Reading Proust

Finally, I dove into Proust's In Search of Lost Time. Last year I read Alain de Botton's accessible, witty How Proust can Change your Life and rolled my eyes whenever Rory Gilmore'd mention Proust and her mother would get the reference completely. Time to read this myself.

In March and April this year my online book club tackled Swann's Way. I ordered all three volumes and though I was the only person aside from Jack, the club's moderator, to read the book (which actually gave me an extra boost of pride and accomplishment) I've continued and felt well rewarded. I read about 10 pages every other day and am 70% done with Volume 1. I do love the detail and the word choice. It helps to have a good dictionary on hand (I need something better than the paperback Webster I've got).

I just brought the first 1000 page volume to Seoul due to weight constraints on luggage. I'm slowly going through it so I can return in December with it finished and begin Volume 2 in January. I could read the whole thing in a year, but that would mean reading little else. Impossible. Or just not what I want to do.

I'm intrigued that Little Miss Sunshine has a character who's the #1 Proust scholar in the world and he's played by Steven Carrell, whose performance in The Office is brilliant. The movie's website led me to a Proust blog, and that lead me to Proust yahoo! groups and a very cool blogsite on books called Metaxucafe. I love how the internet connects one to a series of cool things and people.

Click here for: One good Proust blog