Proust's A la recherche du temps perdu (In Search of Lost
Time, 1913–27) changed the course of modern narrative fiction. This
Introduction provides an account of Proust's life, the
socio-historical and cultural contexts of his work and an
assessment of his early works. At its core is a volume-by-volume
study of In Search of Lost Time, which attends to its remarkable
superstructure, as well as to individual images and the intricacies
of Proust's finely-stitched prose. The book reaches beyond stale
commonplaces of madeleines and memory, alerting readers to Proust's
verbal virtuosity, his preoccupations with the fleeting and the
unforeseeable, with desire, jealousy and the nature of reality.
Lively, informative chapters on Proust criticism and the work's
afterlives in contemporary culture provide a multitude of paths to
follow. The book charges readers with the energy and confidence to
move beyond anecdote and hearsay and to read Proust's novel for
themselves.
· Accessible and engaging overview of Proust's life and work ·
Contains a volume-by-volume assessment of the seven volumes of
Proust's novel · Offers the most up-to-date assessment of the
critical reception and 'afterlives' of Proust's work