2022 Thread 4 : To end of Combray

[Traveller]

We have picked up that the faster readers are getting frustrated when they have to hold back to keep to our schedule, so I'll open a few threads in advance, so feel free to start commenting up to where I open threads.

But let's also try to be polite and reply to comments that people keeping to the schedule are posting in the earlier threads. Just as an aside, what I tend to do for group discussions, is keep a Word document in which I store comments and quotes, which is why I often post such walls of text. 😜

According to our initial schedule, from Sunday Jan 30 to Sunday February 6, we will discuss:

At the beginning of the season, when the days ended early, we would still be able to see, as we turned into the Rue du Saint-Esprit, a reflection of the setting sun in the windows of the house and a band of crimson beyond the timbers of the Calvary, which was mirrored further on in the pond; a fiery glow that, accompanied often by a sharp tang in the air, would associate itself in my mind with the glow of the fire over which, at that very moment, was roasting the chicken that was to furnish me, in place of the poetic pleasure of the walk, with the sensual pleasures of good feeding, warmth and rest.

To the END of Combray:


...the writing-table, which my memory had clumsily installed where the window ought to be, would hurry off at full speed, thrusting before it the fireplace and sweeping aside the wall of the passage; a little courtyard would occupy the place where, a moment earlier, my dressing-room had lain, and the dwelling-place which I had built up for myself in the darkness would have gone to join all those other dwellings glimpsed in the whirlpool of awakening, put to flight by that pale sign traced above my window-curtains by the uplifted forefinger of dawn. .

[Nidhi]

Finished this section on time, I am happy about that as first quarter of year is little more busy because of exams.

I liked, enjoyed the beautiful description of Hawthorns and the moon as an actress.

After reading this much I am wondering why I didn’t read it before, even now I am dependent on this group to read along. This is a dream book for me, whatever I search in other books, I found compiled here in this one.

[Traveller]

I feel very bad for not posting anything this week, but in my defense, I've been ill and have only just recovered. Will definitely try to post more this week.

Indeed, Nidhi, there are some very beautiful descriptions in this part, aren't there?

The next thread is here https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... , but I'm definitely going to come back and post a bit more on this thread since this is really a lovely section of the novel.

[Nidhi]

Take care Traveller, winter plus pandemic is not a nice combination, slight fever causes so much anxiety,here in India we are waiting for things to become normal, schools are partially open. ( alternate days, few hours).

[Traveller]

I'm using spoiler tags to do some personal chatting, so that it will take up less space: (view spoiler)[Nidhi wrote: "Take care Traveller, winter plus pandemic is not a nice combination, slight fever causes so much anxiety,here in India we are waiting for things to become normal, schools are partially open. ( alte..."

Yes, I've had 2 vaccinations, so not sure what it was, might have been Omikron or just that time of year- very sore throat and sore eyes and headache with a cough that I'm still not completely rid of. Felt too physically bad to go out and have myself tested, so I stayed in bed for 3 days and been working from home to try and catch up.
Excuse my ignorance, but are Indian winters also very cold? Your summers seem so terribly hot... (hide spoiler)]

[Nidhi]

No, we in India never see snow (and are jealous of those who have lol.) The temperature never reaches minus.

Summers are hot, heat stroke causes deaths. Highest temperature reaches 50 degrees celcius.

[Traveller]

Nidhi wrote: "Highest temperature reaches 50 degrees celcius...."

Yes, I've heard of that from friends who live there. I can't imagine how you can stand such heat... But anyway, I suppose we should try to stick to discussing Proust here. I suppose it doesn't really matter, since it's just the two of us...