The Year of Reading Proust discussion

Terrific! I was thinking of that for Kalliope but had to rush off.

Or perhaps influences? In any case, though I am not of French heritage, my parents were both of Proust's time, having both been born before publication of Swann's Way. The world looked different then.

I read this book when it came out. It gives a good feeling for some of the intellectual excitement going on in Europe around the time of Proust's writing.

Einstein, Picasso: Space, Time And The Beauty That Causes Havoc

There were 2 World's Fairs in Paris Proust would certainly attended.

1889 Exposition

1900 Exposition

I note this in the 1889 wiki description:

At the Exposition, the French composer Claude Debussy first heard Javanese gamelan music, performed by an ensemble from Java. David Toop, a modern musical critic, denotes Debussy's experience at the fair to mark the start of ambient music,

In the decription of the 1900 Exposition is this:

Salammbô Inspiration

Art Nouveau was occasionally associated with sensual and erotica natures, mainly of a female influence.[6] The most famous art nouveau femme fatale is Salomé, based on the heroine [2], of Gustave Flaubert`s novel.[6] Salomé is depicted in much of Art Nouveau artists` work and was specifically showcased by Loie Fuller, the American performer who became Salomé when she performed.[1] Art Nouveau artists began to use the dangerous, sexual females as subjects because the female role was shifting and art was the only acceptable place for them to be portrayed.[6] Artists used their work as ‘another world’ for the females to reside in.[6] Salammbô is the inspiration behind many Art Nouveau pieces.

I am posting here some photos from Jacques-Henri Lartigue, who was a great deal younger than Proust (Proust born in 1870 while Lartigue is from 1894), but who started taking pictures at a young age and therefore has left us some visual evidence from the time Proust was writing his masterpiece.

This photographer is mentioned in The Proustian Quest, and his most famous photograph is this one:

And another one included in Carter's book:

And I really like this one:

Kalliope wrote: "And I really like this one:

"

The year for this is post-Odette-in-the-Bois, but certainly echoes Proust's descriptions of her attire.

Paris - Carnavalet Museum - Marcel Proust's bedroom http://www.flickr.com/photos/15434282...

Maison de « Tante Léonie » - Place Lemoine, Illiers-Combray (28)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51366740...

Marcel's bedroom: http://www.flickr.com/photos/51366740...



the dining room: http://www.flickr.com/photos/51366740...

I'm thinking the plates on the wall may be the Thousand and One Nights plates that I was searching for!!

the house Aunt Leonie never left:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51366740...

Good links, Reem. The reader who has read Swann, and come to know Combray, will find a trip to Aunt Leonie's house quite a revealing one. Also, the Pre-Catalan is gorgeous whatever the season.

And yes, the museum makes the link between the plates, the comfort of the room itself like a safe enclave for the Narrator. Each room usually has a quote from Proust given in a little guidebook. well worth a trip if any Proustian finds themselves near Paris/Chartres.

Nick wrote: "Good links, Reem. The reader who has read Swann, and come to know Combray, will find a trip to Aunt Leonie's house quite a revealing one. Also, the Pre-Catalan is gorgeous whatever the season.

And..."

Thanks Nick. I found these photos on flickr, but then was delighted to read in more detail the article in Architectural Digest that Proustitute gave us that provides more background info about the family.

It's actually funny, I think we may be reading ISOLT in a manner similar to reading Kit William's Masquerade, searching for clues that will lead to the treasure. A novel of that length has to lead to something!

And I may be totally off on some wild goose chase, but I'm trying to see if Kit William's golden hare has anything to do with Edmund De Waal's Hare with Amber Eyes and "his art connoisseur ancestor Charles (a model for Proust's Swann)"

Just having some fun....

1913!
The music of the time had some influences upon the novel. Listen to Michael G. Wood (Princeton) describe how Proust combined two characters to create Vinteuil. A must listen! Nick mentioned this BBC Radio 3 on another thread.

Wait until @1:40.
http://pinterest.com/pin/260997740876...

Not compatible on iPad.

Marcelita wrote: "1913!
The music of the time had some influences upon the novel. Listen to Michael G. Wood (Princeton) describe how Proust combined two characters to create Vinteuil. A must listen! Nick mentioned t..."

There is a thread for Music under the Chapter Information and General Threads, called Music and/in Proust

Proustitute wrote: "If you're in the UK, BBC Radio 3 has a program called The Essay. This Thursday night, they'll be broadcasting an episode on Paris in 1913. It's supposed to begin with M. Proust.

Here's the summary..."


They have podcasts. Not all BBC podcasts are available outside the UK. I will try this one later on. I am excited because in this series (15min each) they will include one on Le Grand Meaulnes, which is one of my favorite books, and also relevant for Proust's World.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/...

It's a series of five essays; the first one on Monday dealt with Proust.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/...

I'm not in the UK, but I can download and listen to these programmes OK. Should work.

I just listened: Prof Michael G. Wood of Princeton University on Proust and the invention of Vinteuil. Superb.

Karen wrote: "I just listened: Prof Michael G. Wood of Princeton University on Proust and the invention of Vinteuil. Superb."

Will download this evening... excellent..!!!

I've been exploring the photography of Eugene Atget -- there's a wonderful website here: http://www.atgetphotography.com/The-P...# He photographed Paris between 1897 and 1927, and he focused on scenes that conveyed a sense of the old Paris. Very eerie.

In addition to information and a photo gallery, there are also some video slideshows with music -- for example, this one entitled "Paris 1900": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6aQzx...

Kris wrote: "I've been exploring the photography of Eugene Atget -- there's a wonderful website here: http://www.atgetphotography.com/The-P...# He photographed Paris between 1897 an..."

@3:41 The two carved portraits facing each other...as you are pulled into the courtyard. Composer?

Kris wrote: "I've been exploring the photography of Eugene Atget -- there's a wonderful website here: http://www.atgetphotography.com/The-P...# He photographed Paris between 1897 an..."

Thank you for reminding us of Atget. I recently bought a book on him at the Thyssen at a reasonable price, in preparation for this Group Read... I pulled it out of the shelf. Also, the book by Nesbit is worth reading Atget's Seven Albums. Hard to find.

ReemK10 (Got Proust?) wrote: "Paris - Carnavalet Museum - Marcel Proust's bedroom http://www.flickr.com/photos/15434282..."

Thanks, Reem

My family and I holidayed in Paris for two weeks in Paris in December, 2012.

I was on a mission to find some evidence of Proust.

I visited the Musee Carnavalet for other reasons and discovered that Proust's bedroom had been reconstructed there.

Unfortunately, it was closed the first day I visited, so I went back the following day. Below is a link to my status update about that day:

http://www.goodreads.com/user_status/...

My photos aren't as clear as the shot you have used, but I did try to get more focused images, in particular, of his notebook.

Day Two in Paris found Proust's grave, amongst others:

http://www.goodreads.com/user_status/...

Day Six saw me return for some tombs I'd missed. I took the opportunity to have a closer look at Proust's grave and saw that his parents were also buried there:

http://www.goodreads.com/user_status/...

Finally, while it was a serendipitous highlight for me, I discovered the Swann mosaic that Marcelita uses for her avatar.

I wasn't aware of it, didn't know Marcelita from a Madeleine and hadn't seen her avatar yet.

Coincidentally, we seem to have photographed the mosaic from almost exactly the same perspective, although I was trying to incorporate the red cross of the pharmacy.

I have placed the image and some really helpful information from Marcelita and her sources in the first comment in the thread for my unfinished review of Swann's Way:

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

I love the pictures from your travel, Ian. It's amazing that Proust managed to come up with a bunch of descriptions from a simple setting.

Thanks, ALOLhaha, I've been wondering about this while reading the first chapter, Combray. So much of it takes place in bed, a refuge from the world, but also a waiting room for the arrival of the narrator's mother to kiss him.

You get the impression that his bed as a child must have been some fantastic bed.

Over the course of the chapter, he rises from the bed to learn the appeal of the broader world and madeleines and tea, but you'd think that the author would have retained his love of an indulgent bed that embraces you and your dreams and anguish.

Proustitute wrote: "Ian, we have a group photo section if you want to add Proust-related photos there. Just sayin'."

Will do, P.

Just to clarify, P, do you mean: Members' art and writing?

Ian wrote: "ReemK10 (Got Proust?) wrote: "Paris - Carnavalet Museum - Marcel Proust's bedroom http://www.flickr.com/photos/15434282..."

Thanks, Reem

My family and I holidayed in Paris for two we..."

wow, some great photos! Thanks for sharing.

Looking for pictures of the Pre-Catelan in Illiers-Combray, I found these nice blogposts, which may be of interest for readers of this thread :)

http://www.democratdad.com/for_a_long...

I dunno how the gentleman managed to get pics inside Aunt-Leonie's house though! Lucky chap :)


Nice pictures here too!

http://tourisme-illiers-combray.fr/p_...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/51366740...

Those are great links, Nick. In the first link, the children smearing hawthorne berries on their cheeks is a hoot. The second link has great shots of the church of St. Jacques.

Yes, I really loved that Church shot too! Really gives a good feel of the place.

Nick wrote: "Looking for pictures of the Pre-Catelan in Illiers-Combray, I found these nice blogposts, which may be of interest for readers of this thread :)

http://www.democratdad.com/for_a_long...-..."

It is great to see Aunt Léonie's house and the bedrooms.. Thank you.

I wonder when can I start planning a trip.

It is worth it. I had not found those pages before my trip, otherwise I might not have gone! They are good indications of the place. I wasn't allowed to take pics, but snuck a few :) I was shown into the scullery though where they had the actual very old zinc sink from the Amiot's era.

Nick wrote: "Looking for pictures of the Pré Catalan in Illiers-Combray, I found these nice blogposts, which may be of interest for readers of this thread :).."

Thanks for posting these, Nick. It was fascinating to see aunt Leonie's actual house, and Françoise's kitchen, and even the Narrator's uncle Adolphe's garden room which I could make out, a sort of extension to the kitchen. Proust was very faithful to the original geography of this house and garden in his descriptions. I find that so interesting...

Nick wrote: "Looking for pictures of the Pre-Catelan in Illiers-Combray, I found these nice blogposts, which may be of interest for readers of this thread :)

http://www.democratdad.com/for_a_long...-..."

Great links, Nick. I was surprised democratdad was able to take such wonderful "you are here" photographs, knowing the admonitions from the guides. His blog, a Proust reading group (French and English) in Berkeley, is worth at least an hour to explore.

Glad you didn't see these prior to your pilgrimage!
"...like people who set out on a journey to see with their own eyes some city of their desire, and imagine that one can taste in reality what has charmed one's fantasy." SW-O

When I visited and walked up the stairs, I remembered the passage, "Many years have passed since that night. The wall of the staircase up which I had watched the light of his candle gradually climb was long ago demolished..." And, I thought of Auteuil.

Kris wrote: "I've been exploring the photography of Eugene Atget -- there's a wonderful website here: http://www.atgetphotography.com/The-P...# He photographed Paris between 1897 an..."

Did you see...article on an exhibit at the Princeton University Art Museum?
http://www.towntopics.com/wordpress/2...

Nick wrote: "Looking for pictures of the Pre-Catelan in Illiers-Combray, I found these nice blogposts, which may be of interest for readers of this thread :)

http://www.democratdad.com/for_a_long...-..."
Thank you for this. The dining table seems hardly big enough however.

Proustitute wrote: "Photos of Paris from 1900-1920: http://www.laboiteverte.fr/photos-de-...

Looks like they've been colorized, but they're still worth taking a look at!"

Hide and seek?
If you look at the Photos of Paris from 1900-1920, you can see the posters below embedded in several photographs. Thus, you can date the picture...through the advertising posters.

There are four that can be found on the Morris Columns or on the walls.

http://www.postercorner.com/Cappiello...

http://www.postersplease.com/index.ph...

http://www.vintage-poster-art.com/gal...

http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O13...

I love posters. I'll have to explore the links and start a poster section on my Pinterest. Thank you, Marcelita.

Aloha wrote: "I love posters. I'll have to explore the links and start a poster section on my Pinterest. Thank you, Marcelita."

Start with this blog, if you are interested in posters as "art" and collecting.
http://www.postersplease.com/posterbl...

Thanks, Marcelita. I'll check it out.

Aloha wrote: "I love posters. I'll have to explore the links and start a poster section on my Pinterest. Thank you, Marcelita."

The poster that started it all:
http://www.codex99.com/design/85.html

To see more original French posters:
http://www.internationalposter.com/ab...
http://www.vintage-poster-art.com/ind...
http://fineoldposters.com/info.html

Start with this blog, if you are interested in posters as "art" and collecting.
http://www.postersplease.com/posterbl...

This February 5th, 2013, Auction at Swann (NYC).
View catalogue here:
http://www.swanngalleries.com/3dcat/2...

Thank you, Marcelita. You are a wealth of information!

ReemK10 (Got Proust?) wrote: "Maison de « Tante Léonie » - Place Lemoine, Illiers-Combray (28)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51366740...

Marcel's bedroom: http://www.flickr.com/photos/51366740......"

"Mille et une nuits" plate:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51366740...
Translated by Google (!):
"Yvette Gauthier ( 8 months ago | reply )
In the dining room of the house of Aunt Léonie, there are no plates Thousand and One Nights. I thought they were not, they were a figment of Marcel Proust, can be influenced by the beautiful illustrations by Edmund Dulac, as I myself was when I was a child."

Marcelita wrote: "ReemK10 (Got Proust?) wrote: "Maison de « Tante Léonie » - Place Lemoine, Illiers-Combray (28)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51366740...

Marcel's bedroom: http://www.flickr.com/photos/..."
Thanks Marcelita, so that explains why I exhausted myself trying to find those plates in any link associated with Proust and just could not find a thing. Then I figured they were right there in Tante Leonie's dining room right under my nose, which it turns out they weren't. So this plate in the photo is what he was referring to or were they only a figment of his imagination?

Went to the Manet exhibition in London yesterday and there was a portrait of Suzette Lemaire who was holing Salons Litteraires that Prout was attending. It seems he spoke about her in one of his Ruskin work. Anybody has information about this?

Priya wrote: "Went to the Manet exhibition in London yesterday and there was a portrait of Suzette Lemaire who was holing Salons Litteraires that Prout was attending. It seems he spoke about her in one of his Ru..."

I received the catalog of this exhibit yesterday. From the entry to this pastel:

"This pastel represents Suzette, the daughter of Madeleine Lemaire (née Coll), a talented artist and founder member of both the Société d'Aquarellistes and the Société des Pastellistes. ML was the hostess of a celebrated musical and theatrical salon at her home, 31 Rue de Monceau, which was attended by artists, politicians, composers, musicians, actresses and writers, including Marcel Proust. Suzette generated the admiration of her mother's guests, not least that of Proust, who corresponded with her, dedicated the second section of his translation of Ruskin's Sesame and Lilies (1906) to her, and wrote a short story about her and her mother (now lost).

And I also found this article, which includes the pastel, so no need for me to paste it here.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/ar...

You are lucky that you could go to this exhibition. The catalog is wonderful too.

Kalliope wrote: "the very grand street that got grander as you went up the hill towards the Ephrussi’s own extravagant palace built at number 81"

"In 1871, Charles Ephrussi moved to the newly built Hôtel Ephrussi, 81 rue de Monceau, in Paris."

You have me really curious about Charles Ephrussi's hotel, because many, many years ago my parents and I stayed at a hotel on rue de Monceau that used to be a palace. It was gorgeous! I wonder if it's the same one. I'll have to ask my father if he remembers the address.

ReemK10 (Got Proust?) wrote: "Kalliope wrote: "the very grand street that got grander as you went up the hill towards the Ephrussi’s own extravagant palace built at number 81"

"In 1871, Charles Ephrussi moved to the newly bui..."

I do not think that the 81 rue Monceau is a hotel where one can stay. But ask your father anyway.

I found this blog which discusses more the Camondo palace and now the Nissim de Camondo museum, than the Ephrussis, but has some very nice pictures.

Blog:

http://parisianfields.wordpress.com/2...

And the Camondo museum:

http://www.lesartsdecoratifs.fr/franc...

I have this book half-read on the Camondo family. I do not know if Proust knew them. Will have to check Carter's bio.

Dernier Des Camondo