So good he wrote it twice

Days Reading Proust: 109 (16, 64, 29)
Page: Finished The Guermantes Way
Pages Read Since Last Post: 382
Rooms Unintentionally Furnished in a Proustian Style: 1 (hitherto known as The Balbec Suite)*
Entertaining, yet Practical, Housewarming Presents Received from Fellow Proustanauts: 1**
Books Read Since Last Post: Half of The Emigrants, W. G. Sebald

For those of you lagging behind, firstly, "do you imagine that the poisonous spittle of five hundred little men of your sort, hoisted on to each other’s shoulders, could even drool down on to the tips of my august toes?"; and secondly, be warned that one could, realistically, skip the entire second half of the novel given it is largely a re-write (with a few vaguely significant changes) of the first half. Like so:

Part 1
Enjoyable section involving Saint-Loup
Lengthy salon scene at Mme Villeparisis' pad
Humourous interlude with Charlus
Death of narrator's grandmother (Part 2, Chapter 1)

Part 2, Chapter 2
Enjoyable section involving Saint-Loup
Even more lengthy salon scene at the Guermantes' pad
Humourous interlude with Charlus
Terminal illness of Swann

Given these two parts were originally published as separate volumes and in consecutive years, I'd be highly surprised if this weren't spotted at the time and met with disappointment. Then again, J K Rowling pulled the same trick with the first two Harry Potter books and they still sold millions - maybe this is why I am not in publishing. Naturally, I stand to be accused of hypocrisy by anyone who has bothered to read my own recent, formulaic output of academic papers - fortunately only about 3 people will have done so, hence I feel quite safe.

Grumbles aside - I did quite enjoy this one. I've not been a fan of the salon scenes, but the social comedy is sharper in this volume. The Duchesse is a reasonably interesting character - claiming to be an intellectual, and succeeding in giving this impression, but only by virtue of comparison to her idiotic husband and most of her inane circle. Charlus (he of the august toes) is a brilliant comic invention - even better than Bloch or Francoise - and his efforts to seduce the narrator are hilarious. The scene with Albertine is a bit pathetic, to be honest, but intentionally so, one feels - thank goodness for Francoise's timely interruption. Also, the narrator's final realisation, and the punchline to the whole joke really, that despite hankering after high society for so long he'd actually be far happier contemplating hawthorn bushes and munching on madeleines back in Combray was a splendid moment of pathos.

The best-written section of the entire novel, so far, though was the death of the narrator's grandmother - tender and moving, yet visceral and slightly horrific - not helped by the amusing yet inappropriate behaviour of the Duc de Guermantes.

So, I feel each volume has had it's flaws so far, but the novel as a whole is beginning to come together. We're roughly halfway through now and still the narrator seems a little divorced from the action. Excellent prospects for the next volume though - the death of Swann, further encounters with Charlus, re-introduction of Albertine perhaps? Can't wait.

* The Balbec Suite, formerly known as my guest room, has now been furnished and is awaiting the arrival of its first guests. Whilst shopping for bed-linen and curtains last weekend, and avoiding the drab browns and beiges that seem to be in vogue with the masses these days, I found a rather fetching collection of sage-green damask-style furnishings which fitted the bill nicely. Only whilst checking-out did I notice the name of the collection - Marcel. He would approve.

** Many thanks to the Duc et Duchesse de Canandaigua for their splendid gift. I shall think of you next time I am measuring up for curtains.