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.

Jonathan wrote: "I must admit I was dumbstruck when I read this:Why had she not said to me: "I have those tastes"? I would have yielded, would have allowed her to gratify them.Would you Marcel? Would you really?"

I found that quite realistic. In my own interior monologue I am always reasonable and gallant! ;)

I agree that he is human, to the degree that it takes all sorts. Just how far past the death have you folks read? What specifically is the last "action" this week. I have a comment to make, but I'm a little gun shy since I think I gave away things I should not have in the last two weeks.

Insightful comments Renato. I won't elaborate on the comments I made that are in the last week of the volume. Charlus will be back eventually....

One little detail search I've taken to doing is looking up Paris street names on Google maps. If the general area or Arridesment (sp?) is mentioned, I traverse the globe to Paris and zoom in to look for the street and its general location. Some names change but many are the same. I was thrilled to find the street Odette lives on just South of the the Arch de Triumph. And when Marcel is meeting Gilberte in the Arch de Triumph Park, the narrator makes mention that she enters from a certain street. I looked it up and it ran right past the American Embassy now which fronts on the park they played in. In fact the paths through the Arch de Triumph are now named "Alley du Marcel Proust"!

Now that I think about it, the fire might have a symbolic meaning. We can discuss that at the end perhaps.

No Sunny, not that I recall. I believe it only serves as a reason to move. I find this aspect of Proust quite "lifelike". Sometimes people, places or things are mention that seem like they will be important but never turn up again. Other times persons, places, or things are mentioned in passing and become a major element of the story later. Proust makes it difficult to "read" the future.

Renato, we both posted a list of recommended books about 11 days ago on this thread.

That's good Jonathan, should be useful when you are reading TR.

Among the Proust books I have received in the last few days is "A Reader's Handbook to Proust: An Indexed Guide to Remembrance of Things Past" completed by P. A. Spalding and revised by R.H. Cortie. This little book gives brief synopsis of each volume and then has then has a comprehensive list of characters listing volume and page number each time they appear or are mentioned by name with a brief description of what is said. This is followed by a subject index that does the same thing for all the major topics in the book. Unfortunately it is indexed against the Chatto and Windus 12 Volume translation of Moncrieff published 1949-51. Still useful for reminder of who said what where. Wish some current scholar would do this for the Modern Library edition.

An interesting ensemble, complete with tassels.

Mon Dieu! It is Baroness Putbus' maid impatiently waiting for our hopeful Narrator!

Hummm, Morel calling somebody a slut? Sort of the pot calling the kettle black!

I use the web Babylon translation site Sunny. It gives me "large foot of crane". A "Bigbird" insult perhaps? Humor/slang is hard to get in translation. This is where a well footnoted edition would help.

Jonathan wrote: "It doesn't necessarily mean that he connects the photograph with the girl at the station, but his reaction suggested that he knew her from elsewhere...or am I getting drawn in by the narrator's paranoia? " No Jonathan, I don't believe either of you are getting "drawn in" and neither was I. This incident reminds me of when Albertine reported on her trip to the country with the chauffeur when, due to a luggage mixup, she was "forced" to wear men's clothing for a week. In both cases, the narrator reports a conversation with descriptive facial expressions that convey's particular meaning to the reader ( I'm assuming we are all here typical readers). But the Narrator, preoccupied with his own line of thought, does not see what the reader sees (Now how can the Narrator convey meaning to the reader that he fails to see?)

I'm between waves of reading right now, waiting for some other books I ordered. Just as well, I need to digest what I have read.

Marcelita, I read "Proust and Signs: The Complete Text"
Gilles Deleuze (Author), Richard Howard (Translator) at your recommendation. At times it was quite dense, but I followed the main arguments and found them quite interesting. I especially liked the metaphor about the Narrator at the end.

Hey folks, just wanted to let you know I was enjoying your comments. I can't think of anything to add for now.

I knew Marcelita would not let us down - she's the best! And her info comes in time for our 11 o'clock ProustNews video lead story;)

Nice! But not this girl. ALBERTINE LIKES BAGEPIPES, FILM AT ELEVEN!

Good research Jonathan! Now, in addition to all the other mysteries we must ponder about Albertine, we must wonder why she has bagpipes on her mind!