In Search of a Lost Time is a famous French work of Marcel Proust.
It was written during the period 1913 to 1927 and was translated into the English language and published during the years 1922-1931.
It is considered to be a famous classic. Therefore there are many modern book lovers who would like to know the right answer to the question should I read in Search of Lost Time.
In Search of Lost Time is wort-reading, because it is a story about the quest for a life that anyone can relate to and learn something from it.
In this article, we will have a look at a few more things that could be interesting.
For example, apart from looking at seven main reasons to reach In Search of Time, we also will look at the time frame for reading the entire volumes associated with it.
Further, we also need to understand that there are some other works of Proust that also are quite famous and have received critical acclaim.
I hope that it will help the readers to have a better understanding about In Search of a Lost Time in particular and about Proust in particular.
How long does it take to read In Search of a Lost Time?
Let me get started by getting a reasonably accurate answer to the question as to how long does it take to read In Search of a Lost Time
It is a huge work and is divided into 7 different volumes and it would therefore require around 70 hours and around 11 more minutes to complete the first reading of the book.
However, if you really want to know more about the book and the finer points it stands for, a single reading will not be enough. You must spend at least a month reading each and every volume and this is not easy to say the least.
7 reasons to read “In Search of a Lost Time”
1. It is a book to be lived not just read
If you ask those who have read In Search of a Lost Time they will have a few positive things to say about it.
To begin with, they would say that it would be wrong to consider this as another book that is in the same lines as an autobiography, fiction or novel.
It is much more than that. The entire seven volumes are after life and how to live it.
2. It is a story about the quest for life
Yes, many critical acclaims of this work believe that it is very much worth reading.
It is a wonderful portrayal of different social groups and the higher echelons society, more so the aristocratic and high nosed upper class of French society as it existed at that point in time. I
t also throws some light about France as it was during the First World War.
3. It also talks about love and romance
Though there is no denying the fact that this work of Proust is quite serious and as mentioned above, it is quite heavy stuff.
However, at the same time, the entire work also has many occasions where there is intense romance and love on the scene.
It is packed with many such incidents and happenings. It also talks about homosexual and lesbian relationships and in those times of taboo, this certainly was quite forward-looking work by the author to say the least.
4. It is funny and Heart Rending too
It would also be pertinent to mention here that In Search of a Lost Time also has many funny moments built into it.
At the same time, you also can come across many heart rending episodes of tragedy and human misery as it unfolds because of various reasons.
The reasons were many and the First World War was one such reason and the same also has been captured quite beautifully in this book.
Hence, it would not be out of place to mention here that it is a famous work that encompasses all aspects of human psyche, behavior, habits, desires, passions, likes and dislikes.
5. It combines literature and writing
There is another point worth mentioning as far as this classic work is concerned. It could be considered as a total book that focuses on all aspects pertaining to literature and writing.
The unique style of writing that is possible only by Proust is very much in evidence in these works. The various speech-mannerisms that are evident amongst many characters are simply brilliant and this perhaps could be the reasons for going through this book.
6. It is time-consuming but worth it
We need to take into account the fact that the work In Search of Lost Time is spread over seven different volumes.
It takes time and patience to grow the entire book and more importantly it might take some time getting used to it. However, on the positive side, compared to other such works, the readers will be able to get a hang about the direction, scope and other such things of the works just after reading two or three chapters.
This is not the case with many other classics because you will have to almost go through the complete reading of the entire volumes before you are able to get a grip on the subject matter.
7. Understanding of the French way of life during the First World War
Finally the biggest and most obvious reason for choosing this work is because it allows the readers to get some useful insight into the life and living of people as it existed during World War I.
Other books written by Proust to consider
Here are some more books of Proust that are worth looking at:
· Short story collections, i.e. Early Stories, and Pleasures and Days
· Non-Fiction: La Bible d’Amiens and Sesame et les lys:
Conclusion
If you love reading heavy stuff and would like to get into the depth of certain cultures, ways of life, people and look at life in France as it existed during World War 1, you have many reasons to go through In Search of a Lost Time. It comes in seven volumes and each volume is unique in its own way.
