Proust 1/7: SWANN'S WAY by Marcel Proust

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  • Опубліковано 31 гру 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 134

  • @marinamaccagni5253
    @marinamaccagni5253 4 роки тому +56

    I read all 7 books two times. The best trip of my life!

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  4 роки тому +5

      That’s awesome! One day I will be able to say that, too. Hope all is well with you!

    • @dfjpr
      @dfjpr 7 місяців тому

      May I ask what sort of effect or influence it had on you if possible? It's not an easy read, so I'm trying to ask other people to help get an idea of what this is that I'm reading.

  • @ravindushehan9403
    @ravindushehan9403 4 роки тому +19

    I keep watching this video again and again. While there are few videos on this book in UA-cam, this is the only one I found giving a true insightful review. (Most of others are just people claiming they loved it and we should read it and lacks any substance.) It is disheartening this is not on the top of UA-cam search results when we search Swann's Way. (I myself discovered this from a reddit post on r/proust.) Thanks for creating valuable content on UA-cam.

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  4 роки тому +2

      I really appreciate that and I’m glad you’re enjoying the video. It is a pleasure to share my passions on here.

    • @Kevinsouth
      @Kevinsouth 4 роки тому +3

      Ditto!

  • @NoahC-
    @NoahC- 4 роки тому +18

    This is going to be an awesome series, can't wait for more

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  4 роки тому +2

      Thanks so much, Noah! They’ll be coming once a week.

  • @commonmeasure
    @commonmeasure 8 місяців тому +3

    The remarks about Flaubert/Nabokov/Salter reminds me of an interview with Derrida, where Derrida is asked, about his bookshelf, "have you read all of these books?" to which Derrida replies, "no, but I have read a few of them very closely."

  • @estebanmejia3473
    @estebanmejia3473 4 роки тому +12

    Loved the music in this one, I love how you always find a way to improve the quality of your videos.
    I suffered a lot with Swann during the second part but then that ending hahaha.

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  4 роки тому +6

      Thanks for mentioning that, Esteban! Anyone who reads Proust will inevitably suffer with him if they’re reading it well.

  • @lalitborabooks
    @lalitborabooks 4 роки тому +6

    Rewatching the video in anticipation of reading the first book. Thanks for the excellent and extensive insights.

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  4 роки тому

      Right on! I’ve got more Proust stuff coming up.

  • @lunanielsen9144
    @lunanielsen9144 Рік тому +3

    i started reading it a few days ago and it is already one of the best things I’ve ever read

  • @azizmurotov7749
    @azizmurotov7749 4 роки тому +4

    I appreciate you keeping on posting videos. I have learned a lot from you. Thank you.

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  4 роки тому +1

      Thank you so much. It is a joy! 🙏

  • @mateojaramilloamaya4048
    @mateojaramilloamaya4048 4 роки тому +5

    Marvelous! And the music was such a nice touch too :).

  • @sarahmcbeth9156
    @sarahmcbeth9156 4 роки тому +9

    Dude you are a legend.

  • @jasonmorgan5004
    @jasonmorgan5004 3 місяці тому

    'My Struggle' is good, but Knausgård is only a craftsman without the magic. But Proust writes like an angel composing a symphony.

  • @rickharsch8797
    @rickharsch8797 4 роки тому +14

    Difficult...for me, surprisingly short. So captivating...leaving me bereft, as if I need a good six more episodes to construct of it a memory

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  4 роки тому +1

      Bravo-always a fount of wit, Sir Harsch! I hope this approach works as intended. It isn’t really a review per se, but I thought it would be a great thematic sampling to whet appetites workout spoiling anything or to offer some fodder for those already acquainted with the Frenchman.

    • @rickharsch8797
      @rickharsch8797 4 роки тому +1

      Definitely works

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  4 роки тому

      Many thanks, Rick!

  • @vaseemsherief9280
    @vaseemsherief9280 4 роки тому +14

    I was slightly disappointed that you didn't slam the book at the beginning 😂

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  4 роки тому +7

      Hahaha! I’ve created a Pavlovian effect on here! Don’t worry-book slams will resume after this series.

  • @TheChannelofaDisappointedMan
    @TheChannelofaDisappointedMan 2 роки тому +3

    This may sound a fanciful comparison, though there are a few critics who have also drawn it, but Proust very much puts me in mind of Dickens, and I wonder if he was acquainted with his work. These two figures tower above most writers in terms of both output and the sheer pleasure of reading their works. With their differences of style, and with Proust's gift for introspection, they complement one another very well.

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  2 роки тому +2

      You know--I've never thought of the complement of Proust with Dickens. Proust with Woolf and Nabokov, sure. With Colette, too. And Dickens I usually pair with Balzac (to limit it to French writers). But you've struck a chord here and I'm interested in exploring this further. Thank you!

    • @vaedenhall2570
      @vaedenhall2570 Рік тому

      Agreed. Proust and Dickens have a similar gift for comic characterizations. There are few characters as funny and alive as Dickens' Sam Weller or Proust's Charlus and Cottard in my opinion.
      The two writers also have a wonderful kind of whimsy in their writing that is quite unique, more akin to prose poetry.

  • @Telly234
    @Telly234 4 роки тому +4

    I have, for a long time, wanted to read Proust. Maybe one day. Great review, as always!
    ”Every time a man dies, a library is burned to the ground.” What a poetically descriptive quote.

    • @Telly234
      @Telly234 4 роки тому +1

      I just now saw that you reviewed Oscar Wilde. I somehow missed that. I really like his “The Decay of Lying” about art. I think I agree that art should be useless.

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  4 роки тому +1

      Thanks! Glad you liked it. Proust is patiently waiting for you.
      Isn’t that proverb amazing?!

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  4 роки тому +1

      Wilde, alongside Huysmans in France, is the master emblem of the Decadent movement.

    • @Telly234
      @Telly234 4 роки тому +1

      I need to read Huysmans; I'm not familiar with him. Art for art’s sake, I think I agree with that. But - I remember that Harold Bloom said we should read for pleasure and that the aim of literature shouldn’t be to teach moral lessons. I’m still undecided about it. I think the only goal shouldn’t be moral, but in some cases, it should.
      It’s a great quote. There is a similar one about “a light that goes out, ” but the library analogy is superior.
      On a different note, I have hope that one day you will review Nietzsche. I have been wrestling with him for a long time.

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  4 роки тому +1

      Though I agree with almost everything Bloom says, I agree with you. A couple of his statements in The Western Canon, such as “the only function of reading is to learn how to be alone with yourself” don’t completely resonate though I get where he’s coming from.
      Nietzsche. Oh, boy. I have been reading him over the years and have covered most of the works. Even read the Kauffman biography to try to get a cohesive picture of the thinker. He is both the most enjoyable philosopher to read and the most confounding. I definitely should at least begin with Human, All Too Human and The Birth of Tragedy on this channel.

  • @barbarajohnson1442
    @barbarajohnson1442 4 роки тому +3

    Wonderful!! I'm hooked. I read it once, not totally, much by audio. I look forward to help in the later volumes that I found difficult. Not the last however. Proust is a tall order to summarize, you did a fantastic job in this one!!

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  4 роки тому

      Thanks so much, Barbara! Hope I can continue to inspire.

  • @Oblivion2222
    @Oblivion2222 4 роки тому +5

    Brilliant, as always 👌 I bought "Du côté de chez Swann" two months ago. If this isn't a sign to dive into it, I don't know what is! I can't wait to watch the upcoming videos.
    PS: chapeau pour la lecture en français !

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  4 роки тому

      Merci beaucoup! You’re right-this is the sign you were looking for! Allons-y!

  • @josodoc1891
    @josodoc1891 3 місяці тому

    great discussion! i am currently on book 5/7. the structure of the novel appears to be loosely linear (barring the memories/flashbacks), and autobiographical (of proust or of the protagonist); my question is how one might explain (in Swan’s Way) at the end of part 2, “swan in love”, whereby swan, reflecting on a dream he had says, regarding Odette, “To think that i’ve wasted years of my life, that i’ve longed to die, that i’ve experienced my greatest love, for a woman who didn’t appeal to me, who wasn’t even my type!”? we later learn that swan and odette marry, but there is no build up or explanation as to how this occurs - i.e. why swan would agree to something like this when he has thought that he wasted his time during his infatuation/courtship period with odette. just wondering what your thoughts are on this!

  • @ryerye3147
    @ryerye3147 Рік тому +2

    I just started reading Proust.. It's elegant

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  Рік тому +1

      Agreed. I'm recently getting the Proustian itch...

  • @SylvainDementi
    @SylvainDementi 4 роки тому +3

    J'adore Proust et j'adore comment tu parles de Proust! 😉

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  4 роки тому +3

      Merci mille fois mon ami !

  • @annette681
    @annette681 Рік тому +1

    Excellent video. Thank you

  • @toddmaclean7444
    @toddmaclean7444 3 роки тому +2

    I feel like I would need a glass of absinthe by my side if I were ever to read Proust. I like absinthe... so maybe one day....

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  3 роки тому

      You know-that’s a great idea.

  • @cinzaw
    @cinzaw 3 роки тому +2

    I love this talk and wish I had a transcript. Question: Why even though Proust and Joyce each was said to have changed how the novel is written, crossed paths in time and place, I have not (yet) heard both discussed in the same conversation in relation to each other, their common struggles as well as their comparison by stunned readers of their day? (other than their one meeting and this fabulous quote "'Proust would only talk about duchesses, while I was more concerned with their chambermaids

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  3 роки тому +1

      Thanks! I can send you the rough transcript if you'd like. Just give me your email address. As for a comparison of Joyce and Proust, I can't think of anything offhand (as you point out), though there are plenty of studies that include both authors. Proust often gets pitted against psychoanalysts (chiefly Freud). Love that quote!

    • @cinzaw
      @cinzaw Рік тому

      @@LeafbyLeaf

  • @ajw99a
    @ajw99a 3 роки тому +1

    My first read of 2022. So far, so good.

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  3 роки тому

      What a GREAT way to start the new year!

  • @amjgbaobei
    @amjgbaobei 3 роки тому +1

    Would you please provide the page numbers for the quotes you use here; I’d love to have a look at them on my own. I actually have the same collection as you. Your analysis was so helpful in understanding the first volume of this gargantuan work. Thank you so much!!

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  3 роки тому +1

      Hey there! I can certainly do that. Luckily, I made these videos from an essay I wrote on all the volumes, so the page numbers are in a Word doc. If you could, send me an email (click on the About tab/button to get it) and I'll get it to you. All my best to you!

  • @rayanknezic8682
    @rayanknezic8682 4 роки тому +3

    Un classique... Gotta get into this one day. It's a bit scary how much there is to get through, but one has to read these classics. Being French is nice too. Can get the original words from Proust himself.

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  4 роки тому +2

      Bien sûr ! And you can get them in the cheap Folio paperbacks (which cost me about $25/pop). Beyond just Proust, the old adage rings true: So many books, so little time.

    • @rayanknezic8682
      @rayanknezic8682 4 роки тому +2

      @@LeafbyLeaf so little time indeed. But we do our best...great channel. Love those analysis, inspired me to get back into reading classics. Currently reading Céline's voyage au bout de la nuit. Depressingly beautiful.

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  4 роки тому +2

      Merci mille fois ! I read that book over a decade ago on a trip to Sweden. Every time I see or think of the book I can recall every moment of reading it on planes, in hotels and cafés. I just read The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas which put Céline back on my mind. So glad to hear you’ve been inspired to read more classics!

  • @OttoIncandenza
    @OttoIncandenza 4 роки тому +4

    Bravo sur la prononciation francaise! Much love

  • @chekovll
    @chekovll 4 роки тому +3

    So impress with your content, I don't know how I get to your channel but I'm gonna stay haha. Saludos desde México.

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  4 роки тому

      Gracias! Glad you found me!

  • @ravindushehan9403
    @ravindushehan9403 4 роки тому +2

    I'm reading In search of lost times and discovered your videos. May I know what is the music used in the background?

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  4 роки тому +2

      Excellent! Here's the track I used:
      freemusicarchive.org/music/Chad_Crouch/Field_Report_Vol_I_Oaks_Bottom_Instrumental/By_The_Pond_Instrumental

    • @ravindushehan9403
      @ravindushehan9403 4 роки тому +2

      @@LeafbyLeaf thank you! I sometimes wish to listen to some music while reading and you have chosen well for this book

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  4 роки тому

      :-)

    • @quoileternite
      @quoileternite 3 роки тому +1

      I have never heard any music more adapted to Proust, it gently sends you back to Proust's temporality and rhythm, I am back in Proust's world just by listening to it, it is very moving. Thank you.

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  3 роки тому

      Merci mille fois! 🙏

  • @astro368
    @astro368 4 роки тому +1

    This is awesome (like all of your videos always), thank you so much. I’m currently reading this for the first time, I’m in the middle of Vol 6 right now, I can’t wait to see how it ends. Thanks again.

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  4 роки тому

      Thanks so much! What a treat to be in the middle of the sixth volume (or any volume) of Proust. I am certain your journey will a rewarding one. Hope to hear back from you throughout your reading and the video series.

  • @RubenDario-hr4iq
    @RubenDario-hr4iq 3 роки тому +2

    Excellent.

  • @ghazalv9718
    @ghazalv9718 4 роки тому +6

    Your hair look amazing

  • @cinzaw
    @cinzaw 4 роки тому +1

    I would love transcripts of these chats.

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  4 роки тому

      I adapted them from an essay. If you’d like, I’ll send it to you.

    • @cinzaw
      @cinzaw Рік тому

      @@LeafbyLeaf I would love to also read your original notes. (Not a request just a statement). Of all my Proust companion readings, talks, this series is my favorite. You’ve picked out what interests me the most and nothing else.. If I had a few more neurons I would have your ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’ memorized. I take notes on your notes learning more about reading, connections in literature and finding resonance in not only Proust’s wisdom but what has been your focus and resources. In my limited reading, I find few who are fascinated by insight and psychological complexity with your understanding and with ability to dig out the gems. I love this series…. Still.

  • @ryokan9120
    @ryokan9120 2 роки тому +1

    Have you read the new translations published by Penguin? I heard they are more accurate. I think the editions in this video are the D J Enright editions?

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  2 роки тому +2

      I've read the first 3 of the new Penguin editions. The only one I cared for was the first, Lydia Davis's translation--which, based on essays of hers that I'll be sharing in a video in two weeks, are indeed more accurate. The goal with these new editions was to have a different translator for each volume, coming at it from variations of English (American, British, Australian, etc.), which is a neat approach but fragments the voice of the work. Yes, the ones in this video are the Moncrieff translations with subsequent polishing by Kilmartin and Enright.

    • @ryokan9120
      @ryokan9120 2 роки тому +1

      @@LeafbyLeaf Thanks for replying. I look forward to seeing your forthcoming video.

  • @konyagergely5998
    @konyagergely5998 4 роки тому +1

    Very good spoiler-free review, you got it right exceptional feeling.
    Can you write down please what music do you use in this video? Thank you.

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  4 роки тому +1

      Thanks so much! Here's the track I used:
      freemusicarchive.org/music/Chad_Crouch/Field_Report_Vol_I_Oaks_Bottom_Instrumental/By_The_Pond_Instrumental

    • @konyagergely5998
      @konyagergely5998 4 роки тому +1

      @@LeafbyLeaf Thank you!

  • @atefless
    @atefless 3 роки тому +1

    I am very excited to read Proust, thanks to you, and would love to hear your insights on the following questions: which translation should i read? should I read all of the volumes, one by one, without breaks, spending an entire year specifically dedicated to their completion (like you did)?; or is opting for breaks, reading only one volume a year, also okay?

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  3 роки тому +1

      I read the C. K. Scott Moncrieff translation (with updates from Terence Kilmartin and D.J. Enright). This is still the standard English translation, though I greatly prefer Lydia Davis's more recent translation. Unfortunately, she only did the first volume. That was part of Penguin's project to have a different English translator translate each volume. I think the first 5 have been done now. You could go either way and be fine. Or, you could read the Davis translation of the first volume and then switch to the Moncrieff.
      To be clear, I did read them all in one year, but I did take breaks. I read one volume roughly every other month. I wouldn't suggest reading one volume a year, as I find it a more fruitful experience to stay in the rhythm of a series of books. Read a couple short books in between or so.
      Hope this helps!

    • @atefless
      @atefless 3 роки тому +1

      @@LeafbyLeaf Thanks a lot! Your response is indeed meaningful to me, convincing too. Seems like 2023 will be my year of Proust!

    • @keithmarlow7269
      @keithmarlow7269 2 роки тому +4

      @@atefless The latest Penguin translation (general editor Christopher Prendergast overseeing some 7 translators) is a great improvement on the aged (even though updated) C.K.Scott Moncrieff. The more recent translation is less over sweetened and cloying, pacier perhaps - certainly more natural to the contemporary reader. All Penguin volumes have been available for years now (in the UK at least).
      As for reading strategy: don't rush, relax, read the volumes in order, pace yourself. When you get bored (you will) put it to one side. don't force yourself to carry on - it should be a pleasure not a competition. At my first attempted assault on the mountain I got about a third of the way then gave up. Several years later I started again at the beginning and strolled through at a steady pace and got to the end. Since then I have read it at least 7 times beginning to end, and frequently dip in randomly. I once read each volume in reverse order (don't do that). I now have two long shelves of Proust literary criticism, biographies, letters, etc. He gets in your head and once he is in there he won't go away. It has been like this for 30 years. Now my eldest son is maybe a third of the way through. He says Proust shapes ones thoughts, is the only book it is necessary or worth reading and that it is true to life as it is about life. Be warned.

    • @atefless
      @atefless 2 роки тому

      @@keithmarlow7269 Thanks for your insights!

  • @atefless
    @atefless 2 роки тому +1

    What is the music in the background, by the way?

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  2 роки тому +1

      It was a free music track I found through UA-cam Studio. It is called "By the Pond."

    • @niccy3525
      @niccy3525 2 роки тому +1

      @@LeafbyLeaf I can't find it :(

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  Рік тому

      Drats--I can't either now!

  • @geronimojones1564
    @geronimojones1564 4 роки тому +7

    @Leaf by Leaf I’m going to wear my suit to watch this video. Lol

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  4 роки тому +1

      Please do that! 🤣😂

    • @geronimojones1564
      @geronimojones1564 4 роки тому +1

      Leaf by Leaf By the way I have Swann’s Way. Haven’t started it yet. I’m running out of room on my bookshelf.😔

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  4 роки тому

      If you’re like me you don’t like to double-up or stack books on shelves. Sounds like an IKEA trip in your future!

    • @geronimojones1564
      @geronimojones1564 4 роки тому +1

      Leaf by Leaf I have been reduced to stacking 😐

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  4 роки тому

      It’s all right. We all have to make do once in a while. I’m here for you.

  • @muhlenstedt
    @muhlenstedt 4 роки тому +1

    Fantastic approach to Proust's . It makes me want to read the books immedialtely, I am thinking anbout purchasing all volumes as Christmas gift to myself.How could I get acess to the others videos, I mean the ones with your essays?When I go to the link it shows" private video".Thank you very much

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  4 роки тому +1

      Thanks so much! I was hoping this approach would go over well. It isn’t really a review per se, but I thought it would be a great thematic sampling to whet appetites workout spoiling anything.

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  4 роки тому +1

      Oh, the videos will be released each week. Do check back!

    • @muhlenstedt
      @muhlenstedt 4 роки тому

      Wonderful!

  • @kfwimmer
    @kfwimmer Рік тому +1

    Super good!

  • @lalitborabooks
    @lalitborabooks 4 роки тому +1

    It is simply one of the best book reviews i have seen. A perfect introduction to an amazon series. I have been saving for a long time now for this slipcase collection of Proust. Although i do have a Dover edition of his first book but i just can’t start reading without getting thr whole collection, and that dover edition is pretty horrible also

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  4 роки тому +1

      Much appreciated, thanks so much! I understand that sentiment of wanting the whole set before starting. Sometimes, though, I have made a pact with myself to buy each volume at a time such that my reward for reading one volume is to buy the next one. Who is the translator for the Dover edition?

    • @lalitborabooks
      @lalitborabooks 4 роки тому +1

      Leaf by Leaf They are translated by C.K. Scott Montcrieff. Maybe I’ll start with penguin edition then, one by one

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  4 роки тому +3

      For what it’s worth, I think Lydia Davis’s translation of Swann’s Way is the best (too bad she didn’t do the rest of volumes).

    • @claudiabottom4086
      @claudiabottom4086 7 місяців тому

      Yes I like her accessible translation

  • @ihigvererdsds593
    @ihigvererdsds593 4 роки тому +1

    Very good video. Really makes you think about how important memory is. A bit depressing and contemplative even.

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  4 роки тому

      Thanks so much! Indeed you’re right. It’s really just about everything. Don’t dwell too much on it.

  • @stuartschwartz234
    @stuartschwartz234 4 роки тому +1

    quel debut!

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  4 роки тому

      Merci!

    • @stuartschwartz234
      @stuartschwartz234 4 роки тому +1

      Leaf by Leaf “. . . Whereas only three or four books in a lifetime give us anything that is of real importance”.-M. Swann

  • @thomasguidotti613
    @thomasguidotti613 4 роки тому +1

    great video!!! I read proust last year and it was the greatest reading experience I've had. can't wait to see more of your videos on this!

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  4 роки тому

      Thanks, Thomas! That’s awesome. The videos will be coming each week.

  • @dcdc139
    @dcdc139 4 роки тому +1

    tu te débrouilles bien en français.

  • @AnthropogenicInversion
    @AnthropogenicInversion Рік тому +1

    soundtrack in the video?

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  Рік тому +1

      It was a free music track I found through UA-cam Studio. It is called "By the Pond." Sadly, I can't seem to find it now.

    • @AnthropogenicInversion
      @AnthropogenicInversion Рік тому +2

      @@LeafbyLeaf alright thanks. wonderful video btw.

    • @LeafbyLeaf
      @LeafbyLeaf  Рік тому

      Got 'im!