On Reading In Search of Lost Time
August 5, 2009
Rarely do I read through a page without re-reading it at least once. Most pages additionally contain at least one passage which I feel compelled to re-read several more times. For me at least, I find I must read Proust at a relaxed and patient tempo, else the artistry and subtly of the language passes me by. Many time I’ve read through a page, and realizing that I hadn’t given it the attention it deserves, returned to read it later. Many times upon doing so, I’ve been astounded by the words on the page, and astounded that I almost passed them by!
For me, many pages of The Captive contain as much richness as many other books might contain entirely, and I would rather spend the rest of my life reading just this one book than rush through to finnish it. I find that reading Proust require entering into a state of rapture with language. The time and space for this state in my life is fleeting, but when I come into the grips of it, I cherish it!
