Combray
Although I initially found Combray to be rather complex and verbose, upon further reading I greatly enjoyed the author’s use of memory as a trope to help tell a story. In the end, I really enjoyed Combray, and thought that each aspect of the novel was eloquently weaved together to provide us with a detailed picture of the author’s life in Combray, which is a small French town. Within the text, the narrator recounts his experiences and observations and guides us through the landscape of Combray and the characters that inhabit it. As the narrator recounts various experiences in Combray, he experiences a series of flashbacks which help to understand the narrative. These flashbacks help to better understand the author's life and contextualize the village of Combray.
The main theme of "Combray" is the idea of memory, and the involuntary flashbacks that occur as a result of various triggers. One instance of this occurring was in the “Madeleine” scene in the text. The narrator’s taste of the madeleine serves as a trigger that starts a flood of memories in the his mind. This brings him back to memories of his Aunt Léonie, mourning the loss of her husband. The author would always join her for her morning ritual of dipping a Madeleine in hot tea. Léonie is a hypochondriac, and through this we see a theme of grief and illness throughout the text.
I really enjoyed this method of storytelling, and it reminded me of how many TV shows nowadays use flashback episodes to tell a broader story to their audience. Additionally, I appreciated the use of senses to describe these memories. For me at least, senses frequently bring back memories. I remember going back to the cabin I used to go to in Northern Ontario often as a kid and the smell brought back so many memories for me. I think that this use of the “memory and flashback” trope is so effective when used in this way because nearly everyone can relate to the experience of recalling memories after a sensory trigger.
I overall enjoyed this text, and feel that its style and use of memory would not be too out of place in a text written today. Although the text was rather verbose, the method of utilizing memory remains frequently used in many more modern texts. What are your own sensory triggers for memory? What other novels utilize this writing methodology?
Glen, I like the emphasis you put on what you call "writing methodology," because it actually goes far beyond just "style." As you know, many of cinema's narrative tools were inspired by those in literature, and the way flashbacks work in series or films is determined by the way Proust set them up. So this shows that he is a relevant author to this day.
ReplyDeleteHello Glen! It was nice to hear your thoughts on ‘Combray’ about the use of senses to describe memories, it is also what stood out to me. I feel like everyone would at least have one kind of trigger that would bring them back to their childhoods, and your example of the smell of the cabin you used to go to is a perfect one! For me, this really weird, indescribable scent I smelled somewhere gave me flashbacks to the first day of my school for some reason. I would like to bring the other sense of hearing to this conversation, sometimes listening to an old song or an intro to a cartoon you used to watch as a child could give you big feelings of nostalgia!
ReplyDeleteThis is Indra by the way! Hope to see you in class soon :)
DeleteHi Glen! Thanks for your sharing. I think my memory trigger is that after seeing something familiar, previous memories will surface. I'm not sure if you're familiar with the app "Douyin" (TikTok in English). When I'm bored, I often browse through various videos posted by different users on this app. I frequently come across videos from travel bloggers, and if the video showcases a place I've been to before, it triggers vague memories for me. this is one of the reasons why I admire the author very much. He can describe the life in Combray in such detail, which is difficult for ordinary people to do.
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ReplyDeleteHi Glen. I totally agree with your point on how TV shows’ use of flashback episodes can resonate with the method of storytelling used in this novel. Also, the connection between senses and memories is a very powerful element that you mentioned. Your example of being at your cabin is definitely relatable as I can think of so many smells that would instantly bring me flashbacks of my childhood (which is an example of sensory experiences on memory recall).