Supernatural Proust: Myth and Metaphor in 'A la recherche du temps perdu'

Abstract

Proust's writing is extraordinarily rich in images drawn from religious and mythical sources, which provide him with a medium for exploring issues of love, sexuality, social relations and the process of creativity. Such metaphors are also bound up with the narrative movement and structure of A la recherche du temps perdu. Supernatural looks at how Proust uses forms of imagery from non-Christian and non-classical sources, such as magic and fairytale, legend and folklore, spiritualism and astrology, and Celtic and Eastern religions. This book provides a detailed analysis of intertextual sources which have not previously been discussed by critics or which have not been systematically explored from the perspective of the metaphorical re-writings which they undergo in Proust's writing. The author re-evaluates the broader role within the novel of images which tend to be viewed as isolated rather than as essential parts of a coherent network. In examining the tone of these images, the author makes an important contribution to the definition of humour in Proust.