Signs in Marcel Proust: a Matter of Vision

Abstract

This essay introduces the volume Marcel Proust and Signification, published by the journal E|C on the occasion of the centenary of Proust’s death. The first section, “Proust rediscovered”, interrogates the duration of the Recherche in time beyond this anniversary, with a view to rethinking Proust's work within a semiotic framework. The second section, “The Truth of Signs”, proposes a theoretical itinerary through some particularly relevant readings of an essential theme of the Recherche: the relationship between signs and vision. Through comparison of theories from different disciplinary fields, this section focuses on the search for truth in Proust's work. The final section, “Theories, Reworkings, Mythologies”, presents the three main thematic axes of the volume, illuminating the interartistic and intermedial dimension of the reception of Proust's work.