Date of Award
8-1974
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
French
Abstract
Proust, born some fifteen years after Freud; was equally fascinated with the potential for the unconscious mind. He was obsessed by the desire to overcome the destructive force of Time and assure tor himself a place in eternity. He wanted to project himself into the future by creating a work of art, for he believed that Art, alone surpassed Time. His work of art would be a novel, but rather than simply recounting past experiences, he sought to actually bring them to life again by evoking in the reader the same sensations he experienced. Dreams and those memories which rise spontaneously from the unconscious (Involuntary Memories) would allow him to recover the past complete with all its sensations. He would tap his unconscious mind and bring forth impressions exactly as they were originally perceived. His life, his past would be recaptured and revived with every reading of his book.
Recommended Citation
Baroody, Barbara Alexander, "Memories and dreams : a Freudian look at Proust" (1974). Master's Theses. 369.
https://scholarship.richmond.edu/masters-theses/369