“Swann's Way”.
Translated from French.
“Swann's Way”. That title may seem obvious now. And yet, it wasn’t during the author’s lifetime. 🤷🏻♂️
When Proust was looking for a publisher in late 1912, he wanted to publish a long work – which he barely acknowledged as resembling a novel – and titled it “Le Temps perdu”. The manuscript was rejected by three publishers, including the publishing house linked to @nrf.larevue, which was founded in 1911. 👉🏻 @jeanmarc.quaranta
In early 1913, Proust approached Grasset to publish his book at his own expense 💸. But as he made corrections and added new material, the manuscript continued to grow in length. Proust referred to “In Search of Lost Time” as a two-volume work: Part One and Part Two.
But the printer sent the first ‘proofs’, and Proust continued to correct, expand and rewrite. He now envisaged three volumes with distinct titles: ‘Swann's Way’, ‘The Guermantes Way’ and ‘Finding Time Again’. The title of the complete work changed: “Les Intermittences du cœur” was abandoned in favour of “In Search of Lost Time”. 🕰️📚
🖋️ “I had to abandon “Les Intermittences du cœur” (the original title), “Les Colombes poignardées”, “Le Passé intermittent”, “L’Adoration perpétuelle”, “Le Septième Ciel” and “In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower” – titles which, incidentally, will be the chapter headings in the third volume,” wrote Proust to Louis de Robert, @prixfemina 1911, who had put him in touch with Grasset.
“Swann's Way”? Or simply “Charles Swann”? Proust wavered throughout the summer of 1913 and into early autumn. 📓✍🏻
🖋️ “Would you prefer the title: Gardens in a Cup of Tea, or The Age of Names for the first one? For the second: The Age of Words. For the third: ‘The Age of Things’. What I’d prefer is ‘Charles Swann’, but with a note that it isn’t all about Swann: ‘Charles Swann’s Early Sketches’.” 📝
🗳️ And what about you – are you more of a ‘stabbed doves’ or ‘seventh heaven’ sort of person?! 🕊️🗡️🩸
#MarcelProust #proustagram #Proust #ÀlaRechercheduTempsperdu #LycéeCondorcet #Correspondance #CorrProust #RTP
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