Beskrivning
Certainly M. de Laléande, who is probably leading a very banal life on the beach at Biarritz, indulging in harmless dreams, would be very much astonished if he knew of this other existence of his, so miraculously intense that it subordinates everything to itself, annihilates everything that is not itself; if he knew that in Madame de Breyves’ soul he enjoyed an existence as continuous as his own personal existence, manifested just as effectively in actions, differing only in its heightened consciousness, less intermittent, more abundant.
After a brief conversation at a social party, Madame de Breyves, a young widow recently reintegrated into society, develops a passion for one of the guests, Monsieur de Laléande. To her great misfortune, she learns a few days later that he has left town for several months. Marcel Proust explores the poetry of fantasy and nostalgia linked to missed opportunities in life.
