Marcel Proust: A Very Short Introduction

A Very Short Introduction

• Offers a concise, clear, comprehensive introduction to Proust's magnum opus In Search of Lost Time
• Connects Proust's writing to questions we all have reason to care about: Who am I really? What can I know? How can I know other people? Is knowledge always desirable? How can I find (real, secular) magic in my life?
• Helps the reader get the most out of reading Proust's often intimidating novel

Reviews of Marcel Proust: A Very Short Introduction

“Writing about a novelist’s philosophical ideas is not easy. There are two main dangers: losing sight of the philosophy and losing sight of the novel. What I take to be the best instances of philosophical writings about novels manage to say both something that enrich our enjoyment or understanding of the novel and something that has independent philosophical import. … But how easy is it to pull it off when it comes to In Search of Lost Time? If these three volumes are anything to judge by, it seems to be fiendishly difficult. One major exception is Joshua Landy’s work, both in his 2004 grand and scholarly book on Proust (Joshua Landy, Philosophy as Fiction: Self, Deception and Knowledge in Proust. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004)) and in this much shorter one. … Landy’s book is a masterclass both in how one can talk about very complex topics in very down-to-earth terms and in how one can talk about Proust’s ideas in a way that is relatable to those who are not familiar with the jargon of literary studies (or of philosophy).” (Bence Nanay, The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism)

“Landy explores the ideas within Proust’s novel with a sense of fun, likening Proustian involuntary memory to a time machine that can take one back, for instance, to humiliating oneself at a New Year’s Eve party decades ago. … Accessible and amusing, this is a must-read for anyone who has considered reading Proust but was too afraid to try.” (Publishers’ Weekly)”Landy’s book will appeal to a broad audience – new readers and confirmed devotees alike. It is both entertaining and erudite (the ‘references’ provide many useful pointers to previous Proust criticism). It will help readers to see the labels often attached to Proust (‘difficult’, ‘daunting’, etc.) for the stereotypes they are; and it will encourage them to explore for themselves the inexhaustible riches of Proust’s work.” (Brian Nelson, Australian Book Review)