Reading Proust’s Swann’s Way with Lila Azam Zanganeh

An online series of literary seminars on Proust’s Swann’s Way with Lila Azam Zanganeh.

“An open book is time regained,” wrote Bernard de Fallois, a legendary French editor and Proustian who, upon dying in 2018, released a trove of previously unpublished Proust stories and caused an earthquake in the field. Marcel Proust, beginning with Swann’s Way (the first of his seven volumes), points the way to the sensual and mysterious nature of time. Time is evanescent, and yet may, at any moment, loop back around itself. Swann’s Way is the foundation of the cycle of time, and perhaps its secret, golden thread. Both an exploration and a deciphering of the labyrinth of youth, Swann’s Way tells us how, against all odds, time is a gift if we know to become its lover.

Students will discuss the novel in the course of three weeks, paying particular attention to key moments in the narrative. Students are welcome to use any translation they may have.

Class meets Thursdays: November 18, December 9 and 16. Sessions will be recorded and made available to registered students for later viewing.