The first thing that came to mind when I read Proust’s ‘Combray’ was a sense of nostalgia. I grew up reading a lot of classics, especially from Victorian England writers and the language that the English translation of ‘Combray’ uses is very familiar to some of that used in those books I used to read. […]
Posted in Blogs, Proust | Tagged with narrative, reflections
After reading the first part of Swann’s Way, I have mixed feelings. I unfortunately found it more difficult to read than I had expected. It wasn’t the hardest text i’ve ever read, but I definitely found myself having to re-read sentences and even whole pages. The author uses extremely long sentences, as well as extensive imagery at which some points I had a hard time picking up on. I guess this just proves I need to spend more time with a book in my hand! Despite being a challenging read, I did enjoy the content of the novel. I believe in the first few pages of the book, the author is going in and out of sleep, and describes the dreams and memories that return to him while in this state. Marcel seems to cling to memories of his childhood, specifically his life in Combray. He speaks about family experiences, and the emotions he felt during those times.
One particular aspect of the novel really stood out to me, is the attachment Marcel has to his mother as a child. Throughout the novel, he refers to all of his family as “grandfather, grandmother, father” etc, while referring to his mother as “Mama”. This already proving the bond he had with her. Marcel speaks emotionally about how the only thing that would bring him comfort before bed, was a goodnight kiss from his mother. He would look forward to this soft moment with her so much that the thought of her returning downstairs afterward would fill him with sadness. He would even dread days when their family had company over because that meant his mother would not even bother to come upstairs to kiss him goodnight. On page 23, Marcel even expresses that Swann’s company brought him pain because of this. Though Marcel’s mother thought sharing this tender moment with her son was important, his father thought otherwise, suggesting it would inhibit him from being tough and independent. This result in resentment towards his father.
I think this really stood out to me because I find it somewhat relatable. When I was a young child I used to sleep in my mothers room because i was absolutely terrified of the dark. Some nights she would leave me in her room to watch TV in the living room. As silly as it sounds, I would be so scared sitting in the dark alone, that I used to count every single second until she would come back to check on me. When she finally would, i would be overwhelmed with a sense of comfort. That being said, to some degree I could truly feel the emotion that Marcel would when his mother came to his room for a kiss.
My question for the class: Do you think the affection a mother shares with her child would cause them to later lack initiative, individuality or confidence?
After reading the first part of Swann’s Way, I have mixed feelings. I unfortunately found it more difficult to read than I had expected. It wasn’t the hardest text i’ve ever read, but I definitely found myself having to re-read sentences and even whole pages. The author uses extremely long sentences, as well as extensive imagery at which some points I had a hard time picking up on. I guess this just proves I need to spend more time with a book in my hand! Despite being a challenging read, I did enjoy the content of the novel. I believe in the first few pages of the book, the author is going in and out of sleep, and describes the dreams and memories that return to him while in this state. Marcel seems to cling to memories of his childhood, specifically his life in Combray. He speaks about family experiences, and the emotions he felt during those times.
One particular aspect of the novel really stood out to me, is the attachment Marcel has to his mother as a child. Throughout the novel, he refers to all of his family as “grandfather, grandmother, father” etc, while referring to his mother as “Mama”. This already proving the bond he had with her. Marcel speaks emotionally about how the only thing that would bring him comfort before bed, was a goodnight kiss from his mother. He would look forward to this soft moment with her so much that the thought of her returning downstairs afterward would fill him with sadness. He would even dread days when their family had company over because that meant his mother would not even bother to come upstairs to kiss him goodnight. On page 23, Marcel even expresses that Swann’s company brought him pain because of this. Though Marcel’s mother thought sharing this tender moment with her son was important, his father thought otherwise, suggesting it would inhibit him from being tough and independent. This result in resentment towards his father.
I think this really stood out to me because I find it somewhat relatable. When I was a young child I used to sleep in my mothers room because i was absolutely terrified of the dark. Some nights she would leave me in her room to watch TV in the living room. As silly as it sounds, I would be so scared sitting in the dark alone, that I used to count every single second until she would come back to check on me. When she finally would, i would be overwhelmed with a sense of comfort. That being said, to some degree I could truly feel the emotion that Marcel would when his mother came to his room for a kiss.
My question for the class: Do you think the affection a mother shares with her child would cause them to later lack initiative, individuality or confidence?
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]”, […]
Hi Everyone! This week I am going to be reflecting on part one –Combray– of Marcel Proust’s novel Swann’s Way….
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” →
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.
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?
