Remembrance of Things Past, Vol. 3: The Captive, The Fugitive, The Past Recaptured

Think of the series of books as a diary. It's all about his perception of things. Kind of like the ARTHUR INMAN DIARY, but not written by a huge bigot (like Arthur Inman).And Proust doesn't kill himself in the end.Mike

I set myself the challenge of reading this monumental work, and am still in the process of slogging through Volume 3, which I hope to finish sometime before death.The book has moments of transcendant beauty and insight that have made it worthwhile, but also some deeply tedious sections that seem to drag on endlessly. My main problem has been the exasperation I feel with Proust himself. It is frankly difficult at times for modern readers to identify with this supremely self-involved aesthete of the early 20th century. Often I just want to reach out and smack him and tell him to quit whining and obsessing and get on with his life, already. Currently, I am dealing with his jealousy and need to control Albertine and her lesbianism, when I have to restrain myself from screaming "Go ahead and break up with her, you dolt!" The minute details of his emotional life spread out over 3,000 plus pages are sometimes overwhelming. On the other hand, I have to admit that he is ruthlessly honest and makes no attempt to render himself in a glowing light, which is admirable. And there are occasionally those deeply profound insights into human nature that strike a chord in everyone, along with a valuable documentation of a time and a life so unlike my own and fascinating in its own way. Take the challenge, and good luck!