Week ending 03/08: Within a Budding Grove to page 167 / location 10115

[Jonathan]

I've only just started this week's Proust reading but I've enjoyed hearing about the narrator's ailments - I wondered when Proust would get round to this. I especially like this quote, commenting on Dr. Cottard:

And we realised that this imbecile was a great physician.

I'm surprised how often I find myself laughing when reading Proust.

[Andree]

Proust can indeed be very funny and more than one study have been dedicated to humor in La Recherche. He was himself considered a great wit and it's no surprise that you find yourself laughing. There are some interesting passages about quite a few other characters, namely his friend Bloch.

[Jonathan]

Andree wrote: "Proust can indeed be very funny and more than one study have been dedicated to humor in La Recherche. He was himself considered a great wit and it's no surprise that you find yourself laughing. T..."

And I've just read another passage that I found funny; this time it's the description of a minister (p97 in Vintage UK, est. p114 ML):

He had, what may be sufficient to constitute a rare and delicate whole, a fair, silky beard, good features, a nasal voice, bad breath, and a glass eye.

I especially liked the inclusion of bad breath.

[Jonathan]

This week's reading ends with the bit where the narrator meets Bergotte; he's so disappointed that he's not like a God. I like the bit about him not imagining the man from his work but from the man he would have thought he was an 'engineer' - how awfully common. :-)

[Sunny]

Jonathan wrote: "Andree wrote: "Proust can indeed be very funny and more than one study have been dedicated to humor in La Recherche. He was himself considered a great wit and it's no surprise that you find yourse..."

I'm reading the Lulu.com version, and found it interesting that 'bad breath' was translated entirely different. I have no idea why or how the two translations could be confused. Here's my edition's translation:

"He had, what may be sufficient to constitute a rare and delicate whole, a fair, silky beard, good features, a nasal voice, powerful lungs, and a glass eye."

[Jonathan]

Sunny in Wonderland wrote: "I'm reading the Lulu.com version, and found it interesting that 'bad breath' was translated entirely different. I have no idea why or how the two translations could be confused. "

Could yours be the original Moncrieff translation? Maybe bad breath was, at the time, an affliction that dare not speak its name.:-)

I've just found the original French from Project Gutenberg which is:

Il avait, ce qui peut suffire à constituer un ensemble rare et délicat, une barbe blonde et soyeuse, de jolis traits, une voix nasale, l'haleine forte et un oeil de verre.

Where 'l'haleine forte' is the relevant part. Google translates it as 'bad breath' when left in the context of the whole sentence. The Penguin translation also has 'bad breath' but curiously translates 'une voix nasale' as 'an adenoidal pronunciation' which seems a bit over the top. Surely 'nasal voice' would do?

Oh well, the perils of reading a translated work!

[Sunny]

It's possible that what I'm reading was translated by Moncrieff. I purchased the entire seven volume book for only $3.99 through Barnes & Noble, but nowhere on that site or on the original Lulu.com site could I find credit given to a translator. Ah, well! It'll be interesting to compare notes as we go along! :)

[Jonathan]

Sunny in Wonderland wrote: "It's possible that what I'm reading was translated by Moncrieff. I purchased the entire seven volume book for only $3.99 through Barnes & Noble, but nowhere on that site or on the original Lulu.co..."

Doesn't it have a credit at the beginning of the book? I guess it must be the original Moncrieff though as it must be the oldest.

I've decided to switch to the Penguin translations as they seem more readable - I'll probably change my mind again though!

[Sunny]

Nothing. Cover art is on page 1. Title page is on page 2. Swann's Way starts on page 3. :(

Aside from the question of the translator, this week’s reading makes me think I’m reading too much into the details, as if I were looking for clues in a mystery. For example:

1) ”…and the opportunity of gratifying this second ambition had just occurred, for Swann was in love with another woman…” This was a bomb that he just dropped in the middle of a paragraph. And, I haven’t heard anything about this other woman since. So, IS there a mistress?

2) ”Her touch appeared to me (like her wrappers, like the scent of her staircase, her cloaks, her chrysanthemums) to form part of an individual and mysterious whole…” I realize our narrator has a thing for Gilberte, but sometimes I think he’s got a case of it for Odette as well. He’s always talking about her scent and appearance, even going so far as to stare adoringly at her as they walk through the Jardin. So, DOES he have a thing for Odette?

3) ”…for she told me that he was called M. Moreul. I assured her that she was mistaken, that his name was Bloch.” What is this new intrigue? Why would Bloch have given a false name to Odette? Or, why would Odette have made up a name when talking with our narrator?

Am I making huge mountains out to be little molehills, or am I completely misunderstanding? Or, will these things become clearer as I continue through the book? This is my first time with Proust, so I don’t have a frame of reference for his style.

[Jonathan]

Sunny in Wonderland wrote: "Aside from the question of the translator, this week’s reading makes me think I’m reading too much into the details, as if I were looking for clues in a mystery...."

I think you're doing the right thing. This is my first time reading Proust so I'm going along as well, wondering about this and that as I proceed. What I like so far about Proust is that he teases a bit and then slowly reveals bits of information.

I'm not sure at what point you're up to at the moment so I'll try not to add any spoilers here...but as you asked...

1. Proust does drop the odd bombshell now and then and then move on. At other times he labours the point over some apparently insignificant detail. But yes, Swann has a new love. We don't see much of Swann in this section; he just pops up every now and then. I don't think he elaborates on Swann's new love in Part One.

2. I get the feeling that the narrator is obsessed with Odette; with her glamour and allure. And with Gilberte he appears, to me, to enjoy a kind of masochistic pleasure in feeling rejected. I just don't think he particularly loves her really, rather he is in love with 'being in love'. Read on...but you may disagree.

3. I'd forgotten about this bit. Bloch appears again in the following week's section which seems totally out of time with the rest of the narrative. He keeps appearing every now and then but remains shadowy at this stage.

[Sunny]

Thank you, Jonathan! I've only just finished reading up through week ending March 8th. But, I'll be catching up soon. I appreciate your insight, though, because I was really starting to think I was reading too much into it.

[Sunny]

Jonathan wrote: "...l'haleine forte..."

This tickled me. I don't read French, but I do play piano. And, for some reason, this translates in my head as a combination of both of our translations. Loud halitosis. LOL!

[Andree]

Sunny in Wonderland wrote: "Jonathan wrote: "...l'haleine forte..."

This tickled me. I don't read French, but I do play piano. And, for some reason, this translates in my head as a combination of both of our translations. ..."

Sunny in Wonderland wrote: "Jonathan wrote: "...l'haleine forte..."

This tickled me. I don't read French, but I do play piano. And, for some reason, this translates in my head as a combination of both of our translations. ..."

Actually it would literally translate as "strong halitosis" ot a "strong case of halitosis".

[Jonathan]

But not 'powerful lungs' presumably...

[Andree]

Jonathan wrote: "But not 'powerful lungs' presumably..."

Definitely not!

[Sunny]

Heeheehee! Are you telling me that I got close with that? LOL! Too funny.