Combray - Proust
Combray - Proust
Part 1 of Combray definitely left me confused. Although it was beautifully written and was clear on some aspects of the plot, I still found it very difficult to follow any kind of storyline. This may because, from my understanding, Marcel is going back and fourth from reality to dreams/memories. If that is the case then maybe I was not supposed to follow a direct plot and it was supposed to feel like it was jumping from one thing to another. I'm not sure which parts Marcel was awake and which were dreams. Since I do not feel like I understood the story a whole lot, I will speak on the few themes I did catch from my reading and some things I liked about it.
The first thing I noticed within the first page was the use of imagery. Throughout the entire book I was able to visualize exactly what the author was trying to describe. One major example of this is when he was describing the stained - glass windows. I thought it was beautiful when he was speaking about how the light shining through the glass changed at all different times of day creating different shapes and colours, giving the illusion of a different room even though it was the same one, providing a sense of unfamiliarity as the glass changes. Giving Marcel relief from bad memories that took place in that place.
Another part that I thought was very real and stood out to me was Marcels relationship with his mother. There is a sense of attachment to her and the goodnight kisses she would give to him before bed. He would listen for her and when she would leave he wished he could get another. When she took too long to come or the goodnight was not long enough, a major anxiety was caused. This showed insight into Marcels characters emotions and the relationship he has with his parents. He says that his father would not approve of this deep connection he has towards these goodnight kisses as it would hold him back from independence. When Swann would visit, his mother would not come give him a goodnight kiss resulting in sadness. I believe these types of experiences can easily be related to many peoples childhoods and positive or negative relationships with parents.
Overall I thought this book used amazing description and imagery to bring each sentence to life. Although I didn't completely follow, it was still enjoyable to visualize the locations described and appreciate the moments of the book I did understand.
Hi Sidney!
ReplyDeleteI also loved the scene where Marcel is describing the stained glass. Another scene that reminds me of this one is the one of the pink hawthorn blossoms in Swann's Way. Beautiful imagery!
Marcel's relationship with his mother is interesting to me too as it shows how almost obsessive his love for some of the women in the text is (like with his mother and Geraldine).
I enjoyed reading your blog post, it's very well written!
Hey! Great post! I absolutely agree with you, often times I had difficulty understanding the text. I at first would re-read certain parts only to continue to struggle in understanding them. Despite this, the imagery and the description was so detailed that it allowed me to be engaged in the story. It was easy to create the pictures in my head of what was happening and how the character was feeling. The section where he decides to find his mother after staying up late was a rollercoaster of emotions but it was very engaging.
ReplyDeleteHi Grigg! Thank you for the blog! I think your comments are very straightforward and I honestly, thanks to this blog, came to understand why the storylines were kind of scattered around between the past and the present, which also confused me a lot! The sophisticated way in which Proust writes about the atmosphere at the moment or situations is also seen in the first page when he wrote the sound from the outside of the room, which made me immersed myself in this reading. on the contrary, in the middle of the first part, the transition of his relationship with his mother after Swann appeared was very realistic and relatable to many of us like you said. Anyway your blog post increased my understanding of the piece of writing!
ReplyDelete*For TAs grading, this comment written by Tsuyoshi, sorry for the inconvenience.
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