Wednesday, October 18, 2006

The Captive - post III

A welcome move of the spotlight away from the relationship between Albertine and Marcel as other locations and characters make a reappearance

Bullet points between pages 154 - 212

* Bergotte, the writer who had so inspired Marcel, dies while studying a Vermeer painting in a gallery and his death exposes Albertine's lying because she says she was with him at a time when he was already dead

* Continuing on the death theme it is then revealed that Swann, who had predicted his own death through a terminal illness, has died and Marcel only passes this information onto the reader when he is reminded of it on a trip to the Verdurin's home

* The triangle between Morel, Baron de Charlus and Jupien's niece is heading for tragedy as Morel looks to get out of the marriage plans and escape the pressure to keep with her being exerted by Charlus

* The subject of lying is touched on and Proust addresses the reader admitting that even he has to lie in his account because it is easier to edit out certain events to make the story more digestible

* As he gets more desperate for kicks Charlus becomes even more camp and his language to men is very sexual so expect some more fun and games from him as he camps it up and gets caught out in a less tolerant branch of society

More tomorrow...

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