Remembrance of Things Past

Remembrance of Things Past is a novel by French writer and critic Marcel Proust. Also published under the title In Search of Lost Time, it was published in seven installations between 1913 and 1927, several of them posthumously. The novel chronicles an unnamed young man’s life, and is frequently interpreted by scholars as loosely autobiographical. The narrator is impacted by a number of romances which drive the plot forward and add color and depth to his social world. The novel was widely respected in the early 20th century, remaining so today, and Proust’s style and themes went on to be emulated (and parodied) by a number of modernist writers.

The novel begins as the narrator reflects on his early life, beginning with his time at an estate called Combray. He is quite unhappy there, deriving his only comfort from his Mamma’s love and affection, such as when she kisses him before bed. At first, Combray is often visited by a man named M. Swann, but his presence diminishes after he gets married. In one formative moment, the narrator is punished by being sent to bed early, and Mamma refuses his kiss good night. Father notices that the boy is upset, and orders Mamma to sleep next to him to cheer him up. These conflicting affective signals cause the narrator to withdraw socially and turn to books as his solace. One day, his friend Bloch introduces him to the works of a writer named Bergotte. The narrator is enamored, and finds that M. Swann’s daughter is friends with the writer. Though his family has alienated Swann since his marriage, the narrator attempts to contact his daughter, but doesn’t manage to truly connect.

After a while, the narrator begins to leave Combray to spend time in Champs-Elysees, irritated that his poor health prevents him from being further abroad. He befriends M. Swann’s daughter, Gilberte, and observes a tense relationship unfold between M. Swann and a woman named Odette. He also watches the community ostracize them for their aberrant relationship. Gilberte brings the narrator along to her tea parties, where he finally meets Bergotte and hears his views on society and politics. Having gotten what he wanted out of Gilberte, he discards her.



The novel skips two years into the future. The narrator travels to Balbec, where he is struck by a melancholic loneliness that causes his health to decline. He eventually comes to terms with the beautiful city and becomes well, despite making no new friends. One day, he encounters a group of several girls and becomes infatuated with them. At a party that night, he meets a painter named Elstir who asks him to visit his studio. When he does, he peers out the window and sees one of the girls from the group. He manages to convince Elstir to have a tea party and invite one of his love interests, Albertine. He and Albertine quickly become close, taking walks together where they discuss their opinions about the inadequacies of their immediate society. Albertine introduces the narrator to two friends, Gisele and Andree, but grows envious when he is clearly attracted to Gisele. She writes a note confessing love for the narrator, and he falls in love with her. However, he invades her hotel room one night, and she calls for help in terror.

The narrator’s grandmother falls ill in Paris, causing the family to move to a flat annexed to the Hotel de Guermantes. The narrator is mystified by Mme. de Guermantes, and attends the opera to get closer to her. She observes his frequent attempts to encounter her and grows irritated. He visits his friend, Saint-Loup, at Doncieres, hoping to find a way to connect to Mme. de Guermantes, but leaves before anything happens to check in on his grandmother. Not long after, she gets an intense fever and suffers a stroke. A doctor gives her a pessimistic prognosis, advising the narrator not to keep hope. Their family’s servant, Francoise, takes care of Grandmother, who is visited by many of her friends. Nevertheless, she soon weakens and dies.

After Grandmother’s death, Albertine comes to Paris and courts the narrator again. No longer infatuated with Mme. de Guermantes, the narrator looks forward to cultivating a friendship with her. Guermantes asks him to come to dinner one Friday; he attends with Saint-Loup, and is looked down upon until the dinner guests learn that the two are affiliated. Disappointed overall with the outcome of the party, and feeling more and more disillusioned about the fruits of his constant labors of love, the narrator leaves for M. de Charlus, who is equally rude to him. M. de Challus accuses the narrator of spreading a negative rumor about him; he refutes it, and they reconcile. The novel ends a few days later, when the narrator travels to the Guermantes’ estate and finds M. Swann on his deathbed.



A highly interpersonal novel, Remembrance of Things Past concerns a constant tension between its narrator’s views, which are colored and distorted by his objects of love, and the social world he is embedded in. Ultimately, he learns to reconcile his expectations with reality by broadening his understanding of the attitudes and expectations other people are forming in Europe in the early 20th century.