Dave’s Comments (group member since May 24, 2014)

Dave’s comments from the Reading Proust's In Search of Lost Time in 2014 group.

On reflection my "sympathy" for Albertine was seemed stronger than it was because I was so upset with the Narrator.

Yes, that was interesting. The panelists were well chosen to provide diverse perspective: A successful novelist, a psychoanalyst, and an editor/academic. The novelist and the psychoanalyst particularly were in contrast and were sometimes at loggerheads. The novelist brought up, from her own experience, that a novelist often doesn't know where they are going with a work and end up somewhere else. No One brought up that Proust wrote the beginning and end when he started and filled in the middle over the years - that would indicate he knew where he was going. The point about his writing for a male audience I had not considered before, but think I agree with. They spoke a little about how sympathetic Albertine was and there was some disagreement. Well I found her sympathetic but could see their point. The excerpts that the actor read were well chosen.

It was an interesting program. And it touched on some points we have discussed her. But it does contain spoilers. I found it encouraging to my obsessive reading and follow-up that I found myself disagreeing with some points that these heavy hitters made. If I've gotten to the point where I sometimes stay with my own opinion (and know why) rather than following every opinion I hear or read, I must be getting somewhat organized. Now I just need to make sure I keep an open mind and don't let my opinions get set in stone.

It seems to be semi-rare. I'll share it with quotes and we can use it to look up specific points. It is hard to find. The Author was from South Africa and educated at Cambridge. He taught at the Sorbonne also. He wrote the essay on "the Narrator" in the Cambridge Companion to Proust"

In reading B G Rogers book "Proust's Narrative Techniques" I have come across a detailed explanation of what Proust "reveals" in the scene where Saint Loup is surprised by Albertine's photo. This is one of many examples in Rogers' book of how Proust invented his own techniques to say what he had to say in the book.
I'm glad I've got this book to share when we collectively finish. I've been struggling with how to concisely summarize the big white rabbit pulled out of the hat. If you're reaction is like mine, I expect you'll say "What the hell! A big white rabbit! But then will struggle for weeks trying to comprehend the significance of the rabbit. Rodgers' book has great "rabbit hunting" quotes.

It really is nice to have you back making frequent comments Sunny!

Thanks for the link Marcelita, I've been following that on the Yahoo Group.

Translation software has come a long way since '95 when I bought expensive software to send letters for reservations to a bunch of B&B type places in the Loire Valley, Brittany, and Normandy. I'm sure the French was horrible, but they all had our room waiting when we got there.

Oh cool, thanks!

Yes, on either. If I can cut foreign language text from a book electronically, Babylon does a very credible job of translation. Back when I played online games I interacted with players all over the world by typing out what I wanted to say, translating, then pasting the results in the chat box. Japanese, Chinese (Manderin or Cantonese), Farsi, Urdu, Arabic, Turkish, Polish, Finnish, Italian, French, Dutch, Spanish and Portugese were some of the languages I remember chatting in. The other players were astonished.

Thanks Renato, I haven't tried Bing but Babylon has been useful to me for a long time. My second language is Spanish which I read and hear much better than I speak. But I translate letters to my niece in Mexico on Babylon and it requires little manual intervention.
My concern with the quotes from this book are that, although I have a French keyboard that I can select. I don't know how to put in accents, graves (sp?) and the little symbol that looks like a hat. I don't know how that affects the translation.

Thank you, I overlooked that he had contributed to the Cambridge Companion. What he has to say about the narrator makes more sense to me than anything else I have read so far. My copy of his techniques book came from a used book seller in Australia. It was a library copy in the University of Sydney Windsor library. It has the checkout form in the back and was checked out from 1971-1975 when I was in college. Its a decent copy but the spine is brittle with age. I find little details like that very "intimate" about used books.

Nice pic. Yes, I could have my bed set up over there by those sunny windows and Francois could bring me books and tea while I kept a diligent eye on the passing NY vegetable trade.

I knew you would be there to represent those of us lost in the wilderness! I read the nice article in the NYT's and already went to the site.

Thanks! All the quotes are in french in the Narrative Techniques book. I am getting a lot out of the book with just a sense of what is quoted but I would like to translate the quotes. I'm going to try Babylon or another web site. Fortunately, quotes are used sparingly.

Oh, and have you been to the Albertine store yet Marcelita?

I am watching those videos now Marcelita, very informative.

Have you read "Proust's Literary Techniques"? I'm very excited about it. First half covers writing before La Recherche with a chapter each on earliest writings, Jean Santeuil, and Contra San Beauve and how his style emerged fron these earlier writings.

That is a good Balzac site Jonathan, and the one you linked too Marcelita! Thanks. I remember you had brought that site to my attention before. Both very helpful.

Yes, Renato, Joyce is always standing at my shoulder whispering "when?". At some point I'll be brave. It would be easier perhaps if, on that night at the Majestic, he had gushed, "Oh M. Proust, I just loved your book! So brilliant, and your readers too, so discerning" And of course our hero would have responded, "That is correct. And who are you?" lol

I preordered "Suspended Sentences: Three Novella" by Modiano, to be published 28 October.

I'm starting Celine's Journey, looks suitably dark for my current cynical worldview.

I want to read some Balzac, but where to start? Pere Goriot? Suggestions?

Stendhal too, Rouge et Noir has been to long on the list. Proust has reawakened my interest in Flaubert, Sentimental Education - Already read Bovary. Also, recently read of Flaubert's travels to Istanbul.

And Renato's review of War and Peace peaked my interest there too.

Good grief! I went on Amazon to check for Celine ebooks - my paperback copy of Journey is selling used for between $108 and $431!!! I'm not going to read it, I'm going to put it in my safe deposit box!