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

I started Proust's Remembrance several years ago and have worked my way through four of the seven volumes of the edition I own. I thought that if I persisted, I would "get" what Proust was aiming at. However at the end of the fourth volume, I was no more closer to an understanding of the flow of his work than earlier. As an undergraduate, I had tried to read Thucydides Peloponnesian War cold and got no where with it, literally. Years later (in a graduate course) I confronted Thucydides again but this time with a reader's guide. It made all the difference and I was able to fully understand and appreciate the masterwork his War actually is. Recalling that experience, I came across this volume in my online research on trying to understanding Proust. I grabbed it and have devoured it in the few short days since I received it. Again, it makes all the difference in the world because it explains Proust's work by content and places it it context with his life, his environment and the times he lived. I no longer doubt that this is a masterwork, difficult as it is to work through, as I have found that it speaks to incidents and feelings in my life which I thought were unique to me. The rewards (even in retrospect, as I have recalled incidents in past volumes through Alexander's work) just keep coming. I do not post reviews on anything very often but this book has been a godsend in guiding me through what seemed a hopeless morass of narration that I could only vaguely understand. For those who would like to unlock the inner dynamics and dimensions of Proust's work, I highly recommend Alexander's Guide.

This is just what I was hoping for: a summary of the salient points that I am not picking up as I read. Proust is so subtle (and the sentences sooo long) that I am missing a lot. This guide lets me know that, yes, that guy *was* coming on to Marcel, and so forth. The list of characters is great, too, and the background on France at the time, of which I knew not one jot.

A must in the six book catalog set. It is a need, if to follow in series. A lot to follow.

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.

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.

At first, I was dubious of Patrick Alexander’s Guide to Proust. His Remembrance is a tale with substantial narrative arc along with much humor and bawdiness. The anguished young man who critiques society, replaces the rituals of Christianity with the salons and art of the Belle Époque and offers acute observations on human nature is strangely absent. But maybe that is not so bad. Too long Proust has been confined to overly dusty shelves. The Guide is obviously an effort to make Proust relevant and to gain him more readers. While the deeper, graver parts of A Remembrance are overlooked, the humor and bawdiness is genuinely in the original work. A first time reader, scrambling to keep straight all the different Guermantes, could easily miss it. Thus, recommended if you want a light, fun guide to what can otherwise be rather morose.

Deciding to read all seven books of In Search of Lost Time requires a serious commitment. It starts off slow and ponders through a pretty weird obsession the narrator has with his mother -I seriously got irritated and then super-bored with it. But I had decided to read, and comprehend, every damned sentence, so I persevered. And it got better. Even funny in parts. There are tons of really profound insights into human psychology and behavior. And while I have yet to uncover anything remotely resembling a plot, the cultural, political and social references are unmatched. This probably is required reading if you are a writer of any merit - it will undoubtedly help you in both subtle and profound ways. I recommend reading it on a Kindle, with easy access to a dictionary and Wikipedia, you'll get a lot more out of it. Take your time, read slow, understand what you're reading before you move forward. It's worth it, it just doesn't pay out in the rapid-fire, grab you by the seat of your pants way today's fiction does.

I read Proust intermittently and have finished the first 4 books. I find this book very useful as a guide to the characters, places, and timeline of Search for Lost Time. The author also gives a summary of each volume. It is not a text book, which for me is a good thing, as it is written in plain English. I highly recommend this book if you want to read Proust.

Whether you're new to Proust's In Search of Lost Time or, as I am, re-reading it, this book will be a constant and invaluable resource. It's not a substitute for the sometimes hard task of grappling with Proust's dense prose but it makes it a lot easier, particularly when it comes to keeping track of all the characters. The contextual historical essays on the Belle Époque and the Dreyfus Affairs are immensely helpful for those whose familiarity with late 19th/early 20th century French history may be a bit rusty or hazy.

Ésta es la más simple de las guías para la lectura de "En busca del tiempo perdido", pero muy útil al mismo tiempo. Se divide en tres partes. Primera parte: “Lo que sucede en Proust”. Es un resumen libro por libro y parte por parte de “En busca del tiempo perdido”. No hay riesgo de que nos destripe el argumento porque lo importante en esta novela no se encuentra ni mucho menos en la trama, y sin embargo este resumen puede ayudarnos en momentos de ligera desorientación y desaliento. Para hacer trabajos escolares sin haberse leído la novela puede ser también bastante útil, pero ese es otro tema. Segunda parte: “Quién es quién en Proust”. Se trata de una guía alfabética de los personajes más importantes de la novela (unos 60). En cada entrada se explica quién es el personaje, los principales rasgos de su carácter, así como su papel y evolución a lo largo de la historia. Reconozco que estos resúmenes están muy bien hechos y a mí me están ayudando bastante. Más que los de la primera parte. Tercera parte: “El mundo de Proust”. Es la más corta de las tres y se compone de una serie de artículos sobre la biografía de Proust, el París en el que vivió y en el que se desarrolla parte de su novela, la Belle Époque y el “Asunto Dreyfuss”. Cierra el libro un apéndice que recoge una bibliografía sobre “En busca del tiempo perdido” y Proust. Es muy buena, sobre todo porque es de esas que piensan más en la utilidad para el lector que en el lucimiento del autor. También hay un apartado dedicado a las páginas de internet sobre Proust y su obra, aunque, por la propia volatilidad del medio, no es tan interesante. Como curiosidad, también encontraremos en el apéndice un cómputo de páginas y de palabras por libros y total. Ya os anticipo que la novela se extiende a lo largo de 3.275 páginas y que para llegar a la última (sin saltarnos ninguna, claro) habremos tenido que leer 1.404.975 palabras solamente.

I have had the two volume set of 'Remembrance Of Things Past' by C K Scott Moncrieff for a few years and not got round to reading it. I also bought the first of the updated six volume set of 'In Search Of Lost Time: Swann's Way' with the intention of trying again. Unfortunately I have kept putting it off, even though I really did want to read it. I think I was put off by the cast of characters in the 3000+ pages and the fear that it would be a too serious a tome (like 'The Count Of Monte Cristo' - apologies to those that have read it). It has a short introduction to the full work with an additional quite detailed introduction to each volume, plus a list of characters and a small biography of each of the major characters that feature. There is also a small biography of Marcel Proust at the end. This book by Patrick Alexander has really helped, showing that 'In Search Of Lost Time' is a very interesting and humorous novel. If I had not read this book I know I would have never attempted Proust, fearing it would be too dry and serious. I therefore heartily recommend it to anyone in the same situation. I would also recommend How Proust Can Change Your Life by Alain de Botton, which is quite humorous too and a good introduction to Proust's private life.

Guia inteligente para facilitar el acceso a una obra fundamental de la literatura. De fácil y amena lectura y muy ilustrativa.

A good guide if you are starting out in the adventure of reading the original, or a great resume to remind you what the original is all about. Also a good who's who of the many characters.