Hehe...I gather you're not alone; or at least I'm the only one who finds it funny.
Proust's Remembrance of Things Past (also translated as In Search of Lost Time) is considered to be autobiographical, at least in part; and it runs to seven long volumes. So, ask Marcel what he did this summer, and he might ramble for a few hours. :)
Haha! I laughed too, even though I have not read Proust. Because frankly? A la recherche du temps perdu does NOT seem like something I want to waste many hours of my time on!
It's one of those things I feel I ought to read, but I still haven't gotten through the first volume yet. Supposedly there's a new translation out that's easier to bear. But even so...seven volumes!
I have a good friend who is a French-major and who slogged her way through all seven volumes in the original French. It's one of her favorite written works ever, but she's also slightly off her rocker.
It's great! Any hours you spent would not be a waste of time. There is some kind of brilliant gem of reality, wisdom or truth at least every other page. It's about everything. It does take a little bit to get used to the way he says things, but really it's not dry, either. I mean, it's long, but I would recommend to anyone, even just parts of it.
What a tiresome, affected ass he must have been, but what extraordinary, meticulous perception. --Noel Coward
I always remember the "tiresome, affected ass" part of this quotation when anyone brings up Proust. Neal Cassady tried to emulate him -- he, too, was a tiresome, affected ass. :)
Hee! I tend to enjoy long novels, but I must confess that twice I have given up before finishing Swann's Way--and that's only the first volume. Supposedly there's a good new translation out that's more bearable. I might someday give it a try...maybe...
gryn. Have you heard about the movie, "Little Miss Sunshine," that's just come out? Apparently Steve Carrell (sp?) plays a fellow who is the number one Proust scholar in the country, and who has just been jilted by his (male, I think) lover, also a Proust scholar, who has snubbed Steve's character by publishing a well-recognized scholarly work about Proust. Apparently they manage to get a good bit of humor out of this. I imagine it's even funnier if you have a klew what they're talking about to start with...
Comments
Proust's Remembrance of Things Past (also translated as In Search of Lost Time) is considered to be autobiographical, at least in part; and it runs to seven long volumes. So, ask Marcel what he did this summer, and he might ramble for a few hours. :)
I always remember the "tiresome, affected ass" part of this quotation when anyone brings up Proust. Neal Cassady tried to emulate him -- he, too, was a tiresome, affected ass. :)