~from In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Literary Lab Quote of the Day #2
Unfortunately, having formed the habit of thinking aloud, [my aunt] did not always take care to see that there was no one in the adjoining room, and I would often hear her saying to herself: "I must not forget that I never slept a wink"--for "never sleeping a wink" was her great claim to distinction, and one admitted and respected in our household vocabulary: in the morning Francoise would not "wake" her, but would simply "go in" to her; during the day, when my aunt wished to take a nap, we used to say just that she wished to "ponder" or to "rest"; and when in conversation she so far forgot herself as to say "what woke me up," or "I dreamed that," she would blush and at once correct herself.
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Hmmmm??? That's interesting.
ReplyDeleteAh, Marcel, pointing out the flaws of those he loves the most. He had a great eye for character details.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Scott. A a great eye for details. Davin, I can see why you want to write like him, and a sense, I think you do have hints of him in your writing!
ReplyDeleteI thought this was about you and your aunt and could hear your voice in it. Was surprised to find it a quote at the end.
ReplyDeleteIt sure is a lovely slice of writing and I think the characterization is quite well done.
Petula, Proust was someone whose work I recently discovered. It definitely seemed strange to me, but then I realized how much I could learn from him. I think he's amazing.
ReplyDeleteScott, I agree. And, He took the time to really expose all the details of chracters' personalities. He taught me to slow down in my writing.
Michelle, I think Proust helped me in many ways. I find myself studying other writers more, but Proust somehow affected me without my knowing it. I think he's quite original.
Tess this is indeed lovely. I had a hard time decided which little snippet to post. I'm glad you liked it.