Marcel Proust's Search for Lost Time: A Reader's Guide to the Remembrance of Things Past

By Patrick Alexander

Book Overview

An accessible, irreverent guide to one of the most admired--and entertaining--novels of the past century: Rememberance of Things Past . There is no other guide like this; a user-friendly and enticing entry into the marvelously enjoyable world of Proust. At seven volumes, three thousand pages, and more than four hundred characters, as well as a towering reputation as a literary classic, Proust's novel can seem daunting. But though begun a century ago, in 1909, it is in fact as engaging and relevant to our times as ever. Patrick Alexander is passionate about Proust's genius and appeal--he calls the work "outrageously bawdy and extremely funny"--and in his guide he makes it more accessible to the general reader through detailed plot summaries, historical and cultural background, a guide to the fifty most important characters, maps, family trees, illustrations, and a brief biography of Proust. Essential for readers and book groups currently reading Proust and who want help keeping track of the huge cast and intricate plot, this Reader's Guide is also a wonderful introduction for students and new readers and a memory-refresher for long-time fans.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0307472329
• ISBN13: 9780307472328
• Release Date: September 2009
• Publisher: Vintage
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 0.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.1" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

Basic Guide That Could be Improved

First, this is a decent summary of the plot and the characters. It could have been improved by providing a time line (which others have created based upon the dates of historical events that occur in the work)of M's age during the various novels. Second, there is at least one factual error. On page 44 it describes Berma as an opera singer yet as an actress in the list of characters. The novel makes it clear she is NOT a singer, but indeed an actress. Of course, the plot summary is written by Mr. Alexander from his point of view and one must always be ready to question his comments. Overall a helpful tool in working ones way through Proust's enormous work.

Good summary

I enjoyed Swann's Way but wasn't up to finishing the rest of the 3000 pages of In Search of Lost Time. This book gave a good summary of the plot and main characters of the entire story. It is clear that many of pieces of the whole story don't come together until you get to some of the later volumes. While certainly not a substitute for reading Proust, I no longer feel that I'm totally in the dark regarding one of the major works of 20th century fiction. If you have the time, by all means read Proust. But if you have a life outside of sitting in a hotel room and philosophizing, this book is an excellent and less time consuming alternative.

A Practical Guide to Proust's Masterpiece

Alexander's guide is a practical roadmap to Proust's masterpiece In Search of Lost Time. Proust is difficult reading, and I appreciate Alexander's no-nonesense approach to deciphering a difficult text. Alexander's Reader's Guide is not simply a plot summary of Proust's novel. Rather, the Guide is loaded with unique literary insights, information on historical context, and other interesting information, all of which enhances the experience of reading Proust's novel. I've read several guides to In Search of Lost Time, and many of them are overly scholarly and obtuse. Such books are undoubtedly useful for literary scholars, but everyday readers (like me) will appreciate Alexander's Reader's Guide more. Highly recommended.

this book has no substitute

Five stars all the way. For years I have been looking for a "Cliffs Notes" guide to Proust, or something to help me negotiate it. The plot is convoluted, and there are hundreds of characters. But there are none. Cliffs Notes never printed one, Barron's either. Even Sparknotes comes up with nothing. To my astonishment, there are not even (at least as of this writing) any synopses available online, at least not in any detail. It's puzzling. Not even on Wikipedia! (UPDATE: a serviceable summary is available for purchase here: The 14-Minute Marcel Proust: A Very Short Guide to the Greatest Novel Ever Written) You can tell Alexander's book is a quality product after flipping through it for about 10 seconds. Long lists of characters, abbreviated and extended plot summaries, discussions of themes. etc. It's not a flimsy book, either. At just shy of 400 pages, it's a solid production, in this sense analogous to Stuart Gilbert's guide to "Ulysses": James Joyce's Ulysses, although far more accessible. It's a labor of love, too. Apparently this guy was a French professor who retired early so that he could work on it. This shows, and I would like to thank that professor if he's reading this. There's lots of jokes in it, by the way. Not dry at all. The closest book I know of to this is Proust's Way: A Field Guide to in Search of Lost Time which is okay if you're really getting into Proust. However, I would still recommend this one (Alexander's) over Shattuck's. Shattuck's, while it might seem interchangeable with Alexander's, really isn't. It's more of a collection of essays that explore various aspects of the novel (e.g., "How to Read a Roman-Fleuve," "The Loops of Art," etc.). No, Alexander's is a much more straightforward guide. One thing I would like the ask the author (Alexander) is this: exactly when are people supposed to read this book? Since it blows the plot and all the surprises, you're probably not supposed to read it before reading Proust himself. After that, is that when you're supposed to read it? If so, the summaries provided are by then unnecessary. If not, then the insights provided will have to be double-checked for yourself on a second go-through. In other words, the way this book was written seems to assume you'll be reading Proust TWICE, with Alexander's volume sandwiched in the middle.

Finally!

I'd been trying to wrap my brain around Proust ever since being assigned Swann's Way in a college lit class. How I wish I'd had this to guide me through at that time. Now, as I try to make my way through it again, Mr Alexander's guide has been an invaluable source for keeping track of all the characters and also the important points I may have missed. Most important, his book has opened my eyes as to how funny and entertaining Proust's work is compared to the chore of reading it my first time. Highly recommended.