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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