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.

Renato wrote: "I think that was wise of you to stop then... reading just to get it done is indeed a time you could use reading something new and that would enchant you.

I definitely want to read the short storie..."

Yes, I want to read Jean Santeuil and the short stories - maybe this year. Maybe we can set up a group read if our schedules coincide? JS is even quite difficult to get in English, although I can get a copy from the library. Would you read it in English or French?

Renato wrote: "I finished the Combray section today. Really enjoyed re-reading it and I was surprised to find a lot of things that I didn't remember at all... like Legrandin having dinner alone with the narrator!..."

I found that I was rushing through it just to get it read, so I thought that this was silly and decided to stop. I think it's just that I've got so many books that I want to read and being such a slow reader and with so little reading-time available due to life, work etc. that I thought I'd stop. I want to take a bit of a more scatter-gun approach and re-read little sections, almost at random; such as the library scene in Time Regained, the Intermittencies of the Heart, etc.

BTW Have you considered reading Jean Santeuil or the short stories?

It's good to see there's a new group. Have you joined?

Renato wrote: "I also enjoyed reading about aunt Léonie... I just visited my grandmother and they're similar in so many things, lol, especially on that whole section that ends with this quote:

"In short, my au..."

I think when I originally read this section I merged the two characters, the narrator's grandmother and aunt Léonie, but re-reading it I was able to distinguish each character as they are now like old acquaintances. :-)

Thanks Dave. Yes, it's been great reading ISOLT along with everyone; I think that ISOLT is definitely a book that is better read in a group.

We'll keep the group 'open' and we can think of it as still 'live' in that we can add new threads for any supplementary reading etc. I'm just going to start Proust's Way: A Field Guide to In Search of Lost Time and will probably add comments.

I started re-reading PartII of Combray today and loved the beginning section, the view of Combray from the railway, the 'dreary streets' etc. And then we're introduced to aunt Léonie talking away to herself in her room, 'having a rest', then all our favourites Legrandin, Françoise, Uncle Adolphe...and the Lady in Pink...

But, I think I'm going to stop my re-reading at this point as, for me, it's just much too soon to be re-reading this book, it's too much like déjà vu, like I've slipped back a year. I think I'll be better off re-reading short sections as and when I want to, or when they crop up in my supplementary reading.

I did notice that Mme Sazerat gets a lot of mentions in this early part of the book - the elusive Mme Sazerat!

Thanks Marcelita. Yes, the large bell sounds more like some sort of alarm bell. It must go off without the 'intruder' doing anything.

Oh and the nephew of Mme de Villeparisis is 'so common!' - that must be the Duc de Guermantes?

Renato wrote: "Jonathan wrote: "I've been interested in 'firsts' in this re-reading, i.e. first mention of Charlus, Gilberte, Odette, hawthorns, Villeparisis etc."

I was also very attentive to these 'firsts' and..."

And the narrator's mother tries to get Swann to discuss his daughter with her and the narrator's great aunts know Vinteuil and Mme de Villeparsis is looked down on by the great aunts.

Jupien wasn't actually named though in this section was he? She likes him, as she also likes Villeparisis because they appear well-read whereas the great-aunts just like those that come from their same class.

I've been interested in 'firsts' in this re-reading, i.e. first mention of Charlus, Gilberte, Odette, hawthorns, Villeparisis etc. But it's the sound of the visitor's bell that really interests me.

Remember that in Time Regained the narrator said of the evening when as a child he waited for his kiss from his mother:

It was that evening, when my mother abdicated her authority, that marked the beginning, along with the slow death of my grandmother, of the decline of my will and of my health. Everything had been decided at the moment when, unable to bear the idea of waiting until the next day to set my lips on my mother's face, I had made my resolution, jumped out of bed, and gone, in my nightshirt, to stay by the window through which the moonlight came, until I heard M. Swann go. My parents having gone with him, I heard the garden gate open, the bell ring, the gate close again...

But what did he actually mean when with 'the beginning of the decline of his will'? Is it that it was then that he realised that he could manipulate those that loved him? In this section the narrator says:

...my parents gave me a far greater concession than I could ever have won as the reward of a good deed.

He's learning that being good and virtuous is not necessarily the best way of 'getting his way'.

When I first read Swann's Way I thought the narrator's grandmother was a bit of a stern character - with her bracing walks in the rain and her lack of frivolity. Of course as the narrative develops we realise that she cares deeply for the narrator. So it's interesting to come across this quote which supports the fact that she cared for the narrator:

Alas! I did not realise that my own lack of will-power, my delicate health, and the consequent uncertainty as to my future, weighed far more heavily on my grandmother's mind than any little dietary indiscretion by her husband...

It's certainly interesting re-reading Part I of Combray. All the time-shifting that's going on was a bit confusing on the first read but less so on the second read.

The first-time reader wouldn't make much sense of the bit where the narrator remembers being at Mme St-Loup's house (Tansonville)...but for the re-reader this is exquisite; we're being rewarded for making it to the end of ISOLT.

I'm about to start...I'm just doing some warm-up exercises beforehand. :-)

If nothing else, Proust has certainly improved my reading style. I may be able to tackle Henry James again now.

This thread is for any comments on Roger Shattuck's book Proust's Way.

Ben wrote: "Between this work and your Shattuck, we seem to be confronted with the classical divide between Swann's Way and the Guermantes Way, or not? ;-)
It would be interesting to compare notes afterwards or as we go along; what do you think? "

Yes Ben, feel free to add comments to any existing threads if they seem relevant. I'll add some more threads to the 'Supplementary Reading' folder when and if they seem to be required.

I read the Patrick Alexander book as I went along with ISOLT but didn't find it that useful as an accompaniment. It would be useful for anyone who wanted a quick re-cap of events and characters but doesn't contain much new info or views. I'll be interested to know what you think of it though.

Good point Ben. I was also mystified with the lack of wine in ISOLT. Marcel does get a bit skwiffy on the train though.

I don't think I'll switch to drinking orangeade even if it is a 'Proustian drink'.

Congratulations Ben! You're now a Proust Graduate. It feels good doesn't it?

I'm going to start Proust's Way: A Field Guide to In Search of Lost Time soon and the Carter biography early next year. Curiously I read the de Botton book before I started reading ISOLT.

If you're seriously contemplating a re-read then you may want to join in with our re-read of 'Combray' in January - see here. It would be great to have you join in. And we can expand the re-read section if people want to continue.

That'll be fine with me Renato. Just to be clear, I'm only planning on reading Part One (Combray) - though, you never know I may get the urge to carry on.

Are you still planning on re-reading the whole thing?

Ben wrote: "I found the following comment of the narrator about the book very interesting and highly significant:
"In this book in which there is not a single incident which is not fictitious, not a single cha..."

It's actually a bit of a surprise when the narrator (or Proust?) suddenly starts talking to us, the reader, directly...isn't it?

In the library scene at the Guermantes party, later on in the novel, the narrator covers this area again. In summary (and this isn't a spoiler) he says that a writer's characters consist of traits from several real people as well as invention and that this 'is one reason why studies where people try to work out who an author is talking about are pointless.' - it can still be fun trying though!!

Dave wrote: "No Francoise Le Champi for you tonight young man!"

he! he!

Marcelita wrote: "Do you know how to "listen" to your kindle? It's a computer voice...and takes some patience, but it's a great option, if you are somewh..."

Oh! I can't stand things being read to me in that robot voice. In fact, I'm listening to a 'proper audio book' read by someone and I even find that difficult enough.

I think being 'read to' just sends me to sleep as well, especially when it's by mama. ;-)