This sounds a little cheesy, but if you let it, this book will change the way you see the world around you. Proust was an artist at heart, and he observed everything around him with great intensity. I found the fact that he could translate this into words really fascinating.
8. Know why you are reading this. The first question out of peoples mouths when you tell them you are reading Proust will be "Why?". My usual answer, accompanied by a shrug was, "I was bored."
The surprise benefit of reading all seven volumes of Proust? Everything else I read from here on out will seem really, really short.