Richard Bales (1) (1946–2007)

I found this to be a very helpful guide to at least Vol. 1, "Swann's Way." I especially appreciated Diane Leonard's chapter on Ruskin, since Ruskin was such a huge influence on Proust and someone with whom I lack all familiarity. My favorite chapter is Joshua Landy's essay on the "texture" of the novel. Landy's notion of the "multiple moi's" who together create a commonwealth and who have distinct "voting rights" that they often use in blocks is an incredibly powerful and clarifying concept show more for me. show less

I read this before tackling RotP because I was unfamiliar with French literature in general with the time period specifically. It definitely helped prepare me for certain things—the way the book is written out-of order, for example. And it was nice to know beforehand that real and imaginary people and places were mixed together in Proust’s fantasy world before I went off trying to find some of the music or artwork he so painstakingly describes. The essays cover a range of topics and view show more his work from various angles, which gave me other ways of looking at the work. show less