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Combray was quite an enjoyable read for me. I enjoy books that provide a deep insight into a character’s psyche even if there isn’t a clear plot or a whole lot of events taking place. Our minds barely hold on to one thought for too long, and Proust did a great job demonstrating this. In the beginning, the character tells us in detail his thoughts and perceptions as he goes in and out of sleep. And how he would fall asleep unable to differentiate between reality and what he was reading which is definitely something I, and probably most other readers, relate to. This also reflects how sensitive and in touch with his thoughts and feelings the character is. We learn more about this when we read about his childhood, his mind riddled with uncertainty and anxiety that he can identify as such but fail to keep under control. He is a child who longs for his mother’s goodnight kiss every night. He knows that seeing his mom before bed will ease his mind, he knows this for certain that he decides he just would not possibly be able to sleep without seeing her. He also knows that his parents will not be very understanding of this and that he might get into trouble. To him, the trouble is worth it, his mom and only his mom can calm his racing thoughts and the anxiety flowing through his body. This gives us some insight into the kind of parents they are, but as we were told earlier in the book, people are who we perceive them to be and many times our knowledge of who they are is not comprehensive and as a result, our perception is often inaccurate. 

I sympathize with this character whose name I don’t even know. I understand his anxious brain and that his parents don’t always know how to address his needs. I was surprised that his dad encouraged his mom to sleep in his room to soothe him. I was even more surprised how his mom was such a great comfort to him not just due to her mere presence, but she knew exactly what to do to soothe her child. I say I was surprised because of how scared he was at staying up to see his mom or kiss her too many times in the presence of company, he thought she would be furious and she nearly was. This makes me wonder, how far should parents go to provide comfort to a sensitive child without enabling and encouraging their dependence? In my opinion, there is nothing lonelier than a child trying to make sense of their feelings alone, at night, in their bedroom. 

This book was beautifully written, many times I would reread sentences just to appreciate their beauty. And then I realized, this is a translated version! How beautiful must the original be. Here’s a quote that particularly stood out to me:

“…I would put beforehand into this kiss, which was bound to be so brief and furtive everything that my own efforts could muster, would carefully choose in advance the exact spot on her cheek where I would imprint it, and would so prepare my thoughts as to be able, thanks to these mental preliminaries, to consecrate the whole of the minute Mamma would grant me to the sensation of her cheek against my lips, as a painter who can have his subject for short sittings only prepares his palette, and from what he remembers and from rough notes does in advance everything which he possibly can do in the sitter’s absence.”

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My first attempt at reading Marcel Proust’s “Combray” was difficult, to say the least. I started off with the scanned pages posted to the course website, but between Proust’s long-winded sentences and my eyes feeling strained from staring at my laptop screen, I wasn’t able to immerse myself in the reading. Luckily, I was able […] read full post >>

So, I have just finished reading Proust’s Combray. In my opinion, I would say that this is a compelling novel that is relatively complicated and dense at times. It was not one of my favourite books. Nevertheless, there were many different aspects to the novel in which I found interesting, thought-provoking, and allowed me to […] read full post >>

Hello everyone! My name is Daisy Storey, I’m a third year student in Psychology at UBC. Although it is my third year or my undergrad, it is my first year here at UBC as I recently transferred from the University of Ottawa. So far, I have truly loved living in Vancouver. The change in climate and the beautiful nature surrounding the city is most definitely what I have most enjoyed about living here. But, attending school at UBC is surely second. I've really fallen in love with the campus and my classes here, as well as my professors. Either I have gotten really lucky to date, or the professors at this university are truly awesome. 

The main reason I stumbled across this class was while I searched for the literature requirement portion of my degree, however RMST stood out to me in contrast to the other classes listed. There was definitely a sort of mystery to this class that appealed to me as I have never heard of this genre of course before. I think that I was also drawn more towards this class because of my love for piano. Since I was little, I have been playing piano of all sorts of genres and by all different types of musicians. However, about five years ago I stumbled across a cute little piece by the title “Sonatina in G major Romance- Allegretto - L. van Beethoven. This opened the door to many more pieces from Beethoven where I always found interest in the ones tied to romance. 

I expect this class to be relatively heavy on readings and potentially difficult at times, however I am up for the challenge. This class is much different than any of my psychology classes or electives I have taken to date so I expect there to certainly be a sort of shock initially when beginning this class. I can see myself potentially having difficulty trying to make sense of what the text messages are and what they are trying to relay to the reader, but again, this is just a wild guess! And I will see as I go. After having watched the first lecture, it is certainly a topic a bit more out of my comfort zone and perhaps abstract than classes I have taken in the class. But I think with time, a sort of familiarity with the type of content will come, making the class a little bit more comfortable. 

Also, a few years back my family and I traveled through Peru and did a massive hike to Machu Picchu where I was introduced to Inca Kola! It is quite yummy! 

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Hello everyone! My name is Daisy Storey, I’m a third year student in Psychology at UBC. Although it is my third year or my undergrad, it is my first year here at UBC as I recently transferred from the University of Ottawa. So far, I have truly loved living in Vancouver. The change in climate and the beautiful nature surrounding the city is most definitely what I have most enjoyed about living here. But, attending school at UBC is surely second. I've really fallen in love with the campus and my classes here, as well as my professors. Either I have gotten really lucky to date, or the professors at this university are truly awesome. 

The main reason I stumbled across this class was while I searched for the literature requirement portion of my degree, however RMST stood out to me in contrast to the other classes listed. There was definitely a sort of mystery to this class that appealed to me as I have never heard of this genre of course before. I think that I was also drawn more towards this class because of my love for piano. Since I was little, I have been playing piano of all sorts of genres and by all different types of musicians. However, about five years ago I stumbled across a cute little piece by the title “Sonatina in G major Romance- Allegretto - L. van Beethoven. This opened the door to many more pieces from Beethoven where I always found interest in the ones tied to romance. 

I expect this class to be relatively heavy on readings and potentially difficult at times, however I am up for the challenge. This class is much different than any of my psychology classes or electives I have taken to date so I expect there to certainly be a sort of shock initially when beginning this class. I can see myself potentially having difficulty trying to make sense of what the text messages are and what they are trying to relay to the reader, but again, this is just a wild guess! And I will see as I go. After having watched the first lecture, it is certainly a topic a bit more out of my comfort zone and perhaps abstract than classes I have taken in the class. But I think with time, a sort of familiarity with the type of content will come, making the class a little bit more comfortable. 

Also, a few years back my family and I traveled through Peru and did a massive hike to Machu Picchu where I was introduced to Inca Kola! It is quite yummy! 

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When I read the first one to two pages about her sleeping, it gave me feelings that were very empathetic as it started by describing how sleeping was disturbed or got comfortable by some actions. Especially, for instance, the sentence, “[…] the thought that it was time to try to sleep would wake me […]”, […] read full post >>

When I first started reading, Proust’s words, which describe the moment when consciousness in separate locations collided, drew my attention. I have to confess that the atmosphere he depicts when it’s time to sleep or eat dinner is one of my favourites. There is no tumultuous and dramatic novel storyline, but there are situations from … Continue reading “Swann’s way” get me on the road → read full post >>

Hi Everyone! This week I am going to be reflecting on part one –Combray– of Marcel Proust’s novel Swann’s Way.... read full post >>

Marcel Proust’s “Combray” was a bit of a challenge to read. At first, there was a lot of jumping around from topic to topic, which was difficult to follow. Near the end, however, the writing seems to clear up, and focuses on a memory from childhood. The text concludes with the narrator remembering a taste … Continue reading Week 2: Proust’s “Combray” → read full post >>

     After reading part 1 of "Combray" I felt sympathy for the narrator and also worried about the way he processes his emotions. In the initial pages of the story, the narrator speaks in much detail of how in his sleep he becomes transported into different memories. It seems like he is being haunted by his past as he cannot escape these dreams. He would often go back to his childhood to relive bad memories. 

    Although it was only the one memory of his summers in "Combray", the detail put into it made it so the reader could be shown the different family dynamics as well as the narrator's distinct personality. When his father sends him to bed without a kiss from his mother, dismissing it as absurd, the boy becomes filled with sorrow. His mother's kiss was described as “the concession she was making to [his] sadness and agitation,” (13) and without it he let those emotions consume him. He first sends a note down to his mother asking her to come up and say goodnight and after his request was denied, he made a second plan to wait for her to come to bed and catch her in the hall. He knew this would result in severe consequences but he did it anyway because he was dependent on these rituals. When his father came up and saw what was happening, the narrator braced himself for punishment but was surprised when his father showed him sympathy and let his mother stay the night in his room. This surprised me as well because of the father’s initial descriptions of being strict and against this ritual. His change of heart when seeing his son in distress gave me a new perspective on the father. At first, I thought he was cruel but then realized that he was just trying to better his son by setting boundaries and trying to teach independence.

    I noticed the narrator is a very sensitive child who experiences life differently from those around him.  He is often nervous and has an introverted personality. I’m wondering what connections this can be made to his family dynamics and if it had anything to do with his upbringing or if it was just the way he was wired. 

    Going back to the scene of the narrator refusing to go to sleep without a kiss from his mother. My question to the class is: Were the narrator's parents in the right to set these boundaries for their child? Or is it more important to tend to the child’s emotional wellbeing?

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His insomnia was heavily highlighted throughout part one. I view the narrator as a person with severe anxiety. His thoughts are constantly jumping from one to another. His anxiety comes to light mostly at the thought of his mom not being able to give him a goodnight kiss. I wonder if his anxiety is brought from childhood trauma because his dreams always escape to his childhood. The narrator expressed his "childish terror" (4) with the memory of his great uncle pulling him by his curls. He also seems afraid of his father. This is shown when the father does not allow his mother to give him a kiss goodnight. In the scene where the narrator waits for his mom above the staircase to say goodnight, his mother seems afraid of what his father might say to their son as she tells him in a panic to go back to his room. His mom seems to be aware of his fathers resentment to his son's actions. 

His childhood experiences seem to be the cause of what his personality is today. His mind always wanders back to his childhood. His father's negative opinions of his son's night time ritual could have impacted the narrator's pressure to grow up and cause an unhealthy attachment to his mother. His mother is the only one who accepts his needs.This makes me question how much does childhood trauma and the pressure of maturity affect an individual?

Overall, “Combray" part one was a confusing read for me. I was left with so many unanswered questions. I wish the author had given us more insight into the narrator's past before these events.

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     After reading part 1 of "Combray" I felt sympathy for the narrator and also worried about the way he processes his emotions. In the initial pages of the story, the narrator speaks in much detail of how in his sleep he becomes transported into different memories. It seems like he is being haunted by his past as he cannot escape these dreams. He would often go back to his childhood to relive bad memories. 

    Although it was only the one memory of his summers in "Combray", the detail put into it made it so the reader could be shown the different family dynamics as well as the narrator's distinct personality. When his father sends him to bed without a kiss from his mother, dismissing it as absurd, the boy becomes filled with sorrow. His mother's kiss was described as “the concession she was making to [his] sadness and agitation,” (13) and without it he let those emotions consume him. He first sends a note down to his mother asking her to come up and say goodnight and after his request was denied, he made a second plan to wait for her to come to bed and catch her in the hall. He knew this would result in severe consequences but he did it anyway because he was dependent on these rituals. When his father came up and saw what was happening, the narrator braced himself for punishment but was surprised when his father showed him sympathy and let his mother stay the night in his room. This surprised me as well because of the father’s initial descriptions of being strict and against this ritual. His change of heart when seeing his son in distress gave me a new perspective on the father. At first, I thought he was cruel but then realized that he was just trying to better his son by setting boundaries and trying to teach independence.

    I noticed the narrator is a very sensitive child who experiences life differently from those around him.  He is often nervous and has an introverted personality. I’m wondering what connections this can be made to his family dynamics and if it had anything to do with his upbringing or if it was just the way he was wired. 

    Going back to the scene of the narrator refusing to go to sleep without a kiss from his mother. My question to the class is: Were the narrator's parents in the right to set these boundaries for their child? Or is it more important to tend to the child’s emotional wellbeing?

read full post >>

His insomnia was heavily highlighted throughout part one. I view the narrator as a person with severe anxiety. His thoughts are constantly jumping from one to another. His anxiety comes to light mostly at the thought of his mom not being able to give him a goodnight kiss. I wonder if his anxiety is brought from childhood trauma because his dreams always escape to his childhood. The narrator expressed his "childish terror" (4) with the memory of his great uncle pulling him by his curls. He also seems afraid of his father. This is shown when the father does not allow his mother to give him a kiss goodnight. In the scene where the narrator waits for his mom above the staircase to say goodnight, his mother seems afraid of what his father might say to their son as she tells him in a panic to go back to his room. His mom seems to be aware of his fathers resentment to his son's actions. 

His childhood experiences seem to be the cause of what his personality is today. His mind always wanders back to his childhood. His father's negative opinions of his son's night time ritual could have impacted the narrator's pressure to grow up and cause an unhealthy attachment to his mother. His mother is the only one who accepts his needs.This makes me question how much does childhood trauma and the pressure of maturity affect an individual?

Overall, “Combray" part one was a confusing read for me. I was left with so many unanswered questions. I wish the author had given us more insight into the narrator's past before these events.

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Reading Proust’s stories from Swann’s Way gave me a lot of feelings. I’m not sure that I understood either story completely – or that I ever could – but I certainly felt connected to them on a deeper level than I would have expected. Of the two stories, I would like to discuss aspects of “Overture” […] read full post >>

This was my first time reading any of Proust’s works and I started reading feeling a little uncertain about how much I would understand and enjoy the reading. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how well the book flowed and … Continue reading → read full post >>