International Journal of Language & Linguistics

Proust Configures Time, Space, and Memory to Unveil Marcel’s Artistry in Swann’s Way
Dr. Tara Hembrough

Abstract
As a writer, Marcel Proust questioned approaches to time and memory in artistic composition by abandoning long-accepted conventions of time as chronological in favor of the theory of “duration.” With his explorations of temporal and spatial memory, Proust assists in ushering in literature’s Modern age. Notably, he exchanges the mentalistic and visualistic path of perception with one sensationalistic in his work. Through Proust’s emphasis on the concepts of time, place, and memory in Swann’s Way, Marcel, narrating, revisits bygone days, considers family and romantic relationships, discovers that life’s patterns repeat themselves, and understands his artistic calling, according to which he can act, bringing closure to the past. While scholars, considering Proust’s use of time, have focused on the motif of memory, less has been written about his stylistic choices in portraying his first book’s specific measurements of time and space, as well as the types of memories that Marcel holds.

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