How to Read Proust's 'In Search of Lost Time'

Comments · 378

• BE

  @BenjaminMcEvoy · 5 years ago · pinned

  The Proust Project has officially begun! It&apos;s a completely self-paced, ultra-slow, communal reading of Proust&apos;s masterpiece over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club. Here is Lecture One: <a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/search-begins-of-52204586">https://www.patreon.com/posts/search-begins-of-52204586</a>

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• TO

  @toscacomo · 4 years ago

  Am 70 now ,read In Search of Lost Time in my late 40&apos;s took about 4 years. Have never read anything like it There is a a story but for me that is not so important. Now I can pick it up and just randomly read from any point and enjoy it. The pleasure for me is similar to that of looking at some visuals art.

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• TO

  @tompribyl2884 · 8 months ago

  By slow-reading Proust I have exercised my capacity for deferred gratification. By faith I meticulously made my way through portions that seemed dull or repetitive, knowing that the reward was coming. Reading Proust has been like a tonic for my mind. I now look at art more deeply and savor poetry more fully. After 16 months I am only beginning volume 5. By the time I finish this epic work I have no-doubt that my mind will be transformed. I will see more like a painter, hear more like a musician, and use words more like a poet. I will be more conscious and alive. That will be the reward for consuming this great work of art.

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• JA

  @JacquesWarren-b7w · 5 months ago (edited)

  It took me 8 years to go through my second reading. I LOVED being with him for such a long time. I finished six months ago, and I miss him...

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• SE

  @sergioalves5278 · 2 years ago

  Sei que vou parecer muito presunçoso dizendo que &quot; descobri&quot; Proust aos 30 anos , &nbsp;estou com 61 e ja li e reli &nbsp;a Recherche 6 vezes desde entao, sempre descobri do coisas e com mais prazer a cada releitura. Quase todos os dias , tomo um volume da estante e leio 10 paginas aleatoriamente. Penso que Proust nos faz refletir sobre a qualidade das nossas relações com as pessoas, com as coisas , com a vida, enfim. Proust é um mundo.

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• JI

  @JinxTheConcept · 2 years ago

  One important thing to mention is that the meaning of the original French title (&quot;À la recherche du temps perdu&quot;) has somewhat been lost in translation. Actually, in French, the word &quot;perdu&quot; means &quot;lost&quot; but it also means &quot;wasted&quot;. And I think this second meaning is particularly relevant for the understanding of the whole novel, because in the end, with hindsight, the narrator&apos;s so-called wasted time, unlike Shakespeare&apos;s Richard II (&apos;I wasted time, and now doth time waste me&apos;), turns out on the contrary to be fruitful time. He needed these idle years to observe and understand the human soul and to fulfill himself as an artist to create a timeless work of art. Another often overshadowed aspect of &apos;In Search of Lost/Wasted Time&apos; is its humour: it&apos;s extremely funny. There are countless hilarious moments. I&apos;ve read it four times in my native French (the first time when I was 20) and, now that I&apos;m almost 50, I can clearly say that every age provides one with a different kind of reward and understanding. I know that this book will follow me till my last day. As John Keats wrote: &apos;A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:/Its loveliness increases; it will never/Pass into nothingness&apos;.

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• ER

  @Ernesto_Da_Faneda · 2 years ago

  I read the whole Recherche twice, once in my early 20s (Italian translation) and once more recently in my early 40s, after work got me more fluent in French. It is certainly not for everyone, and I say that with the least amount of smug possible. I think one could follow this gentleman&apos;s sensible tips religiously and still give up, bored to death, by page 100 of the first volume. Before you wonder how to connect with Proust&apos;s work, I would consider if there are any chances that you <b>will</b> connect with it at all. It requires a contemplative mind. I, perhaps unlike the majority of people my age, don&apos;t believe that contemplative minds are going extinct or out of fashion. I think a lot of contemplative minds out there, especially young ones, don&apos;t cultivate, or even express, that side of themselves because they deem it disadvantageous in today&apos;s western society. I think reading the Recherche is an excellent way to exercise one&apos;s contemplative mind and unlock some of its potential.

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• NE

  @NeoCynic1 · 7 months ago (edited)

  You read Proust to learn how to write. I embarked reading it via Kindle not realizing its gargantuan dimensions. Being fanatically dedicated to the notion that once started, no matter what, I must finish what I started, I feel akin to swimming what I thought was crossing the English Channel only to realize I am in the Pacific Ocean and cannot turn back. (With that adventurous metaphor you can tell that even with the little I have read, Proust has left his scuff marks on my brain.)

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• MA

  @mariannep8352 · 3 years ago

  Some days ago I celebrated my 83rd birthday. It is the perfect time to read Proust. I need to slow down. and realize what life is &nbsp;about before I &nbsp;have to leave. Like what you say but why hurry. Read for 20 minutes every &nbsp;morning. Have found a little group to discuss the text with. &nbsp;Thanks for your words.

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• LU

  @lukeshoo · 10 months ago (edited)

  You weren&apos;t kidding. I&apos;m 150 pages into Swann&apos;s Way now, and since starting I&apos;ve discovered Musset, Giotto, Piranesi, George Sand, X-B Saintine, and Hubert Robert. I paused reading Swann&apos;s Way so that I can read George Sand&apos;s François the Waif, and X-B Saintine&apos;s Picciola. I can see already, just from Sand&apos;s introduction to her novel, the influence on Proust&apos;s work. She&apos;s just as referential as he is. And from the bits I&apos;ve read of Picciola, the same influence is clearly there. Even Musset&apos;s poetry reminds me of Proust&apos;s style. And don&apos;t get me started on the paintings. George Sand also introduced me to Ruisdael, whose paintings would fit right into Proust&apos;s theme.<br><br>It&apos;s a lot to take in, but so rewarding. The connections are everywhere. Swann&apos;s Way is the most intellectually stimulating work I&apos;ve ever read. Better than hot coffee.

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• BR

  @brianbuch1 · 4 years ago

  There&apos;s a new translation by Lydia Davis of &quot;Swann&apos;s Way&quot;. Other translators have done other volumes in this recent series so it&apos;s a stand-alone. &nbsp;I highly recommend it, as well as her translation of &quot;Madame Bovary&quot;.

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• MA

  @markspano3468 · 3 years ago

  From my early 40s up to now at 73, Proust has been a companion to me for this latter half of my life. So many fine things have been said about him here on Benjamin’s blog. (Thank you so much, Benjamin.) &nbsp;All of these comments are true, and so much more could be said. Proust has made me a better writer, a better filmmaker, and a better person. But, I believe most importantly, Proust has taught me how to be observant in ways I never imagined I could be. ❤

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