Proust - Just finished Vol1, what hard work!
Discussion
Only another 6 to go...!
But tbh, it's unlikely I'll be committing to those in the near future.
Anyone else had a go? I found it bloody hard work.
Vol 1 is split into 3 parts:
Part 1 - Combray: the narrator's description of his childhood
Part 2 - Swann in Love: narrator describes Swann falling for Odette
Part 3 - Names of Places (or something like that): the narrator explores his early crush on Swann's daughter
Proust as a baseline appears to be quite hard work to read. Solid blocks of prose which seem relentless with few breaks. Sentences can be half a page+, elaborate and often by the time you've finished them, you've forgotten wtf he was on about to start with.
Part 1 was properly hard work. Very very dry with very little (if anything) happening. You could easily skip 5-10 pages and not miss out in any way (about 250 pages total). Plus it doesn't help that Proust (and his family) don't come across as very likeable - moaning about nothing, bothered about very inconsequential matters (I do understand their place in society at the time goes to some way to explaining this) but ffs, this guy takes 10 pages to explain that he got upset at not getting a kiss from his mother! Later he (literally) cries having to leave the hawthorn bushes! For me, it added nothing to the story.
Part 2 is much better. It's very nicely written but the kind of prose you need to take your time to read and appreciate. This bit I enjoyed and felt I could relate to it more.
Anyone had any experience of Proust? Would love to hear your views?
But tbh, it's unlikely I'll be committing to those in the near future.
Anyone else had a go? I found it bloody hard work.
Vol 1 is split into 3 parts:
Part 1 - Combray: the narrator's description of his childhood
Part 2 - Swann in Love: narrator describes Swann falling for Odette
Part 3 - Names of Places (or something like that): the narrator explores his early crush on Swann's daughter
Proust as a baseline appears to be quite hard work to read. Solid blocks of prose which seem relentless with few breaks. Sentences can be half a page+, elaborate and often by the time you've finished them, you've forgotten wtf he was on about to start with.
Part 1 was properly hard work. Very very dry with very little (if anything) happening. You could easily skip 5-10 pages and not miss out in any way (about 250 pages total). Plus it doesn't help that Proust (and his family) don't come across as very likeable - moaning about nothing, bothered about very inconsequential matters (I do understand their place in society at the time goes to some way to explaining this) but ffs, this guy takes 10 pages to explain that he got upset at not getting a kiss from his mother! Later he (literally) cries having to leave the hawthorn bushes! For me, it added nothing to the story.
Part 2 is much better. It's very nicely written but the kind of prose you need to take your time to read and appreciate. This bit I enjoyed and felt I could relate to it more.
Anyone had any experience of Proust? Would love to hear your views?
Pobolycwm said:
I'm only half way through Combray, to be truthful it hasn't set my heart on fire, given the magnitude of the works I was fully expecting to have to get another couple of hundred pages in to get into it, I tend to read several books at the same time, dipping in and out as I feel like, Proust has been on the back burner for quite a few weeks, ( make that months ) hope I can get into it because it's going to be one hell of a slog if I don't.
Those 250 pages of 'Combray' were some of the hardest I've ever read. Nothing seemed to happen (at least nothing of consequence or interest).The Swann love story was a great improvement but I must admit, I've not really been inspired to read the next 6 volumes!
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