Proust - v.1 page 658

I am three quarters of the way through this volume. I find it difficult to out this book down. I feel most alive and connected while experiencing the lives of the characters. One of my favorite popular writers died yesterday, Robert B. Parker, and the passion I have had for reading his work is in simpatico for the overarching passion I currently feel for Proust.

Blog Structure Update

As this is the first real blog of pure intent, I have learned a few things, thus need to change the basic structure of my posts. In particular the tittle of the post does not need the date included. I have decided to title each post to better reflect the body of the post. So since I want to begin to comment on the other titles I am using for comparison I shall include the name of the Author in the post title. This will allow the posts to me ordered in the long run according to topic, or book. As I see this blog as a true web-log and not a public instrument per-say, the information is generated more for my benefit, and my own future reference, I will not limit the size of the posts. I will endeavor to keep the posts brief and focused.

Eighteen January 2010

I have been reading of the other titles, in particular _East of Eden and _The Cairo Trilogy_, and have decided to add a few more titles for various reasons of my own. In regard to reading these titles I have not a comment, as I do not think I have read enough in depth or breadth. I have also found myself lost in Proust, making effort to read the other works. I have reached that point in the life of the book that I am compelled to read to find out, to experience, to be with the characters that are upon the pages.

I have also come into the most generous loan of the _Kebra Nagast_ and have begun reading this most holy work. I already have a thirst for the information that is available here. So thus the breadth of my reading continues to grow. I have more to day about reading Proust, these additional thoughts and comments wait for another time, as does the additional books I have chosen to add.

Thirteen January 2010

I have decided, to broaden my scope while reading Proust. I have chosen six famous figures of Literature to read in part or in total while reading Proust. I hope to get a better idea, for comparison, how and what the textural differences are between the various writers. I am sure that with many of these texts I could remember the body of the work or the particular title. I want to have a complete and fresh understanding that is not pulled from the cloudy fields of memory, or the influence of criticism or media, rather I want an unbiased and wholly synchronous experience.

The criteria I used was arbitrary. I walked the stacks of one of the libraries I currently patronize and chose books that were classic or noteworthy and held my interest. I also tried to pick titles that I had not read to further challenge my attempt at a fresh transparent view.

Here are the first six I have chosen to work with:

1. _East of Eden_ John Steinbeck ISBN 0-14-200423-5
2. _Mr. Palomar_ Italo Calvino 0-15-162835-1
3. _Snow country and Thousand Cranes_ Yasunari Kawabata_ LCCCN 69-17239
4. _Dead Souls_ NIcholai V. Gogol LCCCN 65-15433
5. _Sound and the Fury_ William Faulkner (no number(s) looks like a donated book club)
6. _The Cairo Trilogy_ Naguib Mahfouz_ 0-375-41331-6

Of the books listed above I have read two Snow Country and Dead Souls. I have read portions of Cairo Trilogy and East of Eden having read many other works by Steinbeck. The same circumstance applies to Faulkner, I have read many other works but never this particular title. I think these books are a complete blog entry in themselves so I hope to sample the writing without the pressure to finish them in total. The effort to finish Proust will be challenging enough. I have begun with Steinbeck as I am in the middle of Oregon winter and miss California, and Northern California in particular, quite a bit. So I will read a bit more Proust and a bit more Steinbeck before I comment further.

Ten January 2010

I think one of the things that Proust is trying to get at is the movement inside society. The shifts of personal freedom, class freedom, and the burgeoning Art and Entertainment offerings that offer the promise of a better educated more integrated society built around intellectual discourse.

At the same time he presents the overarching vision of a society in transition we also peer into the life of a young man, somewhat befuddled by the changing world and, not fully insulated or educated successfully by his immediate family. We are given glimpses with subtle phrase and descriptive passages. The two together woven together create a pattern of seamless narrative.

On a note of personal concern, yes concern, the society that Proust chronicles, and the transition of said society, could, at any point in the future from his day, be what he states. Meaning that, as an example, the immediate times I live in offer a wealth of knowledge and opportunity not available to Proust or his protagonist yet the struggles of ignorance, aggressive behavior, rude and uncouth lives continue to manifest. The prejudice inside the hearts of men toward race, class, and religion is legion. Proust would be shocked to see the amount of available Entertainment and knowledge and the unalterable, overwhelming, narrow minded culture that we are surrounded by today.

I find reading these books and working in the retail setting jarring each day I go to work. I have had to make a conscious effort, to an even greater degree than normal, not allowing my own personal internal changes, brought about by my expanded understandings through the reading of Proust,to infiltrate my daily customer service offerings.

Now to go start my weekly baking projects - and read Proust.

Nine January 2010

So I have had many adventures with Proust this week. Overall I have enjoyed being surrounded by the textural prose presented. Often,while reading the long passages, concentration can waver only to be sharpened by exquisite phrases unlike any that I have previously read by other fine writers.

On a practical note, to facilitate the reading of the text, I have given up on trying to keep these paperback copies pristine and now tote them about so to give ample opportunity to enjoy and finish these tomes. Plus I did indeed drop my book,on the wet floor, while getting on the bus, thsu dampening the edges and spoiling the book. Sigh. I have much more to present, but now it is time to go back to the rude aggressive world that is the 21st century.

Proust Edition information statement

I have been and will continue to read the following editions of Proust

_Remembrance Of Things Past_

v. 1 _Swann's way_
_Within a budding grove_
ISBN 0-394-71182-3

v. 2 _Guermantes way_
_Cities of the Plain_
ISBN 0-394-71183-1

v. 3 _The captive_
_The Fugitive_
_Time regained_
ISBN 0-394-71184-X

All of these edition are paperback, what I think of as the "Silver Proust as the the covers are silver with black art deco design. The cover states the following:
"The definitive French Pleiade edition translated by C.K. Scott Moncrieff abd Terrance Kilmartin" I do have all three volumes, though not in the standard slipcase. I also have a similar electronic edition on my netbook but I find that reading both book and electronic is difficult as they do not reconcile well.

-end

Statement of intention 6 January 2010

This web log will serve to track my progress and thoughts on reading Proust. I shall endeavor to accomplish these three goals:

1. Finish the three volumes by 31 December 2010.
2. Write at least one blog post each week about my progress.
3. Write one creative piece that stems from my time with Proust.