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

by Topping, Margaret

• ISBN13: 9780708318669
• ISBN10: 0708318665
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-08-30
• Publisher: Univ of Chicago Pr

Summary

Reevaluating the broader role of images within Marcel Proust's novelshighlighting those that tend to be viewed as isolated rather than as essential parts of a coherent schemathis analysis offers a fresh perspective on one of the greatest writers of the 20th-century. Proust's writing, extraordinarily rich in images, draws from a wealth of sourcesfrom the religious and mythical to the folklore and astrologyare of which are examined while exploring his continuous themes of love, sexuality, the workings of society, and the processes of artistic creation. In addition to exploring Proust's intertextual sources, chapters also provide a unique introduction to his manuscripts, correspondence, and early fictional writing.

Author Biography

Margaret Topping is lecturer in French at Cardiff University. She is the author of Proust's Gods and has published widely on nineteenth- and twentieth-century French literature.

Table of Contents

Introduction

An introduction to Proust's Transformation of Religious and Mythical Sources

Distribution Tables

Theories of Metaphor

Magic and Fairytale

Fairy Queens and Wicked Witches

Society and Metamorphosis

Ali-Baba andles invertis

Artists and Alchemists

Time's Flying Armchair

Legend and Folklore

Superstition and Talismans

Pirates and Adventures

Medieval Romances

Fables and Morality

Spiritualism and Astrology

Astral Projections

Desting and the Planets

Love and the Stars

Spiritualism and Transcendence

Celtic and Eastern Religions

Society and Structure

Reincarnation and Memory

Nirvana and Art

Religious Travesties

Paganism, Nature and thejeunesflies

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