Theorizing the concept: 'In search of Lost Time' by Marcel Proust




Originally mentioned as a fleeting comment during a class discussion, In search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust (Proust. M. (1913) In Search of Lost Time. Reprint, London: Penguin Classics 2003.) became a starting point to deepen the theoretical understanding of this project. Marcel Proust’s novel dwells upon the author’s childhood, whereupon Proust recalls memories from his upbringing and transforms them into a partially fictive, deeply personal and reflective narrative. As a result, the novel becomes an elaborative account of ‘recollected human experience’ (Ellison, D.R. (2010) A Reader's Guide to Proust's 'In Search of Lost Time'. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press). In relation to this project, Proust is studied specifically for the nostalgic qualities of which is made apparent in both the choice of wording and context of some of his memories.

From a philosophical perspective, the connection required between the author and the reader is of most relevance; In search of Lost Time is largely dependent upon the reader’s ability to visualize and sympathize with the memories Proust shares. This access establishes sort of emotional admission, a pathway of which Proust invites us into his mind through his memories, and as such becomes wildly similar to the concept of this project: to invite the viewer into the reconstructed memory displayed within each photo.

Proust has influenced my project for his notions of nostalgia and his belief that feelings and sensations arrive before memories. Furthermore, my project retains a similar aim as Proust seeks in his writing: to arrest a transient moment. His reflections on what was, and what is no more, are reflected in my project given its concept of memory-specific reconstruction. In this way, Proust has paved the way of which I can explore my project's emotional depth, using nostalgia as my guiding light. 

Further studies of In Search of Lost Time has provided more precise examples relevant to this project, with some observations directly correlating to the appearance of this project’s photographs. Perhaps best described by David R. Ellison “Time passes and destroys people, places, and things. But the human consciousness, even in retrieving memories that contain a bitter substance and in reviving sad or tragic experiences, itself seems capable of recreating the essence of that very past and, in expressing that essence, infusing it with renewed aesthetic significance” (Ellison, D.R. (2010) A Reader's Guide to Proust's 'In Search of Lost Time'. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press). This theory maintains outmost importance when regarding the portrayal of this project’s photographs; the romanticisation is the product of this visualised aesthetic significance.


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