Swann’s Way- Proust
This is not the kind of narrative which will grab you by the jugular and drag you, at breakneck speed, from Start to End. So if you are looking for that kind of ride, avoid this, or dare I say, any other offering from the cerebral Frenchman, much as you would be advised to flee, with haste, from confrontation with a family of ravenous cannibals.
However, if you can gleam satisfaction from wading slowly through 500 pages of magically florid, intellectually proud, slow paced description of the aesthetic nature of Mother Earth and it’s evil cousin, Man Made Earth, and a painfully- for anyone who has been through the Mincer and learned not from the words of others but from the rollercoaster experience firsthand- the sensation, the cycle, the glory and futility of Love; then, and only then, perhaps this novel may prove to you, a Classic.
Proust appears unwilling, or at best unable, to leave one blade of grass, one cracked window pane, one crease in a dress obscured from the intense gaze of his mind’s eye; which is the driving force of the story. For example, to describe the seemingly mundane, routine act of emerging from his slumber, Proust takes 10 pages to lead the reader along a voyage charting the bays, canals, rivers and oceans of his Psyche, all of which need to be negotiated for his awareness to understand fully, and progress between, Sleep and Wake.
Essentially, Swanns Way is a beautifully rendered poem connecting childhood memories, observations, dreams and depression with a powerful long exposure literal photograph of the rise and fall of one man’s deep desire, need to possess and love,for a woman of an inglorious past and dubious Present.
Proust’s Way is an almost obstinate over elaboration of detail. I didn’t enjoy the lengthy soliloquies of chaotic joy which were inspired by visual stimulation but when the author aims his 10 million Mega Pixel focus onto human behaviour I was beguiled, truly marveling at the mind which could delve so deep into the Human Psyche, Spirit and Heart, with such regal elegance and honesty…
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