One Year In Search of Lost Time ~ 2015 discussion
The Fugitive
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Week I ~ ending October 24
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Jacob
(last edited Oct 17, 2015 12:31PM)
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Oct 17, 2015 12:27PM

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"I recalled it at length exactly, without adding to it now any suffering, rather, on the contrary, as we recall certain days in summer which we found too hot while they lasted, and from which only after they have passed do we extract their unalloyed standard of fine gold and imperishable azure."

Certainly not in this passage. ;) I thought the same, Sue, though while reading his translation (and that's all I've read for Proust), I do find that it flows.

Certainly not in this passage. ;) I thought the same, Sue, though while reading his translation (and that's all I've read..."
Obviously, we are both enjoying Proust a lot; coming from different translations hasn't disrupted our ability to discuss the books with each other at all.

"I recalled it at last exactly, no longer injecting it with suffering, but rather, on the contrary, as we recall certain days in summer which we found too hot while they lasted, and from which only after they have passed do we extract their unalloyed essence of pure gold and indestructible azure.
(p. 656, Kindle Edition)"
boy, it's hard to find the MKE quotes from the Penguin/Moncrieff ones sometimes. I was trying "summer days" and "days of summer", but of course they had to make "days in summer" out of it... ;)
i'm almost at this goal by the way.
In this section, I find it especially perplexing how the narrator can go from one extreme emotion to the next so easily. The lesser form is "when Albertine is there, i'm bored, when she isn't, i'm jealous and suffering", and now it's "one moment ago, my life has no meaning except endless suffering if Albertine won't come back, but now that my letter will certainly bring her back,
immediately I changed my mind; I hoped that Albertine would not return, but I wanted the decision to come from her, so as to put an end to my anxiety,
(p. 617)
Even the lesser form, but especially this makes me question the narrator's emotional maturity.
And the big event (big plot spoiler from this section):
(view spoiler)

Unfortunately, I saw a spoiler online for the big event; but if I hadn't, I wouldn't have seen it coming either.
