This Companion, first published in 2001, aims to provide a broad account of the major features of Proust's work.The Cambridge Companion to Proust aims to provide a broad account of the major features of Marcel Proust's great work A la recherche du temps perdu (1913-1927). The specially commissioned essays, by acknowledged experts on Proust, address a wide range of issues relating to his work. Progressing from background and biographical material, the chapters investigate such essential areas as the composition of the novel, its social dimension, the language in which it is couched, its intellectual parameters and its humour.The Cambridge Companion to Proust aims to provide a broad account of the major features of Marcel Proust's great work A la recherche du temps perdu (1913-1927). The specially commissioned essays, by acknowledged experts on Proust, address a wide range of issues relating to his work. Progressing from background and biographical material, the chapters investigate such essential areas as the composition of the novel, its social dimension, the language in which it is couched, its intellectual parameters and its humour.The Cambridge Companion to Proust provides a broad account of the major features of Marcel Proust's great work A la recherche du temps perdu (1913-1927). The specially commissioned essays, by acknowledged experts on Proust, address a wide range of issues relating to his work. Progressing from background and biographical material, the chapters investigate such essential areas as the composition of the novel, its social dimension, the language in which it is couched, its intellectual parameters and its humor.Introduction Richard Bales; 1. From Belle Epoque to First World War: the social panorama Cynthia Gamble; 2. The vast structure of recollection: from life to literature William C. Carter; 3. Ruskin and the cathedral of lost souls Diane R. Leonard; 4. The birth and development of A la recherche du temps perdu Marion Schmid; 5. Lost and lS%