James Heffernan on “Proust’s Hostesses”

Painting by Homer Dodge Martin (1836-1897)

James Heffernan on “Proust’s Hostesses”

                    Proust’s novel "A la recherche du temps perdu" repeatedly exposes the hostility lurking within what he calls “the heart of our friendly or purely social relations.”  While moments of genuine communion sometimes pass between host and guest,  they soon fade into the light of common day, or rather into the haze of suspicion, jealousy,  resentment,  possessiveness, exploitation,  and anti-Semitism that virally invade and infect the social worlds of this novel.  At a party given by Madame Verdurin in the final volume, for instance,  the Baron Charlus and his hostess  fight a duel of betrayal that ends with  the titanically arrogant Baron psychically shattered.

Closely examining hostesses such as Madame Verdurin and the Duchesse de Guermantes, the talk by Professor Heffernan on May 8 will show how often their hospitality leads to treachery.

For more information about the talk and to purchase a ticket, click here.