SIBR: 1,109 more pages of Proust
The Guermantes Way--Marcel Proust
Marcel becomes infatuated with the Duchess de Guermantes when she (inadvertently?) smiles at him in the theatre. He then tries everything to develop a friendship and get in good with her prestigious family. His early attempts resemble stalking, but he eventually makes some progress when he stops trying so hard. The rest of the book follows Marcel as he gradually climbs his way into high society and becomes a regular at the Guermantes' salon.
Other key events from The Guermantes Way include the sad, slow death of Marcel's beloved grandmother, the discovery that Saint Loup's actress girlfriend is actually the 20 franc prostitute from the earlier books, and the return of Albertine.
Sodom and Gomorrah--Marcel Proust
This is the book where we find out that half the characters from the first three volumes are gay or lesbian. We find out what Jupien has been doing with Baron de Charlus and what Baron de Charlus has been doing with Charlie Morel and what Charlie Morel would like to be doing with Jupien's underage niece. Everybody's doing something naughty and there's jealousy and suspicion and sexual deviance all around. In one of my favorite sections of the novel, Baron de Charlus announces a fake duel to keep his wayward boyfriend in check.
Albertine is now Marcel's mistress. His feelings for her go back and forth from obsession to indifference. He eventually grows tired of her and makes plans to break it off for good. Before he can sever the ties, though, he confirms his suspicions that she's secretly a lesbian herself. Instead of using this is the final straw, he twists it all around and decides to marry her. I haven't read the fifth book yet, but I doubt that's going to work out well.
Who's Who in Proust--Patrick Alexander
About halfway through The Guermantes Way, the sheer number of characters became overwhelming. There were quite literally hundreds of names to keep in mind. I specifically had difficulties differentiating between Gilbert, Prince de Guermantes and Basin, Duc de Guermantes and their respective wives, Marie, Princess de Guermantes and Oriane, Duchess de Guermantes. Confusing things even more is the fact that the Duc and the Duchess are cousins and spouses.
Instead of suffering further, I ordered a copy of Patrick Alexander's Who's Who in Proust, a guide that features detailed write-ups of the fifty most important characters in the novel. I sat the guide next to my reading chair and referred to it dozens of times. It was helpful and I would highly recommend it to anyone thinking of tackling In Search of Lost Time.
I've now read four of the seven volumes of In Search of Lost Time. I've read all the volumes that were published in Proust's lifetime. I'm not sure when I'll read the other three. Due to some copywrite issues, the others won't be published in the United States (in the translations I want to read) until 2018. I could probably order them from England, but I think I'll wait until autumn rolls around. Reading Proust has become a cold weather activity for me and it's starting to feel like spring around here. It's time to read someone else.
Comments
Okay, I give up. I thought about it all night and still can't come up with a clever or relevant response to your comment. I thought about making a Milan Kundera reference or a joke about my fifth grade teacher, but decided against it.
I got nothin'.