I noticed that in “Combray” by Marcel Proust there is a lot of descriptive language used. This leads me to the find the text a bit confusing and hard to read. For the first few pages it was very difficult for me to piece together a storyline or just to figure out what was happening in general. The text seemed to show a lot of very deep thinking and perspective from the narrator when it comes to life and the other people that are in his life and family. The way that the narrator speaks about relying on a goodnight kiss from his mother in order to calm his anxiety so that he can sleep seems like something that is extremely important to him and something that he can not go without. The narrator seems to be very reliant on his mother and not being able to receive a goodnight kiss from his mother will cause his anxiety to rise and he would not be able to sleep. The attention to detail and the focus on the need for the attention from his mother shows that he may be struggling with a separation anxiety from her or potentially other mental health issues or disorders.
My question is: “What do we think may have led to the narrator’s need to be strongly connected to his mother?
Another thing in the text that has led me to be confused, is when the narrator believes that his father would be mad at him for wanting this attention or love from his mother. This leads me to question whether the father would be upset at the narrator due to being too old to be needing his mother or if it is something based on gender. The father might think that because he is a male he needs to toughen up and not act upset or show emotions. The narrator is also very informed on the way the other family members act towards and think about M. Swann. He notices their infatuation with him and how he is a known person in society. The narrator sees the way that his family members had prepared for their meal with M. Swann. He noticed how they put a lot of a care into how they acted around him and how they talked about him and questioned if they were polite enough after M. Swann had left their home. This shows that M. Swann holds significance to the family as well as the narrator. I am confused on how this relates to the narrator and his situation. I am led to thinking that this impacts the narrator in a way that makes hm feel insecure of attention from his family members, predominantly his mother.
Proust’s novel “Swann’s Way” was a bit difficult to follow at first. Though I was able to pick up on a few main themes through the first and second sections, I often found myself lost in the text – and not in the form of fantasizing or escapism, but rather in confusion. I felt like […]
As much as I would’ve loved to have completed this reading for my blog post, I found myself runnings out of time with some other things that were going on :\ I haven’t finished Combray yet (I plan to by Thursday’s class to discuss), however, I have read enough to get a gist of Proust […]
Part one of Combray was really engaging and got me really invested in the mind and history of the protagonist. His descriptions and explanations of what goes on during the sleep process are very spot on, and I can relate with some of them for sure. I always find myself reminiscing over the past, and […]
Before I start with my thoughts on Marcel Proust’s Combray, I want to say that I only read part 1 and thus all my thoughts are regarding that part only. I mention this as my thoughts could be different if I read part 2. Having said that, I enjoyed the part at the start […]
Hello everyone. This blog entry is dedicated to Proust, Cambray part 1. I found this text hard, not extremely hard,…
Posted in Blogs, Proust | Tagged with BlogEntry, Cambray, FirstReading, Part1
Upon completing the “Combray” section of Proust’s groundbreaking story “In Search of Lost Time” I am struck with a feeling I would assume many modernist writings would have reveled, namely, the fact that Proust’s work elicits a feeling of both familiarity and confusion, an almost paradoxical joy and unease that in a way represent the […]
The major themes surrounding Part 1 in Swann’s Way by Marcel Proust have many applications in our daily lives. For instance, memory and re-visiting earlier happier and even sad memories predominate Combray. From the narrator’s memories of his inability to sleep without his mother’s kisses to his attempt to understand the adult’s conversation and even …
One of the most enjoyable aspects of this reading was the tone that the narrator told the story in. Proust used expressive and complex language. He uses involuntary memory as a method to capture his readers attention. It was interesting to see his opinions and beliefs play out within the characters of his story.
This week’s reading was interesting, however, I felt as though I did not understand some of the themes and only recognized a few constants. I found difficulty in following the plot as it did not seem there was much guidance for the readers.
One interesting theme was the way Proust described the setting of the story, specifically the church. It was very obvious that Proust adores the architecture of the church he imagined. He was fascinated with churches throughout France and Italy as depicted in his writings.
A very prominent theme in the novel was Marcel’s relationship with his mother and the effect that has on him. Marcel has anxiety surrounding his relationship with his mother as she seems to emotionally distress her son (also a little Oedipus seeming). Not only were there tensions between him and his mother, Marcel had a very manipulative relationship with his father (This poor guy cannot catch a break). There is a lot of exploration surrounding the theme of familial relationships and the impacts that they have on people.
Another theme that stuck out to me was that of escaping reality through literature. Marcel reads so much that his fantasy world begins to feel more real to him than the outside world in which he lives. He cannot leave his fantasy world as it protects him from his experiences in the real world. Marcel observes people from the outside and learns behaviours that way. In turn, this does not help him accurately gauge behaviour of people. He is able to fantasize about women and create imagined and idealized versions of them for his writings. This feels a bit gross to read considering Marcel places a lot of a woman’s worth on her appearance and will romanticize them until he deems them attractive.
Marcel’s imaginary women are very harmful to the way women are perceived by readers. Throughout history women were valued based on their appearance and Marcel only repeats this. Women written by men are often objectified and used only to advance the growth of a male lead.
Overall, I did not enjoy this reading that much but I am excited for future readings. I struggled while reading it but felt as though I was able to grasp a few main themes.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of this reading was the tone that the narrator told the story in. Proust used expressive and complex language. He uses involuntary memory as a method to capture his readers attention. It was interesting to see his opinions and beliefs play out within the characters of his story.
This week’s reading was interesting, however, I felt as though I did not understand some of the themes and only recognized a few constants. I found difficulty in following the plot as it did not seem there was much guidance for the readers.
One interesting theme was the way Proust described the setting of the story, specifically the church. It was very obvious that Proust adores the architecture of the church he imagined. He was fascinated with churches throughout France and Italy as depicted in his writings.
A very prominent theme in the novel was Marcel’s relationship with his mother and the effect that has on him. Marcel has anxiety surrounding his relationship with his mother as she seems to emotionally distress her son (also a little Oedipus seeming). Not only were there tensions between him and his mother, Marcel had a very manipulative relationship with his father (This poor guy cannot catch a break). There is a lot of exploration surrounding the theme of familial relationships and the impacts that they have on people.
Another theme that stuck out to me was that of escaping reality through literature. Marcel reads so much that his fantasy world begins to feel more real to him than the outside world in which he lives. He cannot leave his fantasy world as it protects him from his experiences in the real world. Marcel observes people from the outside and learns behaviours that way. In turn, this does not help him accurately gauge behaviour of people. He is able to fantasize about women and create imagined and idealized versions of them for his writings. This feels a bit gross to read considering Marcel places a lot of a woman’s worth on her appearance and will romanticize them until he deems them attractive.
Marcel’s imaginary women are very harmful to the way women are perceived by readers. Throughout history women were valued based on their appearance and Marcel only repeats this. Women written by men are often objectified and used only to advance the growth of a male lead.
Overall, I did not enjoy this reading that much but I am excited for future readings. I struggled while reading it but felt as though I was able to grasp a few main themes.
