The World According to Proust

Although this is a scholarly look at Marcel Proust and his voluminous writings, it is an equal share of philosophy and speculation by the author, Joshua Landy, a professor of French and Comparative Literature at Stanford University. The author clearly and entertainingly demonstrates his encyclopedic knowledge of Proust’s works and his life and how they diverge. Unlike most readers, the author does not take any of Proust’s writings as literal biographies, but accepts them for the works of imagination and acute observation.

The author begins his assessments by demonstrating how unique and individual personal perspective colors our reactions and responses. In this way, the author uses the works of Proust as a springboard to his philosophical takes on love, reality, and perception. It is fascinating when the author tells us that illusions are good for our mental health. “Truth is not always compatible with life; for knowledge like that, maybe the best thing we can learn is how to forget.”

This book lives up to the promise that a reader will want to read or reread the works of Marcel Proust after finishing it.