CAN PROUST BE ABRIDGED? Of course, I mean can Proust be abridged successfully? (The old law school joke tells of the Vermont farmer who asked if he believed in infant baptism, responded that yes, he had seen it done). I posted here on Adam Gopnik’s reflections on abridging MOBY-DICK. Laurence Grenier has done an abridgment in French with quotations from Proust interspersed with summaries of bridging passages. The book is available here (in French–an English version is a possibility). It has been about a year since I finished Proust (in translation). My nephew Andrew Schaefer says that because I read it in translation, I have never read Proust. I miss the time spent with Proust in the evenings, and some time this year I expect to read
Laurence’s abridgment.
Categories
Archives
Recent Comments
- ADAPTING GATSBY. (1)
- Mary Jane Schaefer: I think these are crucial, important decisions, what to leave out of any literary work, maybe any...
- DAMIEN HIRST—AN ART MARKET BUBBLE?. (1)
- Kate Bush: I hope you enjoy my visit to the Damien Hirst show as much as I did The Technical Impossibility of...
- THE MOST IMPORTANT EPISODE OF THE SIMPSONS ? (COMMENT). (1)
- Nick: Homer does has success as the team’s best hitter until Mr. Burns places a bet with a rival factory owner...
- THE “RIGHT TO EDIT”. (1)
- Lee: A relevant Simpsons clip.
- ULYSSES—VIRGINIA WOOLF LIKED THE BOOK, DESPISED THE AUTHOR. (3)
- A DEFENSE OF INVASIVE SPECIES. (3)
- Dick Weisfelder: Today’s Toledo Blade has an article on the importation of live Asian carp to Canada to serve...
- Lee: The downside is that red squirrels are way cuter than their gray cousins. Hitchens on the subject.
- THE OLDEST FANTASY BASEBALL LEAGUE STARTS ITS 32ND SEASON. (COMMENT). (5)
- frank martin: Have been in a an Al only Roto league since 91… started at Ohio University were we all went to...
- DEATH OF A BUMBLEBEE. (1)
- Nick: By contrast, I remember witnessing the entire thing. I was surprised by Annalisa’s reaction and...
- ANOTHER VOTE ON UMBRIDGE. (1)
- Dick Weisfelder: When I look back at one of the Potter books, it’s usually this one. There are just a lot of...
- THE SCARIEST VILLAIN IN HARRY POTTER? (1)
- Dick Weisfelder: Didn’t we all meet her somewhere in grade or high school?
- ADAPTING GATSBY. (1)
Meta
Would you ever consider reading Proust in French? I know it’s an extremely long book and therefore a considerable undertaking, but think how familiar you are with the material right now. With your memory of how the narrative goes and a sturdy French-English dictionary by your side, it might be worth your effort. Andrew makes an interesting point about your reading of Proust.
In a similar-but-reversed situation, I enjoy reading my French translation of The Lord of the Rings. I’m familiar enough with The Fellowship of the Ring that it’s not a terrible effort to read the beginning of The Lord of the Rings in French, as I can figure out a lot of unfamiliar words by the familiar context of the story. Reading LotR in French is something I’m tentatively planning to do the next time I’m home (as that’s where my French copy and dictionary reside).
Samuel Johnson used to learn languages by reading the Bible in the new language. He knew the Bible very well.