In Search of Lost Time Volume I Swann's Way [Paperback]

InSwann’s Way, the themes of Proust’s masterpiece are introduced, and the narrator’s childhood in Paris and Combray is recalled, most memorably in the evocation of the famous maternal good-night kiss. The recollection of the narrator’s love for Swann’s daughter Gilberte leads to an account of Swann’s passion for Odette and the rise of the nouveaux riches Verdurins.

For this authoritative English-language edition, D. J. Enright has revised the late Terence Kilmartin’s acclaimed reworking of C. K. Scott Moncrieff’s translation to take into account the new definitive French editions ofÁ la recherché du temps perdu(the final volume of these new editions was published by the Bibliothèque de la Pléiade in 1989).“ReadingSwann’s Waywas a rapturous experience.”—David DenbyRichard Howard’s translation ofThe Charterhouse of Parmafor the Modern Library was a national bestseller. Winner of numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize, and recipient of a MacArthur “genius grant,” he lives in New York City.This discussion guide will assist readers in exploringIn Search of Lost Time. Hopefully, it will help create a bond not only between the book and the reader, but also between the members of the group. In your support of this book, please feel free to copy and distribute this guide to best facilitate the program. Thank you.

1. Time is a central concern for Proust, appearing first in the title and last as the final word of the novel. What is his vision of the past? Does he have a vision of the present? The future? Can the Narrator be said to be living in the past? Is he like the White Queen inThrough the Looking-Glass, with "jam tomorrow and jam yesterday - but never jam today"?

2. The renowned translator of Proust, C. K. Scott Moncrieff, originally grouped the opening section ofIn Search of LostlC5