Swann’s Way by Marcel Proust (PDF)

Description

Swann’s Way is one of the preeminent novels of childhood-a sensitive boy’s impressions of his family and neighbors, all brought dazzlingly back to life years later by the famous taste of a madeleine. It also enfolds the short novel Swann’s Love, an incomparable study of sexual jealousy, which becomes a crucial part of the vast, unfolding structure of In Search of Lost Time. The first volume of the book that established Proust as one of the finest voices of the modern age-satirical, skeptical, confiding, and endlessly varied in his response to the human condition-Swann’s Way also stands on its own as a perfect rendering of a life in art, of the past re-created through memory.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Latest English translation from French, 2002. 444 pages. Book 1 of À la recherche du temps perdu [In Search of Lost Time, in seven volumes]UPDATED: 11/21/2018Summarizing Proust has a long history, most hilariously shown in the Monty Python sketch “Summarizing Proust Competition” in which contestants attempt to summarize all seven volumes of ‘In Search of Lost Time’ within 15 seconds:Having just finished SWANN’S WAY, my summary takes this condensed haiku form:Madeleine in teaBrings memories of lost timeMarcel is left sadNow for something completely different.SWANN’S WAY, the first of Proust’s seven-volume novel, is a joy to read. For a novel about which many detractors have said ‘Nothing happens’ it was engaging, imaginative, full of philosophical ideas, and, as the saying goes, was hard to put down. Is it a series of Proust’s philosophical musings disguised as a novel? Or the inverse? An autobiography disguised as a novel? All the above? Call it what you will, but boring and uninteresting? Quite the opposite.Summing up SWANN’S WAY properly, I would say: The unnamed narrator of undefined age (though clearly old enough to reflect back on his childhood) – call him Marcel – is facing a very real and common human affliction, particularly of those of us of later age, a world-weariness, a discontent, dissatisfaction for the way life has turned out. Why is the world the way it is? At the opening of the novel, Marcel is seeking solace from this melancholy in recollections of a time past, a better time in Combray with his parents, but the memories are mere shadows – “Dead forever? Possibly.” [44] Then, unbidden, come a flood of Combray memories, triggered by the taste of a piece of madeleine dipped in tea, connecting present and past experiences, transcending time and space:And suddenly the memory appeared. That taste was the taste of the little piece of madeleine which on Sunday mornings at Combray (because that day I did not go out before it was time for Mass), when I went to say good morning to her in her bedroom, my aunt Leonie would give me after dipping it in her infusion of tea or lime blossom…. immediately the old gray house on the street, where her bedroom was, came like a stage set to attach itself to the little wing opening onto the garden that had been built for my parents behind it….and the water lilies of the Vivonne, and the good people of the village and their little dwellings and the church and all of Combray and its surroundings, all of this which is acquiring form and solidity, emerged, town and gardens alike, from my cup of tea. [p 47-48]And so begins Marcel’s remembrances, or, more to Proust’s intent, Marcel’s ‘search for lost time,’ (or, playing on the translation of temps perdu, which adds yet another reading to the novel, ‘wasted time’.)The novel weaves in and out of time, as memories do, forever timeless, stream-of-consciousness style, Marcel bringing to vivid mind people, places, and events from his past life, involuntary recalls sparked by the sensory stimulus of a phrase from a violin sonata, the fragrance of a lily, the taste of a madeleine.The themes of art, memory, time, identity, family, love, friendships, and beauty run throughout SWANN’S WAY. One concept that seems crucial to the narrator’s metaphysics I found particularly interesting – that one can only really glimpse reality, the actual ‘thing itself’, through art – painting, music, literature. It is through art that we get a sense of the beauty of the world, a beauty which our meager fleeting senses cannot grasp. It posits that there is something more real hidden beneath the veneer of the physical world which we can only discover through artistic endeavor. It is art which captures that ineffable, transcendent something we sense but cannot grasp.One of my favorite passages in SWANN’S WAY which illustrates this is the narrator’s description of seeing the twin steeples of Martinville church and the steeple of Vieuxvicq while riding the winding streets in an open carriage:As I observed, as I noted the shape of their spires, the shifting of their lines, the sunlight on their surfaces, I felt that I was not reaching the full depth of my impression, that something was behind that motion, that brightness, something which they seemed at once to contain and conceal. [184]A long paragraph follows in which Marcel cranes his neck this way and that to keep the steeples in view as the carriage makes its way through the narrow streets, until finally:Soon their lines and their sunlit surfaces split apart, as if they were a sort of bark, a little of what was hidden from me inside them appeared to me, I had a thought which had not existed a moment before, which took shape in words in my head, and the pleasure I had just recently experienced at the sight of them was so increased by this that, seized by a sort of drunkenness, I could no longer think of anything else…. Without sayint to myself that what was hidden behind the steeples of Martinville had to be something analogous to a pretty sentence, since it had appeared to me in the form of words that gave me pleasure… [185]Marcel goes on to commit his observations to paper, and only discovers the ineffable quality of those steeples once he has committed them to language, to words, to literature. But by the end of the book, Marcel laments that he is not suited for the time in which he now lives, this shabby, vulgar, inelegant time. Rather than buoy his spirits, his memories of a better, more elegant and sophisticated time merely depress. “The reality I had known no longer existed… The places we have known do not belong solely to the world of space in which we situate them for our greater convenience. They were only a thin slice among contiguous impressions which formed our life at that time; the memory of a certain image is but regret for a certain moment; and houses, roads, avenues are as fleeting, alas, as the years.” [444]There is so much more to this book, of which I have discussed just a sampling of the themes in this seven-volume, 4,200-page novel. I look forward to this great adventure in literature.

⭐In the western literary canon there are several recognized siege reads (lovely pun that ) that tend to mark off the dilettante reader from the serious. Horse choker reads of established classical standing. To have read and maybe understood from this class is the difference between mountain climbing as a day long exercise and a mountaineering exercise that is the culminating expedition built on months of preparation.Among these reads are the Great Russian slayers of trees, War and Peace, Anna Karenina, Crime and Punishment. In more recent times is the great English language challenge Ulysses. In attempting to review Marcel Proust’s Swann’s Way, I am making a public declaration of my intent to read all seven volumes of In Search of Lost time. In the past I have taken advantages of some of the lovely graphic novel versions adapted and wondrously drawn by Stephane Heuet. This time I have the paperback translation by Lydia Davis. It is said to be an easier read for a modern reader and I have reason to believe that the original translation C. K, Scott Moncrieff is a bit stogy and slightly bowdlerized.I am not going to return another gushing “is it not wondrous?” type review. While hardly my first exposure to stream of conscious, Swann’s Way is orders of magnitude beyond reasonable. Sentences stretch out as if in support of a national shortage of periods and planning to stop at the end of the next paragraph is certain to upset your schedule for the rest of the day. There are passages of glittering, fine and insightful observations and musings, but catching and holding on to any one is rather like seizing the finer glints of sun in crystalline waters while standing in the middle of a water fall. I also suspect that some of these wonderful thoughts, if held still and analyzed read as very deep while not making much sense.Swann’s Way begins by introducing ups to our narrator, Marcel. In 47 pages we get a detailed, recollection of his 6 or 8-year-old self, engaged in a highly complex almost creepy campaign to get a good night kiss from his mother. So yes, Marcel is a Momma’s Boy- the caps are deliberate.His parents are middle class, and well connected. Among their frequent guest is Swann. A man with even higher social connection however hampered by his unfortunate marriage. Continuing into the next chapter we meet more of Marcel’s family. His parents seem decent well-grounded people. Obviously his Mother is the source of good things. His Father can be coldly fierce, but given to great understanding and a knowledge of when to let the boy have his way. An Aunt who is comically hypochondriac and an all-time busy body. There is an Uncle with a steady series of lady friends of a type not admissible to the rest of the family. His grandmother is clearly his favorite and a center of his youth.The single overriding and central theme- occupying most or all of every human contact is: Who has the status to be recognized, if only on the street or at parties, who is allowed to visit and who has sufficient standing to be visiting as a family? The series is titled The Remembrance of Things Past because of the famous scene of Marcel inhaling the aroma of a tea-soaked madeleine cookie which triggers the rest of the 7 books. For all of that most honored literary device, the books could just as easily been Remembrances of Snobbery Past. Money, Politics, High Art and more than anything – class standing fill the pages.We now know that Marcel is a Moma’s boy and that the guiding principal of his upbringing is snobbery. His main interests seem to be flowers, especially hawthorns, actors/actresses and literature. He is most likely to be found bursting into tears, lost in complex reveries and indulging a highly self-center romantic overwrought thought process or in need of a private physician.Incidentally there are two main routes into town. On passes by the aforementioned Swann’s estates, and is therefore Swann’s Way, (for some reason it has two names) and another longer route known as The Guermantes Way. These two routes are going to be important. Each get theirown book. What they are to represent is not yet clear.Before leaving this part of the book, it must be said to Proust’s credit that he has a sly sense of humor. However comic his relatives, he respects them. We may laugh. He does not.Having several times mentioned Swann, his connections and his unfortunate marriage we move back in time to observe Swann in Love. He meets with a well-known courtesan, Odette. A woman of decidedly mixed reputation. Swann is something of a player and his fall is a gradual thing. From first date to first kiss is protracted, but quickly becomes best described as love sickness. Proust again to his credit gives us in detail what it is to be so completely smitten as to loose perspective, pride and whatever equanimity or equipoise natural to a well off, man about town.This book ends with Marcel now in his teens, becoming a habitué in Swann’s home. Initially he is a close friend of Swann’s daughter. Indeed, she is a possible future wife. Marcel is more fascinated by Madam Swann.Having finished Swann’s Way I had developed a reading approach that kept me going. The quality of the writing is such that I could pass through 20 pages sometimes without effort. I may not have absorbed just how great it all was, but neither had I been defeated by how wordy it all is. I had sufficient momentum to move directly into book 2, In the shadow of Young Girls in Flower. That review will follow in its turn.

⭐Proust has a reputation for being difficult, right? To a degree I can see why, but honestly, once you’ve given this book enough time (perhaps the first 50 or so pages) you begin to get to grips with his writing style, which is undoubtedly something of a challenge.Additionally, Proust isn’t concerned with writing a page turner. Oh no. For me this book is verging on philosophical in that it attempts, successfully in my opinion , to convey some very deep aspects of our humanity. The book concentrates on trying to get to grips with our sensory and intellectual understanding of the world around us; e.g. the smell of flowers, the falling of light on stone, the many ways we can love etc. etc.Eventually I found this book totally immersive and, whilst I personally couldn’t read more than 20 pages at a single sitting (it just requires too much concentration for more) I have come to see Proust as a writer like no other and one, I suspect, you’ll either love or hate.I’ll open my copy now at random and type the first significant sentence I find to give you an idea of what you find here (or are up against!).page 256 …Of course, it did not occur to him to be jealous of Odette, but he did not feel as happy as usual and when Brichot, having begun to tell the story of Blanche de Castille’s mother, who ‘had been happy with Henry Plantagenet for years before she married him’, tried to prompt Swann to ask him what happened next by saying to him: ‘Isn’t that so Monsieur Swann?’ in the martial tone one adopts to make oneself understood by a peasant or instil courage in a soldier, Swann spoiled Brichot’s effect, to the fury of their hostess, by answering that they must please excuse him for being so uninterested in Blanche de Castille, but he had something to ask the painter.Yes, that’s one sentence!!

⭐As ever, I am writing a review for the physical book, not a book review on the content. Although there are exceptions, I do not think Amazon reviews are the best place to get informed opinions of literary merit, especially when so much information is now available online that is far more erudite and engaging. As such, this review considers the edition, focusing on the publisher, design, layout, and quality of the book. This is not a judgement on those who review books on Amazon (I do sometimes) but rather reflects what I want in a review when I am buying. (Although with Proust, as one of the most influential and celebrated writers of the twentieth century, surely there is already enough critical and literary commentary to satisfy any desire for further knowledge, making a review of his work somewhat redundant here?)Anyway, Penguin Classics 2003 edition of The Way by Swann’s, part of the whole: In Search of Lost Time series by Marcel Proust. I chose this edition to start reading Proust after extensively researching the history of the translation of Proust into English, and was therefore extremely happy when I found I could buy the first book of the series on Amazon. It is sold much cheaper than the stated price on the back of the book, and considering the rich enjoyment Proust brings, represents excellent value for money. It has the usual quality one associates with Penguin although the text is rather small — understandable due to the scale of the novel and the extra sections that need to be included with Proust, ie. Translator notes, general editor notes, general notes, synopsis etc.One particularly pleasing aspect of these mint green Modern Classics editions is their methodical layout. The cover art is presented as a band across the book cover, leaving space for the individual title and series title, which for me personally, is a joy. It may seem fussy, but there is something rather fitting in the wordy organisation of the massive whole, that lends itself beautifully to Proust. I think taken together, these collected editions as In Search of Lost Time will look fantastic on the bookshelf. As I already mentioned, above, I had already done my research on the translations, so the fact that these books are also beautiful and a joy to read is just a fortuitous bonus; that they are also available on Amazon, and cheap, simply makes them perfect.However, although seemingly perfect, should you consider buying this first volume, with a view to reading Proust in his entirety via this collection, then it is important to know that the second volume is not available on Amazon — which I found out, much to my chagrin, after finishing the first. It is listed, but out of stock (and seemingly has been for a while). To compound this, unscrupulous sellers seem to be capitalising on this by offering second-hand copies at exorbitant prices. In the end, I managed to locate and buy a used copy from a book shop (peculiarly) in Paris for a reasonable price. However, it turns out that the Modern Classics editions sold here, are in fact, a reprint. The original 2003 Penguin Classics editions (which my copy of volume two is) are different in design. Though this in no way diminishes the joy of reading Proust it is a little annoying, and, more importantly, is something to bear in my mind when buying this edition. I have attached a picture comparing the editions in case anyone is interested.If you enjoyed this review, and have similar literary tastes to me, then I have reviewed other works on Amazon in a similar manner.

⭐I don’t know if it’s the age I’ve reached (late 30s), or whether it’s Lydia Davis’s translation – but I can’t put this book down.I read it first in French when I was 19 (but it was too much for me to take in), then in English (but for some reason it was also too much for me to take in). I’ve re-tried a few times, but really got nowhere. I appreciated it aesthetically, but not emotionally, I found it trying despite my best intentions. Then, having found my love of fiction on the wane over the last few years (I don’t know why) – but still desperate to read – I picked up this translation, but with little hope. However I find I’m cramming as much in as I can before bed, again in the morning over breakfast, at lunch if I can…if you’d told me one day that I was carrying Proust around everywhere with me, finding it very difficult to put down, I wouldn’t have believed you!Like someone who’s had a religious epiphany, I want to share it with everyone, but the experience is so personal in some way that I can’t find the words without sounding bonkers! I think it’s absolutely wonderful.

⭐This is the first volume in Proust’s masterpiece, “In Search of Lost Time.” As I had never read Proust before, I embarked on this journey with a little trepidation. Would I simply get ‘bogged down’ as some readers suggested? Would I just not “get it…” Thankfully, I am pleased to report that this is an enjoyable and remarkable read. I would say that this is a book which requires you to drift with the author’s words – you need quiet and peace and time to fully appreciate this book. As such, I discovered it was not to be read during the commute, but saved for moments when I did have the peace and quiet to savour it properly. It is not a novel which should be rushed – there is no plot to race through, no need to ‘get to the end.’ Just change your perceptions from the writing rules of today – realise that sadly this book would not be published today as it refuses to conform to the ordinary – and then embrace it for what it is.Indeed, even in 1913, when this first volume was first released, Proust had to self publish this work; leading publishers having rejected the manuscript. Thankfully, by early 1914, one editor – Andre Gide – had the humility to apologise to Proust for rejecting the book and stating, “For several days I have been unable to put your book down… The rejection of this book will remain the most serious mistake ever made by the NRF and, since I bear the shame of being very much responsible for it, one of the most stinging and remorseful regrets of my life.”So, what is this book actually about? It is actually split into three parts. The first, “Combray,” sees our narrator musing on childhood memories. It is fair to say that, if you enjoy this part of the book, you will be able to read to the end. Musings, memories, drifting passages and endless paragraphs will either embrace you – or leave you frustrated and infuriated. The middle section is almost a novella in itself – and often taken as such and taught in French schools – and tells the story of Swann’s jealous infatuation with Odette. Lastly, the shorter, third part of the book, sees our narrator having his own infatuation, with the daughter of Swann; the schoolgirl Gilberte. However, although this tells you the bare+ facts of the novel, it does not do justice to the sheer poetry of the writing and the meandering style. It is fair to say that you will either not make it to the end or immediately reach for the second volume. Personally, I am grateful that I discovered this sublime novel and have every intention of reading on.

⭐Here is a disclaimer: this is a translation into English and accordingly all comments by me should be taken on that basis. So you want to dabble in Proust, do you? I will not question your motives if you don’t question mine – merely curiosity and that Python sketch. Proust appears to be a master of descriptive prose, especially if you are interested in tiny little things, (or “minutiae” if you went to University). The point of view is the old man recalling his past life as a boy and his reactions to life around him, through the eyes of a boy, a rather fey, wet boy. (The clue is in the title). Being conditioned to – let us say – parataxis, (imagine the word in italics, please) sentences that regularly run to over one hundred words can be a stretch. It’s very clever and was quite normal then but if you have a 120k RAM like me you are going to be royally stoofered because you will not remember the beginning of the sentence or what it was about by the time you get to the end of the sentence.I didn’t like any of the characters either.

Keywords

Free Download Swann’s Way in PDF format
Swann’s Way PDF Free Download
Download Swann’s Way 2012 PDF Free
Swann’s Way 2012 PDF Free Download
Download Swann’s Way PDF
Free Download Ebook Swann’s Way