A rivalry, a quartet, a church? on the first page? That's odd, no? she asked. And Marcel Proust said "Yes! My lovely little phrase- she is famous now?!'
I don’t buy that Proust named Albertine after Alfred Agostinelli, I just don’t .
“As Proustians know, Albertine was based on Proust’s real-life secretary and chauffeur, Alfred Agostinell.
Says who? There’s no more reason to buy that idea than to agree that Combray is Illiers.
On what basis? No, I don’t think so.
As I’ve said before, I’m no history buff, so forgive me if I’m a little glib about such matters. But let’s talk Ottomans, shall we? And Persia, Byzantine culture, St. Mark and so on. We have to, because Continue reading “Let’s talk Ottomans, shall we?”
…that Proust has all those chapters on Place-Names? If so, I don’t think you’re going to like this post, so best not to read on lol!
Are you still reading? Okay- here’s my thought. Or rather, here’s a hint in the picture below:
A pretty sight. One I think I should use on Continue reading “Do you think it’s odd that…”
Quatuor is not a very easy word to say in French. Probably why it caught my attention.
I just loved that word all by itself. – the u and the o a bit of a tongue twister for me, the non-native French speaker. And in my mind, twisting letters around- because the line preceding it… Continue reading “2 + 2 = a Quatuor!”
Meet Le cygne de Cambrai: Francois Fenelon. He’s a French archbishop from the late 1600’s who somehow took on the sobriquet The Swan of Cambrai. And could possibly, just possibly, have served as inspiration for the Swann of Combray front and center in Swann’s Way.
It could be nothing more than that. Just a simple borrowing of… Continue reading “Ceci n’est pas un Swann de Combray”