The Simultaneity of the Past and Present in Marcel Proust's Combray
Document Type
Thesis
Publication Date
2001
Disciplines
Arts and Humanities | French and Francophone Language and Literature | French and Francophone Literature
Advisor
Camilla Krone
Abstract
In this project I looked at the concept of time as portrayed in Combray, the first section of the French novel A la recherche du temps perdu (In Search of Time Lost) by Marcel Proust. I focused particularly on three aspects of the novel: the role of synesthesia in evoking memory, the role of the church of Combray as a physical symbol of the presence of history, and the role of the character Francoise as a living symbol of the traditional past of France. These three elements function to break down our preconceived notions of time as linear and introduce the idea of time as a fourth dimension, in which past and present exist simultaneously.
Recommended Citation
Capecchi, Caroline P., "The Simultaneity of the Past and Present in Marcel Proust's Combray" (2001). Honors Theses, 1963-2015. 635.
https://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/honors_theses/635