In and out of time with Proust

 At first, reading the beginning of Proust had me confused but after listening to the lecture video, I realized that reading it is like  you are following the ins and outs of someone's memory and different sensory triggers trigger different memories which is quite nostalgic and relatable as someone who forgets a lot of things that have happened, and then the smell of something or a song is able to quickly bring that memory back into the front of my brain. 

It is also cool to see the importance Proust puts on childhood emotions and really puts a emphasis on the difference between adult emotions and childhood emotions. Especially in the one part when the narrator as a child is by his bedroom window, and his only concern in affection from his mother which are not things that adults seem to care about or put importance on (shown when his mother makes him wait forever). But these miniscule actions that as adults, we don't think about, are big factors that affect children especially in the future in dealing with abandonment and attachment styles in future relationships. Proust really puts an emphasis on how these childhood emotions are important which is a cool point of view. The part in the story where his mother stays with him instead of punishing him for staying up late could be a very telling event in how the child might view relationships later in his life which makes that point in his memory such a significant one. 

Another thing I noticed about Proust's writing is how the way he writes, almost simple and boring at first makes you think even deeper by having to think outside of the box and look at the overall bigger picture. That is what made me a little confused with the reading at first but it got me thinking more and more and I realized how much more meaning there was in his writing. One thing that I related to was the Madeleine scene in how something so simple as a taste or smell could trigger memories that you did not even think existed anymore but brings you back to such different places. Nostalgia did hit me a little when reading because it got me thinking about my childhood memories as well which was an interesting thought to get when reading. 

I found it cool that the way he was writing almost seemed like how our memory would actually follow, which is what made me quite confused at first. But the idea is quite interesting for sure. 

My question is: is Proust inferring that our memory is more likely to remember or recall memories based on actual memories or the desire we felt or want to feel? We could also connect this to childhood development theories about different attachment styles and how children turn out the way they do? 

Overall, a very interesting read! 

Thank you for reading!