The Year of Reading Proust discussion

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Swann's Way, vol. 1 > Mr. William C. Carter's Annotations of Swann's Way

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message 1: by Dean (new)

Dean (desesseintes) | 5 comments What is the consensus here regarding the new Yale edition of Swann's Way annotated by Mr. William C. Carter? Is this worth acquiring for the annotations alone? Alas, I did not find that this review inspired me to acquire it : http://bostonreview.net/books-ideas/l...

Thank you kindly in advance.


message 2: by Marcelita (last edited Jul 13, 2014 09:17AM) (new)

Marcelita Swann | 1135 comments From that same review:
"The Yale edition is the first extensively annotated edition of Proust’s novel in English:..."
Leland de la Durantaye

Dean, no translation will meet everyone's expectation, especially someone who is new to Harvard and more of a Nabokov scholar.
http://www.cmc.edu/lit/CV/LelanddelaD...

However, if you cannot read Proust in French, William C. Carter's annotated edition is the best...if you want to truly understand Proust's references.

The wide margins in Carter's Swann are also useful for notes or thoughts.

William C. Carter's annotated version.

From Dr. Mark Calkin's (www.tempsperdu.com) review on Amazon:
"To my mind there is one reason to purchase this edition of Proust's novel: Prof. Carter's annotations. As previous reviewers have stated, they are elegantly placed in the text's margins, many are well-chosen and are sure to illuminate many of the novel's details and references, otherwise likely lost on 21st-century readers of the novel in English." MC

I admit I am biased, because of my curiosity to understand "why" Proust would use a specific reference. Before Carter's annotations, I would need to stop reading and start surfing. ;)


message 3: by Dean (new)

Dean (desesseintes) | 5 comments I purchased this edition Friday evening. I also own the translation by Ms. Davis and the Modern Library edition.

Thank you for replying with thoughtful comments, Ms. Marcelita. Very kind of you.


message 4: by Marcelita (last edited Jul 13, 2014 06:56PM) (new)

Marcelita Swann | 1135 comments Dean wrote: "I purchased this edition Friday evening. I also own the translation by Ms. Davis and the Modern Library edition.

Thank you for replying with thoughtful comments, Ms. Marcelita. Very kind of you."


Next year, one of my reading groups is focusing on all the translations for "Swann's Way," so it should be interesting comparing the...
original Moncrieff,
the Vintage edition-Moncrieff/Kilmartin,
the Modern Library edition-Moncrieff/Kilmartin/Enright,
Lydia Davis's "Swann's Way,"
and William C. Carter's annotated/revised edition, directly from the original Moncrieff.

Here is a superb article on Scott Moncrieff by Professor Carter:

"Lost in Translation: Proust and Scott Moncrieff."
http://publicdomainreview.org/2013/11...


message 5: by Dean (new)

Dean (desesseintes) | 5 comments Thank you for the link to the article illuminating the history of the translation and story behind the title. Have you read this book written by Mr. Davenport-Hines ?

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2006...

Do keep in touch, Ms. Swann. : ^)


message 6: by Dean (new)

Dean (desesseintes) | 5 comments I would like to read the forthcoming biography of Mr. Moncrieff...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Chasing-Lost-...


message 7: by Marcelita (last edited Jul 14, 2014 08:43AM) (new)

Marcelita Swann | 1135 comments Dean wrote: "Thank you for the link to the article illuminating the history of the translation and story behind the title. Have you read this book written by Mr. Davenport-Hines?"

Yes.
Coincidence? On Proust's birthday last week, I went to Boston to see a one-act play based on Davenport-Hines' book.


The program...written and directed by Debbie Wiess.


The menu...with asparagus. ;)

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The setting...with Veuve Clicquot Champagne.


"Diaghilev" and "Stravinsky"

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"James Joyce," drunk.

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"Marcel Proust"


"Violet Schiff's" dressing table.


M. Proust left his gloves...again.


message 8: by Dean (new)

Dean (desesseintes) | 5 comments A delightful event! : D (It's a pity that I cannot click on the photographs in order to expand them.)

I missed this event when the author was here in town (Washington, DC) : https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...


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