Jonathan’s Comments (group member since Oct 24, 2013)

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

Dave wrote: "Oh, I finished "Proust at the Majestic". I was touched that the night he died Celeste was helping him at his bedside edit the scene of Bergotte's death.
I read the book specifically for the account..."

I'm looking forward to reading that book...all extra Proust material is on hold until I finish the novel though.

Dave wrote: "That Proustian double-bluff lead me astray in a major way in the next volume."

Ha! Ha! Sounds intriguing.

The most amazing thing for me was when he just tells Albertine that he visited the Verdurins, knowing full well that he'd talked her out of going there, and is then surprised that she's annoyed.

It was good to see that many of the narrator's fears were unfounded...though they're both expert liars...

Renato wrote: "Because of the title of the next volume, I always assumed that Albertine would simply leave the narrator without any explanations. I took the title literally. But apparently - and this can change, ..."

Yes, I was expecting a similar thing to happen. I thought she wasn't going to be there when he returned - especially as the narrator kept saying things like 'because I'm certain that Albertine will be at home when I return' - could that be a Proustian double-bluff?

I liked Albertine's line: 'When I lie to you, it's always out of affection for you.'

Renato wrote: "I remember there was a Theodore back in the 1st volume (or 2nd?). He worked near Aunt Leonie's house or something like that. Is this the same Theodore that's the brother of the maid of Mme. Putbus?..."

I've tried to avoid delving back into the previous volumes to find out about all these minor characters but I think I read a note somewhere that verifies your comment - that Theodore was related to the maid to Mme Putbus.

Renato wrote: "I can't help but to laugh at the irony... that caused the narrator so many headaches and apparently all she wanted was to stay with him... do you think she was telling the truth here? "

I'm really not sure, Renato, we've spent so long inside the head of the narrator that I think, even though we know he's a bit weird, we've been heavily influenced by his paranoia.

Did you find it refreshing to actually get to see things from Albertine's POV as well as me?

Dave wrote: "Thanks for the lead on the Fall blog Jonathan. Unfortunately, as he mentions, I can't get the Kindle versions of the last three volumes in the US. I went to Amazon UK and found the Penguin editions..."

Yeah, it must be frustrating. I think it used to be possible to get round the Amazon nationality restriction by changing your home address but I don't think you can do it now - I never tried it though.

Is it possible to get them as epub books? Failing that get the physical books from eBay etc.

I'm actually back reading the MKE version but refer to a library Penguin copy now and then. When/if I re-read bits then I tend to use the Penguin version for that just to jazz it up a bit.

BTW I found Stephen Fall's comments on 'The Prisoner' interesting. His comments on the Penguin translations were very useful when I was trying to decide between the available translations.

I was wondering how the narrator was going to keep his visit to the Verdurins a secret from Albertine, so I was amazed when he just comes out with 'Guess where I've been - at the Verdurins'...and he's surprised that she's annoyed!! Wow!

Dave wrote: "Jonathan wrote: "I liked the little bits of self-analysis by the narrator, such as his lack of vanity inherited from his grandmother, his lack of self-importance and resentment, his slowness to ang..."

Yes, I agree. I didn't mean to imply that I agreed with his analysis but it was interesting to hear how he viewed himself. I don't think he does it very often in the novel as it's mostly comments on the other characters or more generalisations, that admittedly include himself.

Well, Charlus certainly starts to spill the beans on his and everyone else's 'inversion' - "Three out of ten!!"

There are a lot of revelations about Swann & Odette and Odette & Charlus and Charlus & Swann...oops! you let that one out of the bag Charlus! I suspect that he did it deliberately.

I only realised in this section that we have Charles Swann, Baron Charlus and Charlie Morel.

I'm constantly fascinated with the narrator's logic regarding Albertine; at one point his reasoning goes like this - I'm afraid that Albertine is thinking of leaving me which causes me to suffer so I'll have to prolong our relationship until I'm calm enough to break up with her. To do this, I'll insinuate that I want to leave her. Weird, but fascinating!

I liked the little bits of self-analysis by the narrator, such as his lack of vanity inherited from his grandmother, his lack of self-importance and resentment, his slowness to anger, his lack of justice but his support of the underdog and weak.

I liked this quote in this section:

But the true nature which we repress continues nevertheless to abide within us. Thus it is that at times, if we read the latest masterpiece of a man of genius, we are delighted to find in it all those of our own reflexions which we have despised, joys and sorrows which we have repressed, a whole world of feelings we have scorned, and whose value the book in which we discover them afresh suddenly teaches us.

When Mme Verdurin is trying to get Brichot and the narrator to agree to distract Charlus she mentions the sacrifices she's made for her friends and the narrator explains:

She was alluding to the circumstances in which she had forced him [Brichot] in the nick of time to break first of all with his laundress and then with Mme Cambremer, as a result of which Brichot had gone almost completely blind and, people said, had taken to morphine.

Er!...well I remember these incidents but I had been wondering why he'd gone blind, but just assumed it was just age-related. But this sentence implies a connection; when I first read it I thought 'does he mean what I think he means?' Ok, to be less coy - is the narrator implying that Brichot resorted to excessive masturbation? n.b. some Victorians believed that masturbation caused blindness.

Ok, so the gloves are off! It's time for the bare-knuckle fight of the century! It's time for Charlus v Verdurin. There will be blood.

Although the Verdurins are quite obnoxious themselves I must admit I was looking forward to seeing someone stand up to the Baron....now if only someone would do so with the Verdurins. Maybe the best outcome would have been if they'd destroyed each other. :-)

You found it ok then? I notice that the break point is in the middle of paragraph in the Penguin edition - this made it difficult to find for me especially as it's a physical library copy.

something else? I'm curious!!

No, Léa.

I just checked Patrick Alexander's book with the entry on Gilberte: the 'young man' that the narrator saw with Gilberte was in fact a woman. I'm quite sure that Odette mentioned this to the narrator at some point - shall I reveal who it was?

Renato wrote: "It seems there are always triangles... Narrator-Albertine-Mlle. Vinteuil (at times it's Narrator-Albertine-Lea)... Swann-Odette-Forcheville... Charlus-Morel-Jupien's niece... Narrator-Gilberte-some guy (am I making things up or there was some guy?) ."

Wasn't the 'guy' actually a lesbian as well? I can't remember her name but it may be worth checking out. I think at the time the narrator was mollified with this information - he was relieved that it wasn't a male. He's not so relaxed with Albertine.

Renato wrote: "I never expected to be so amazed by this volume... it's turning into my favorite one. This week's (as well as last week's) sections were truly amazing...."

I think I've said this before but....this volume seems more modern to me. The earlier volumes were more like 19th century novels.