Reading Proust's In Search of Lost Time in 2014 discussion
Introductions / Other Topics
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Introductions
I’m Joan/Joni and I’ve been indirectly bumping into Proust for around a decade now, reading secondary texts on Proust, rather than reading Proust. I’m a textile artist (with a background in art history, and art therapy) living in the Dandenong Ranges, about 40 km out of Melbourne. What I like about Proust, and what I’m starting to appreciate even more as I start to read is the way for Proust art interpenetrates the fabric of the everyday. I have a similar relationship with art/artists, writers/ books –art can inform my consciousness and enable me to make sense of my experience, as well as make meaning. I picked up Proust’s The Prisoner and the Fugitive because it happened to be lying about; on loan (my partner had borrowed it from a friend but had never actually opened it). I found The Prisoner rather hard going because of Marcel and the quirks of his jealousy (I won’t put in any spoilers). Actually the mention of jealousy reminds me that I heard a TED talk about a month or so ago by Parul Sehgal who suggests that it is fiction, (including Proust’s In Search of Lost Time) rather than science that ‘demystifies’ and ‘domesticates’ this vile but necessary emotion. Jealousy for instance, ‘cracks us open’, and allows us to know what we love and want (a love object can be a person or a book –I’d been jealous of those who could plough through Proust, for instance). It was this TED talk that decided for me it was time to get to grips with my own jealousies, starting with the one about reading Proust…Below is the link to Parul Sehgal’s talk, if anyone is interested.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_x1qku...
Hi, I'm Sunny. I don't know anything about Proust or this series of books. But, it's on The List (Boxall's 1001 Books to Read Before You Die) and I've seen several of my gr friends start and not finish this whopper.But earlier this year, I was reading 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami (another substantially long - but not this ridiculously long - List book) and came across this quote:
“How about Proust's In Search of Lost Time?" Tamaru asked. "If you've never read it this would be a good opportunity to read the whole thing."
"Have you read it?"
"No, I haven't been in jail, or had to hide out for a long time. Someone once said unless you have those kinds of opportunities, you can't read the whole of Proust.”
So, you see, it's like the universe just double-dog dared me.
I'll be reading the $3.99 Barnes & Noble version, but I'm working my way through Alia's posted reading schedule and gathering the corresponding page numbers. (It's quite an undertaking in itself - I'm still only up to April.) Once I get those, I'll send them to her so that she can share with the group. (Surely I'm not the only nook user. LOL!)
Oh, and while I'm on the subject - does anyone think it's hysterical that this book is a "Lend Me" book with B&N? Which means, you can loan it to someone's nook, but only for the allotted two weeks. And then, you can't loan it again. Who is going to read 3,000 pages in two weeks? LOL!
Mod
So why now? It just feels right I guess. I finished Zola's R.M. in the middle of last year and was really in the mood for more French writers, I noticed the 2013 Proust group and was disappointed that I'd missed that and very nearly started the first volume when I saw this group, so I thought I'd hold fire and start with the rest of the group.
I'm planning to read the Vintage 6 volume set of the Moncrieff/Kilmartin/Enright translation on Kindle as it seemed the best option for me and is easily available here in England. I've got the first two volumes but I may switch translations along the way if I feel that would be better.
I've never actually tried Proust before so I'm excited about diving in. I've literally only read a few random sentences or quotes in other books so I'm not sure what the experience will be like. My main concern is that there will be too many art and literature references that I won't understand - if that's the case I will probably just use my 'Ulysses' approach - which was 'read it slowly, try to take it all in but if you don't understand it then move on to the next sentence'. It seemed to work for me...
http://publicdomainreview.org/2013/11...a sampler of the first chapter of Paintings in Proust relevant to the first volume
Mod
Thanks for the link Joni.
This was another one that steered me towards the determination that it was time to read Proust:Monsieur Proust's Library
Hello all!Today I found a link to the 2013 Proust reading group (in the 1001 BtRBYD group) and went in search of such a group for 2014 where I found all you! I'm very excited to read Proust, who I've never attempted before. I work well with deadlines and public accountability, so I have high hopes for success!
(I promise in future posts to use fewer exclamation marks.)
Hola~I have read Proust before, but am excited about the new annotated "Swann's Way." So, I would like to read along with you and see how Carter's editing compares with the other translations.
I have the new Swann's Way too, so like Marcelita, I'll be making some comparisons.
Guy wrote: "I have the new Swann's Way too, so like Marcelita, I'll be making some comparisons."And...the margins in Carter's Swann are luxurious! Especially for a scribbler-of-thoughts and references like me.
William C. Carter's annotated version.
Hi everyone! Midnight here. Every year I pick a big piece for myself to read. (Everything else are reviews and recommendations or smaller stuff) and last year it was the Gormenghast trilogy. For this coming year, I was really feeling led to read my copies of Proust I had acquired this year at used book stores. A girlfriend said she would join me. Then I thought, hey - what better way to stay on track then with a GR group? So disappointed to see the 2013 one, and then I saw this one! (Side note: you should preface the name of this one with 2014!) and was so excited! So here I am! Looking forward to diving in and getting some insight from all you folks!@Jonathan - I must be following you around GR! :) But glad to see you on this group!
Mod
I seem to like having a big reading project and have tackled a few over the years. I'm interested to know of others' big projects - failures as well as successes. One of my failures was Heidegger's 'Being & Time'. I got about halfway through from sheer perseverance but realised that I wasn't really taking anything from it - so I quit and was relieved to do so.
I've just taken 'Paintings in Proust' out from the library and next to it was A Night At The Majestic - when Joyce met Proust; I didn't take it out though...maybe next time...
The Iliad was a big one for me as well as War and Peace, both of which I wasn't too impressed with. I loved Gormenghast! All of them! The 3rd one was difficult to get into, and it definitely was my least favorite, but there were moments of greatness in it that I appreciated. Can' believe I had never heard of that book til you guys invited me to that group!Interested to know how you will like Paintings in Proust. As of right now, I don't plan on getting any aids as of yet, but we'll see how it goes. I've also been invited to Don Quixote (sp?) and might try and tackle that as well. The only other big ones I've decided on, that I started two years ago (not realizing how much I had to read) were
1. complete works of Shakespeare
2. complete works of Austen
3. complete works of Dickens
Dickens will take the longest, but I'm enjoying him the most. Almost done with Austen, just a few obscure books left to read. And Shakespeare gets easier to read with each one. Maybe almost halfway done with him.
Proust is one I've really been looking forward to, and after that, the next big one might be Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, another I've only recently acquired.
Yeah for big tomes!
Marcelita - thanks for the pic! i have to see which ones i have, but nothing annotated, i know that for sure!
Mod
Wow! An impressive list. I don't usually commit myself to 'complete works' as an author usually produces a lot of forgettable material that I'm happy to ignore. :-)
I finally read 'The Iliad' a year or so ago and really liked it - how can a book about a single battle be interesting - but it is; Don Quixote is fun - how can a single joke be entertaining for 900 pages? But it is.
I've actually never read any Austen or any of the Brontes though I'm aiming to read some soon. Shakespeare just bores me for some reason.
For years I've been toying with reading Casanova's memoirs in full - 12 volumes I think! Maybe after Proust...
I'll wait to read your review's on Casanova before I tackle those. *wink* And your list is just as impressive!
Has anyone read
How Proust Can Change Your Life? I've started it in hopes of getting some background on him in an amusing and easily read fashion.Edit: I see in reading the translations thread that some people have read this. Perhaps we could get a literary criticism or books about Proust/ISoLT thread?
The film "I, Don Giovanni" by Carlos Saura gives insight into the character of Casanova, whose confession becomes Mozart's opera "Don Giovanni". Maybe Jonathan, it’s better to watch the film or attend an opera by Mozart than read the 12 volumes of Casanova’s seductions, which must become irksome after the first couple, let alone an entire 12 volumes. The film is about the relationship between Casanova and the librettist of the opera, Lorenzo da Ponte, who both like to enjoy themselves when it comes to women. Worth a look if only to whet your appetite for those 12 volumes, if you really must...I have been reading "G" by John Berger, which is based on a Casanova/Don Juan like character and I must say that I find his ambition in life, to seduce and bed women rather boring, when compared to other men's ambitions/exploits (for instance G is immersed in trying to seduce a hotel maid while the aviator Jorge Chavez flies across the Alps).
Sarah wrote: "Has anyone read How Proust Can Change Your Life? I've started it in hopes of getting some background on him in an amusing and easily read fashion.."Perhaps we could get a literary criticism or books about Proust/ISoLT thread? "
A word of caution...
Reading Proust is a little like a detective story...with the seventh and final volume, arguably, the most rewarding.
The goal is to read the last volume as Proust intended. So, wise readers will try to avoid spoilers.
The problem...whenever you begin reading anything about Proust, chances are that somewhere along the line you will discover something that will lessen your enjoyment of the novel.
Antoine Compagnon believes the book should be read "innocently."
Remember, Swann's Way was published in 1913.
Then, the war pushed the second volume, Within a Budding Grove, to 1919;
The Guermantes Way, 1920/1921;
Sodom and Gomorrah, 1921/1922;
(Proust dies in 1922.)
The Captive, 1923;
The Fugitive, 1925;
Time Regained, 1927
So, it took the French readers fourteen years to discover the ending!
(I explain to my friends that ISOLT was similar to Harry Potter....waiting for the next volume as you grew older.)
Many of the 2013 readers have sworn-off any outside reading, because they want the "true" experience, just like those first French readers.
"Paintings in Proust" by Eric Karpeles is an excellent resource...but as the pictures are accompanied with Proust's corresponding passages, there are zillions of spoilers if you read ahead.
Mod
Marcelita, that's interesting. I hope that Proust isn't like a detective novel as I normally don't like them. I usually think that any book that can be spoilt by finding out the ending isn't worth reading. Though I think there may be something about reading it 'innocently'.
Think I'll be one of those ppl who want to read it as an innocent.The only thing I've seen on it is this:
A little Monty Python humor
I'm with you, Janine. I really don't know much at all about the series, other than the book's description.
Jonathan wrote: "Hi Joni. I admit Casanova could get a bit boring but I don't think it's just about his seductions. He travelled about Europe, got involved with court intrigues and politics, met famous people etc. ..."Ha! No fear...not in the Sam Spade-mode at all!
Proust weaves a brilliant tale that is revealed in the last volume.
Naturally, the reader is continually wondering...that is what I meant by "a little like a detective story."
And for those who re-read the novel...the "clues" are skillfully embedded.
"We guess as we read..." Marcel Proust (The Fugitive)
Mod
Re 'Paintings in Proust', I'm just going to use it initially to view the paintings and get to know some of the artists mentioned as I don't know much about visual art. I'll probably ignore the text at this stage - so hopefully there won't be any spoiler issues there.
Marcelita wrote: "Jonathan wrote: "Hi Joni. I admit Casanova could get a bit boring but I don't think it's just about his seductions. He travelled about Europe, got involved with court intrigues and politics, met fa..."HOLD THE PHONE! Are you telling me that I'm going to be scratching my head through six books before I finally realize what is going on? Or, is it just that there's an interesting twist at the end that makes me realize I'd misunderstood everything that I'd read up to that point? Or, or, nevermind. Don't tell me. I want Proust to pop that cherry. LOL!
Many people confess to beginning all over again, once having finished the many volumes of "In Search of". So I don't believe that it's about plot, or that 'spoilers' can spoil it ;-)
Joni wrote: "Many people confess to beginning all over again, once having finished the many volumes of "In Search of". So I don't believe that it's about plot, or that 'spoilers' can spoil it ;-)"You're making me want to start reading it right now!
Hi all, quite pleased this group exists. It is unlikely I will stick to this throughout 2014 but I will give it a go and see how far I get. I've only recently started swans way the vintage paperback, so would rather stick to that series for continuity on my bookshelf. I haven't got too far into it so will check back here once you've all reached the same point before commenting. Happy Christmas and good luck with the reading in 2014. I'd be interested to know whether any of you plan on reading other books. I unfortunately read about 5 at a time, as I get distracted easily. I'm wondering whether ill need to finish them all before restarting Proust! :)
midnightfaerie wrote: "Think I'll be one of those ppl who want to read it as an innocent.The only thing I've seen on it is this:
A little Monty Python humor"
LOL
Joni wrote: "Many people confess to beginning all over again, once having finished the many volumes of "In Search of". So I don't believe that it's about plot, or that 'spoilers' can spoil it ;-)"Antoine Compagnon spoke at The Morgan about the difference between reading and re-reading the novel. He reaffirmed the reality that a reader will only read it once...as the "first" time. He recommends reading it "innocently."
For me...reading for the first time was like a present, one doesn't want to be told what is inside the box, as the bow is being pulled loose.
However, I understand some may want to hear/read about it from others...before they read it. It's a personal preference.
Mod
I'm jealous Jonathan. I've got so far as finding several madeleine recipes but I've as yet to bake. Baked a batch several years ago and didn't like them (found them too dry) but then I didn't dunk them into tea...
Mod
Well, I bought mine:-) I was just walking around the supermarket and my eye caught the word 'madeleine' and I did a double-take...so I had to buy them...it was fate!
Jonathan, if you’re interested in how the madeleine soaked in tea triggers Marcel’s memory of Combray and thus the volumes of la recherche – there’s a chapter on how Proust got it right when it comes to the neuroscience of memory in "Proust was a Neuro-scientist" by Jonah Lehrer. “The past is hidden…in some material object of which we have no inkling.”https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8...
Mod
For me, smells spark memories more than taste. The other day I smelled the smell of my first classroom!
You're a well rounded individual! :-) There's not much of a divide particularly when you look at the 18th & 19th centuries or the Renaissance (Leonardo considered himself more a scientist than an artist). I think the divide is more contemporary and the education system (well here in Australia)tends to make you choose a 'stream' to pursue. And what was that class room smell? More importantly, Proust would ask you what it evoked and how you felt about it?
I want to actually start using Goodreads and I love reading projects so I'll be joining y'all.
Mod
Well, I'll be reading with the group but I probably won't be baking madeleines. So maybe 2/3 Prousting.
Thanks Alia for starting this group - it's arrived just at the right time for me. I have had the Modern Library translations on my shelf for over five years but to my shame have never got any further than about page 200 of Swann's Way. I started again about 3 weeks ago and I've been feeling that perhaps I am ready to attempt the whole journey. A philosopher friend has encouraged me to persist - he is one of those lucky few who have read all six volumes - but it feels great to be attempting this with others who are having a crack for the first (or second, or third) time. I have never been one for marginalia but Proust seems to demand it, so I scribble away with my pencil and try to keep up with his astounding sentences...
Like some of you I tried to read ISOLT this year with the 2013 group but came upon it too late, so I couldn't catch up. I'm glad to see this group starting up, I was hoping for it! I read Swann's Way (the Moncrief/Kilmartin version) about five years ago and always wanted to read the remaining books. I'm looking forward to it!
Like Alia i recently read Alain de Botton's How Proust Can Change Your Life and i love how i could read a small section and then ponder it's meaning and what it meant to my own life. I have the desire to live life mindfully but it is very difficult to do when all around you everyone is in fast paced mode and i myself have so many things that i think need to be accomplished everyday. I think Proust will help me to slow down and drink in the small, the seemingly insignificant beauty that life has to offer. So that is my reason for beginning this year of Proust. I have also more or less been in a reading sabbatical for the last month in order to create a space in my mind so that my first book of In Search of Lost Time will feel like beginning anew.
Gloria wrote: "Like Alia i recently read Alain de Botton's How Proust Can Change Your Life and i love how i could read a small section and then ponder it's meaning and what it meant to my own life. I have the de..."Hi Gloria
I like what you say and your approach - particularly creating that space in your mind (pity there's no like button here). Cheers
Thanks Joni:) i too wish there were a "like" option.
Susan wrote: "I was first introduced to Proust while studying dance at a state university. Actually, it wasn't just Proust I was introduced to - but to my love of reading as well. Prior to that, reading was noth..."After you read the novel, you will appreciate Roland Petit's ballet "Proust - Les Intermittences du Coeur."
If you watch it now...there will be spoilers!
Thank you Alia, for the group and all the trouble you seem to be taking to keep things in order! :)
I was first assigned to read Swann's Way during a Modern European Novel course I took as an undergraduate in college. I don't remember exactly why, but I didn't really read it, I kind of skimmed it. Probably too much other reading to do. I recall the professor in that course had us watch excerpts of a movie adaptation--Swann in Love, I believe--starring Jeremy Irons. My memories of the skimming and the movie are now quite vague being almost 30 years ago. I then successfully read the Penguin translation of Swann's Way (by Lydia Davis) a few years ago. I loved the cover design and was intrigued by the project of having different translators for each volume in the novel. I read a lot of it on the train to work, I recall. I remember liking it, but there was a lot that either I didn't follow or didn't fully appreciate based upon my life experience and world view. I started the second volume in the Penguin series, but abandoned it eventually, succumbing to fatigue or restlessness or both. Since then, I've toyed with the idea of reattempting the summit of Mount Proust. Proust is one of those authors I see referenced continually in all sorts of places. I've had too many false-starts to count since then. I've probably read and reread the first 100 pages of Swann's Way a half dozen times. And then, I encountered the work of Arnold Weinstein, a lit professor at Brown University, who writes a lot of popular criticism books and whose lectures are sold by The Great Courses company. His perspective on the value of literature and the value of this book in particular got me enthused to give it another try. So, I started again, and then I saw this group and decided that making the reading a social experience might help with my perseverance in reading the entire work. I have chosen the Modern Library edition on Kindle. I like Kindle because I can read it on my iPhone as well as my Kindle Paperwhite and the built-in dictionary and link to wikipedia helps with the occasional daunting vocabulary words and the frequent obscure references to artists, artwork, fin de sicle France, etc. Also, I like the ability that Kindle gives to perform keyword searches. If I find a reference to a character who I have forgotten, that search feature should come in handy to reacquaint me with him/her. The backlighting is great also for when I wake up in the middle of the night, a frequent occurrence in a chronic insomniac like myself, and want to check back in on the novel. I am hopeful that the Kindle edition will allow for a more immersive & portable reading experience. So, I must confess that I have started the book again and so I will not necessarily be keeping the exact pace as the group, but I look forward to revisiting what I have read in the light of what others have to say about it.
About me: I am 45 years old and live in South Florida with my wife and our 16-and-half year old Shih Tzu (every day is a blessing at this point). I work as a product manager for an online research solutions company that sells primarily to academic, public and corporate libraries. I'm grateful to Alia for organizing the group and I look forward to sharing my impressions of In Search of Lost Time as well as reading those of others.
About me: I am 45 years old and live in South Florida with my wife and our 16-and-half year old Shih Tzu (every day is a blessing at this point). I work as a product manager for an online research solutions company that sells primarily to academic, public and corporate libraries. I'm grateful to Alia for organizing the group and I look forward to sharing my impressions of In Search of Lost Time as well as reading those of others.
*sigh*Overextended myself... again. I started War & Peace at the beginning of December. Bosh. I somehow thought I'd be finished with it in a month's time. Sadly, that is nowhere near my actual accomplishment.
Guess I'll start Proust... in February? Maybe I'll be able to catch up with the group... But, there are no madelines in my near future.
Reading Proust's In Search of Lost Time in 2014
Books mentioned in this topic
How Proust Can Change Your Life (other topics)How Proust Can Change Your Life (other topics)
A Night at the Majestic (other topics)
Monsieur Proust's Library (other topics)
Paintings in Proust: A Visual Companion to 'In Search of Lost Time' (other topics)
I tried reading Proust many years ago but became distracted. My life was a lot more hectic then, so I'm hoping that now I can give Proust the time he deserves. I'm hoping that the group structure will keep me focused.
As for why read NOW... you know how it is...suddenly everywhere you turn a writer's name keeps popping up and you know it's time you picked up his books.