What should I read, watch or hear before/during/after reading Proust?

July 3, 2019 5:35 AM

Soon I intend to get round to starting the volumes of Proust I bought used last year (the Enright revision of the Kilmartin revision of the Moncrieff translation). Given I'm unlikely to re-read it (but never say never...) I'm wondering what I could do to make this reading better than if I dive straight in.

Usually I prefer to start books (and films and plays etc.) knowing as little as possible about them in advance. When I read A Dance to the Music of Time about the only extra info I consulted while reading were synopses of earlier volumes (to remind myself what had happened) and this list of models for the characters. So maybe I'll do the same with In Search of Lost Time but...

...if you've read it, what did you find valuable to read/watch alongside it? Or what was interesting afterwards? Or is there something you've since found that you wished you'd had available at the time?

posted by fabius to Media & Arts (8 answers total)

I don't think this is exactly what you're looking for, but I found the George Guidall audio version quite enjoyable.
posted by kevinbelt at 5:40 AM on July 3, 2019

NYRB had a discussion several years ago about the issues in various translations and how different the anglicized Proust may be to the original french, if you're interested in that sort of thing.

Generally, I think it's a good idea to not approach these books as an event or an achievement to meet. You'll put them down, pick them up again, forget and mix up characters (Proust did that too). I wouldn't approach it as a scholar, trying to catch every reference and pick out every profound quote. You'll find what speaks to you as you absorb the atmosphere and tone, and forget much of it along the way.

If you happen to be in France you could also visit Illiers-Combray, the supposed inspiration for Combray. I'm sure there is a tourism guide based on locations and events of the books if you wanted to experience the feel in person.
posted by Think_Long at 5:59 AM on July 3, 2019 [1 favorite]

For reading the Iliad, I've been simultaneously listening to lectures on it from The Teaching Company, which has been extremely helpful. They don't have a course specifically devoted to Proust, but they have a Classic Novels course with three lectures on Remembrance of Things Past. The Teaching Company lectures can be expensive, but they tend to have frequent sales where they're heavily discounted. They can be pretty cheap on ebay, and some libraries also have them. You might find more if you search for other online courses.
posted by FencingGal at 7:05 AM on July 3, 2019

It depends, of course, on what type of reader you are. Personally, I find it difficult to understand a society so different from the one I know, so I might look for descriptions of high society in France in the late 19th century. Also, possibly, read Gigi, the novella by Colette, which is short and amusing, but keep in mind that it's closer to satire, or maybe commentary, than history.
posted by SemiSalt at 9:00 AM on July 3, 2019

This is purely my experience of reading the first 150 pages or so of the first section of the old Vintage books many years ago. What I liked was just to read it slowly and let the words flow over me. I underlined things as I went if I wanted to, or jotted notes in the margin to look back on later, but for me it was very much an immersive experience rather than a "study" one if that makes sense. YMMV of course, but I liked just the experience of reading it. I think if I wanted to listen to things that might be evocative, I wouldn't do it during the reading because that distracts me too much but the sorts of pieces I think might be good are, for instance, Nuages Gris by Liszt, or Erik Satie - Gymnopédies (you'll recognize that one probably...my husband says it usually evokes depression when it's played in movies etc. but I think of it just as a rainy piece). Also Chopan, and Faure. It might be nice to look at some French paintings of the period.
I am starting the audio book and I'm not sure I like it read to me right now, it's feeling overwhelming and just "too much" when I hear it. I may go back and start reading again instead.
posted by Rufous-headed Towhee heehee at 10:20 PM on July 3, 2019

FWIW, when I read it I just dove in without any preparation or prior knowledge, and didn't have any particular problems nor did I feel that I was missing a lot (as I would with say, Ulysses). I think the most important thing you need is just to be prepared for the pace of it.
posted by dfan at 8:01 AM on July 5, 2019

"it was very much an immersive experience ... it's feeling overwhelming"

This is totally true.
posted by kevinbelt at 11:41 AM on July 5, 2019

Best answer: Echoing dfan that it's not that hard to read. The book is long, the sentences are long, the paragraphs are long. But it's not hard to keep track of the characters and what's happening. I enjoyed Paintings in Proust as a visual companion to the novel. It might be helpful to have at least a passing, Wikipedia-level, familiarity with the French political and social context of the 30 or so years before World War I (Napoleon III, the Third Republic, the Dreyfus Affair).

When you're done, read this Russell Baker column.
posted by Jasper Fnorde at 8:31 PM on July 5, 2019 [1 favorite]