This book outlines and elucidates the philosophy of Marcel Proust, arguing that it is coherent, compelling, and original. At the same time, it explains why Proust chose to embed this philosophy within a work of fiction, rather than presenting it in treatise form. The reason, it argues, is that the novel form allows Proust to offer implicit examples, both reinforcing and filling in the theory, often in highly subtle ways; to demand, in addition, specific types of careful attention from the reader, turning the engagement with his words into an experience of value in itself; and to place, finally ... More

This book outlines and elucidates the philosophy of Marcel Proust, arguing that it is coherent, compelling, and original. At the same time, it explains why Proust chose to embed this philosophy within a work of fiction, rather than presenting it in treatise form. The reason, it argues, is that the novel form allows Proust to offer implicit examples, both reinforcing and filling in the theory, often in highly subtle ways; to demand, in addition, specific types of careful attention from the reader, turning the engagement with his words into an experience of value in itself; and to place, finally, an ironic distance between himself and his narrator. Thanks to the active stance into which she is thereby forced, the reader stands to garner not only knowledge about various theoretical issues but also training of her intellectual faculties; not only new ways of thinking, but also new ways of living. Thus, surprising as it may sound, the narrator serves Proust's philosophical project not only when he puts forth convincing views and arguments but also when he makes mistakes. Following an introduction that discusses the major features of Proust's philosophical system and the ways in which they animate In Search of Lost Time, the book explores the perspectival nature of knowledge; the necessity of self-deception; the complex process of creating a stable self through narrative and stylization; and the ways in which the novel's style both supports and enacts its theoretical positions (including the ones officially denied by its narrator). By showing what, exactly, can be gained by combining theory with fiction, the book offers a new orientation for the study of Proust's novel and, more generally, of the intersection between literature and philosophy.