The Year of Reading Proust discussion
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Swann’s Way
Swann's Way, vol. 1
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Thank you, Kalliope!
Question: this has puzzled me for years. When the Narrator, infatuated with Gilberte, he develops a parallel passion for Swann, even wishing to be bald like him! He mentions his admiration to Gilberte, who giggles and says(approximately): You know, they can't bear you! He is crushed, writes Swann a long passionate letter about what a good person he is, and all Swann says is: this only corroborates what I've said before (or words to that effect). Then: after Gilberte begins inviting the Narrator to her house for tea, her parents are crazy about him.
Anyone have any ideas about what instigates this about-face? Swann knows clearly who the Narrator is, from the beginning.
Yeah, I have no idea what's going on, either. Letter? Tea? What?
Elizabeth wrote: "Question: this has puzzled me for years. When the Narrator, infatuated with Gilberte, he develops a parallel passion for Swann, even wishing to be bald like him! He mentions his admiration to Gil..."Earlier in Swann's Way, the Narrator only knew of Swann as the person taking him away from his mother. Later, he played with Gilberte but without Swann knowing the Narrator child's name. Thus, when Gilberte was playing with the infatuated child Narrator, Swann did not know that she was playing with the friend's son whining for his mother. The Narrator said that he was glad of that because he was ashamed of that memory. Swann at this time was an enigma, whom the Narrator child soaked in with any information of Swann via his parents. The child worshipped Swann, wanting to be like Swann, and thereby be in intimate contact with Gilberte.
Elizabeth, I think it was in volume 2 that we start to see the parents being crazy about the Narrator.
Aloha wrote: "Elizabeth wrote: "Question: this has puzzled me for years. He mentions his..."Thank you Aloha,
Elizabeth, I think this discussion belongs to a different thread... I think first and second week of volume 2.
Kalliope wrote: "Aloha wrote: "Elizabeth wrote: "Question: this has puzzled me for years. He mentions his..."Thank you Aloha,
Elizabeth, I think this discussion belongs to a different thread... I think first ..."
It pays to read ahead of the pack! :oD
Aloha wrote: "Thus, when Gilberte was playing with the infatuated child Narrator, Swann did not know that she was playing with the friend's son whining for his mother."I'm not sure this is true, either. I thought it was pretty clear when Swann sees the kid playing with his daughter at Champs Elysses, he knows who he is and who his parents are. I think it's mentioned a few times, actually.
Jason wrote: "Aloha wrote: "Thus, when Gilberte was playing with the infatuated child Narrator, Swann did not know that she was playing with the friend's son whining for his mother."I'm not sure this is true, ..."
I think you're right, Jason. The wording gave the appearance that Swann did not know him. Maybe it was that Swann quarreled with the Narrator's family?
"He [Swann] responded politely to the greetings of Gilberte's friends, even to mine although he had quarreled with my family, but without appearing to know me..." LD
But I recall a passage where the Narrator was relieved that Swann did not know his name. Let me see whether I can find it.
It was at the Champs-Élysées that the child Narrator first saw Gilberte after the Hawthorne scene. He regularly played with her and other children there, but Swann did not know who he was since Gilberte never mentioned his name. When Swann picked Gilberte up to leave the Champs-Élysées for a long while, that's when he "appeared" to not know the Narrator.
Later on, though, in the convo. with his mother, the Narrator was corrected in the mistaken notion that the parents and Swann quarreled. At least, that's the mother's veiled interpretation to her son.“Then you haven’t quarreled?”
“Quarreled? Now what makes you think we might have quarreled?” she answered briskly, as if I had assaulted the fiction of her good relations with Swann and tried to effect a “rapprochement.”
“He might be cross with you for not inviting him anymore.”
“One isn’t obliged to invite everyone; does he invite me? I don’t know his wife.”
“But at Combray he used to come.”
“Well, yes! He came at Combray, and now in Paris he has other things to do and so have I. But I promise you we didn’t look in the least like two people who had quarreled. We stood there together for a moment because they hadn’t yet brought him his parcel. He asked after you, he told me you played with his daughter,” added my mother, stunning me with the prodigious fact that I existed in Swann’s mind, even more, that I existed there in so complete a manner that, when I trembled with love there before him in the Champs-Élysées, he knew my name, who my mother was, and could amalgamate around my qualifications as playmate of his daughter certain facts about my grandparents, their family, the place where we lived, certain details of our past life which were perhaps unknown even to me....” LD
Too impetuous as always. Sorry. When the schedule gets up to p. 22 of "Within A Budding Grove" (which is where I stopped when I discovered the group) maybe I will do better.Typing the title reminds me. How does one get the French accent marks, or italics for book titles, or anything of that sort? I can do it on Word, but this (and the rest of my email site) doesnt give me a clue. Any help wld be appreciated.
I have a Mac, Elizabeth. There's a language keyboard that I can pop up. My iPad and iPhone is also set to have certain extra keyboards. Not sure about Windows, but I'm sure there must be a preference to set up keyboards for other languages.
Elizabeth wrote: "How does one get the French accent marks, or italics for book titles, or anything of that sort? I can do it on Word, but this (and the rest of my email site) doesnt give me a clue. Any help wld be appreciated."(view spoiler)
No worries, Elizabeth. You stimulated a discussion.
Thank you, thank you! I taught high school English for 20 years and it gave me real pain not be able to italicise the book titles, etc.
For instance, I meant to say I was up to p. 222 of Within A Budding Grove, not p. 22. And again, thanks. I've got to say this is the most positive, well-mannered (not to say classy) online discussion group I've ever been on. Circular question: does Proust attract nice types, or does reading Proust make one nice?
Elizabeth wrote: "For instance, I meant to say I was up to p. 222 of Within A Budding Grove, not p. 22. And again, thanks. I've got to say this is the most positive, well-mannered (not to say classy) online discuss..."
Yes :)
Elizabeth wrote: "For instance, I meant to say I was up to p. 222 of Within A Budding Grove, not p. 22. And again, thanks. I've got to say this is the most positive, well-mannered (not to say classy) online discuss..."
Thank you, Elizabeth. *more hugs* But I don't have the answer to your question. :oD
I made the italics work...but I tried the acute accent in another email and it wldnt work. Let's try now:Mme. Molé
It worked! But it didnt on my regular email. Tant pis.I also want to discuss Jan Vermeer. Until cataract surgery years ago, I was halfblind nearsighted; and when Xmas lights are up I kind of miss taking my glasses off and seeing that marvelous blur of colors. Many art critics think that Vermeer was similarly nearsighted and here's why. There are these things called "coins of confusion." Hard to describe; they're what result when a v. nearsighted person looks at a bright color against a dark background. Kind of a small, fuzzy circle...and Vermeer's paintings are full of them. And another reason: he was obviously using a camera obscura (check the perspective).
BTW, I've been lucky enough to see some Vermeers (the Met has a few, as does the National Gallery in D.C.) and one thing is clear: the blues he uses do not
reproduce. In the one of the lady at the window (that's in the Met), the very light is blue; it's amazing; and has never come through in any reproduction I've seen.
Jason, you notice how I'm enjoying being able to use all these marks!
Fifteen years ago I read vol I (..."
¡Bienvenida Patricia!
Thank you Aloha.
I will post a couple of articles on the Spanish translations in the Translations/Editions Thread...