L’OBJET DU DÉSIR ET LE DEVENIR ÉCRIVAIN DANS «À LA RECHERCHE DU TEMPS PERDU» de Marcel Proust

Abstract

The thesis explores Marcel Proust’s À la Recherche du Temps Perdu and examines the narrator’s artistic and androgynous processes of becoming a writer and analyses how the combination of these two processes of “becoming” (artistic and androgynous) transforms the narrator into a writer. To examine these topics phenomenology was used as a meth-odological approach. Phenomenology is a method of inquiry that attempts to describe experiences as they are perceived and interpreted by human consciousness, as opposed to scientific description. The review of the critical literature provides a summary of various critics whose works have contributed to this thesis; it focuses on both Maurice Merleau-Ponty's and Sara Ahmed’s writings on the phenomenological perspectives, that serve to set up the predominant theoretical framework.

The first chapter presents both the critical and theoretical concepts pertinent to this thesis. The second chapter describes the theoretical framework concentrating on phenomenology, and grants more attention to both Merleau-Ponty’s and Sara Ahmed’s theories. The third chapter analyses the narrator’s artistic evolution and his process of “becoming” a writer; his descriptions of experiences and associated sensations towards people and objects. Artistic works are preponderant in la Recherche where the three es-sential media: vision, sound, and prose are represented by: Elstir’s picture, Vinteuil’s Sep-tuor, and Bergotte and the narrator respectively. The fourth chapter examines the an-drogynous aspects of la Recherche in addition to the evolution of the narrator’s sexual identity; it evidences how his artistic evolution and his androgynous consciousness com- vii bined concurrently to transform the narrator in to "becoming" a writer. The fifth chapter analyzes Proust’s aesthetic conception and his eclecticism. Analogies to Nietzsche, Wag-ner, and Leibnitz are discussed. The thesis concludes with Proust’s precept that art, through intellect and sensations, provides a path towards spiritual life. The thesis aims to making Proust’s work more accessible, and enabling readers to thereby become more aware of their surroundings, and providing them with new perspectives on life.

The thesis explores Marcel Proust’s À la Recherche du Temps Perdu and examines the narrator’s artistic and androgynous processes of becoming a writer and analyses how the combination of these two processes of “becoming” (artistic and androgynous) transforms the narrator into a writer. To examine these topics phenomenology was used as a meth-odological approach. Phenomenology is a method of inquiry that attempts to describe experiences as they are perceived and interpreted by human consciousness, as opposed to scientific description. The review of the critical literature provides a summary of various critics whose works have contributed to this thesis; it focuses on both Maurice Merleau-Ponty's and Sara Ahmed’s writings on the phenomenological perspectives, that serve to set up the predominant theoretical framework.

The first chapter presents both the critical and theoretical concepts pertinent to this thesis. The second chapter describes the theoretical framework concentrating on phenomenology, and grants more attention to both Merleau-Ponty’s and Sara Ahmed’s theories. The third chapter analyses the narrator’s artistic evolution and his process of “becoming” a writer; his descriptions of experiences and associated sensations towards people and objects. Artistic works are preponderant in la Recherche where the three es-sential media: vision, sound, and prose are represented by: Elstir’s picture, Vinteuil’s Sep-tuor, and Bergotte and the narrator respectively. The fourth chapter examines the an-drogynous aspects of la Recherche in addition to the evolution of the narrator’s sexual identity; it evidences how his artistic evolution and his androgynous consciousness com- vii bined concurrently to transform the narrator in to "becoming" a writer. The fifth chapter analyzes Proust’s aesthetic conception and his eclecticism. Analogies to Nietzsche, Wag-ner, and Leibnitz are discussed. The thesis concludes with Proust’s precept that art, through intellect and sensations, provides a path towards spiritual life. The thesis aims to making Proust’s work more accessible, and enabling readers to thereby become more aware of their surroundings, and providing them with new perspectives on life.

The thesis explores Marcel Proust’s À la Recherche du Temps Perdu and examines the narrator’s artistic and androgynous processes of becoming a writer and analyses how the combination of these two processes of “becoming” (artistic and androgynous) transforms the narrator into a writer. To examine these topics phenomenology was used as a meth-odological approach. Phenomenology is a method of inquiry that attempts to describe experiences as they are perceived and interpreted by human consciousness, as opposed to scientific description. The review of the critical literature provides a summary of various critics whose works have contributed to this thesis; it focuses on both Maurice Merleau-Ponty's and Sara Ahmed’s writings on the phenomenological perspectives, that serve to set up the predominant theoretical framework.

The first chapter presents both the critical and theoretical concepts pertinent to this thesis. The second chapter describes the theoretical framework concentrating on phenomenology, and grants more attention to both Merleau-Ponty’s and Sara Ahmed’s theories. The third chapter analyses the narrator’s artistic evolution and his process of “becoming” a writer; his descriptions of experiences and associated sensations towards people and objects. Artistic works are preponderant in la Recherche where the three es-sential media: vision, sound, and prose are represented by: Elstir’s picture, Vinteuil’s Sep-tuor, and Bergotte and the narrator respectively. The fourth chapter examines the an-drogynous aspects of la Recherche in addition to the evolution of the narrator’s sexual identity; it evidences how his artistic evolution and his androgynous consciousness com- vii bined concurrently to transform the narrator in to "becoming" a writer. The fifth chapter analyzes Proust’s aesthetic conception and his eclecticism. Analogies to Nietzsche, Wag-ner, and Leibnitz are discussed. The thesis concludes with Proust’s precept that art, through intellect and sensations, provides a path towards spiritual life. The thesis aims to making Proust’s work more accessible, and enabling readers to thereby become more aware of their surroundings, and providing them with new perspectives on life.

The thesis explores Marcel Proust’s À la Recherche du Temps Perdu and examines the narrator’s artistic and androgynous processes of becoming a writer and analyses how the combination of these two processes of “becoming” (artistic and androgynous) transforms the narrator into a writer. To examine these topics phenomenology was used as a meth-odological approach. Phenomenology is a method of inquiry that attempts to describe experiences as they are perceived and interpreted by human consciousness, as opposed to scientific description. The review of the critical literature provides a summary of various critics whose works have contributed to this thesis; it focuses on both Maurice Merleau-Ponty's and Sara Ahmed’s writings on the phenomenological perspectives, that serve to set up the predominant theoretical framework. The first chapter presents both the critical and theoretical concepts pertinent to this thesis. The second chapter describes the theoretical framework concentrating on phenomenology, and grants more attention to both Merleau-Ponty’s and Sara Ahmed’s theories. The third chapter analyses the narrator’s artistic evolution and his process of “becoming” a writer; his descriptions of experiences and associated sensations towards people and objects. Artistic works are preponderant in la Recherche where the three essential media: vision, sound, and prose are represented by: Elstir’s picture, Vinteuil’s Septuor, and Bergotte and the narrator respectively. The fourth chapter examines the androgynous aspects of la Recherche in addition to the evolution of the narrator’s sexual identity; it evidences how his artistic evolution and his androgynous consciousness combined concurrently to transform the narrator in to "becoming" a writer. The fifth chapter analyzes Proust’s aesthetic conception and his eclecticism. Analogies to Nietzsche, Wagner, and Leibniz are discussed. The thesis concludes with Proust’s precept that art, through intellect and sensations, provides a path towards spiritual life. The thesis aims to making Proust’s work more accessible, and enabling readers to thereby become more aware of their surroundings, and providing them with new perspectives on life.