Swann's Way

"Swann's Way" is the first volume of "In Search of Lost Time," a major work of French literature written by Marcel Proust. This novel was first published in 1913. The entire series consists of seven volumes.
"Swann's Way" initiates the exploration of memory, time, and perception that is at the core of Proust's work. The novel tells the story of the narrator, a character who is not named, and his quest to understand his own life, memories, and relationship with time. The character of Charles Swann is also central to the plot, and the novel explores his romantic relationship with a woman named Odette.
Marcel Proust is famous for his intricate prose and meticulous exploration of memory and consciousness. "In Search of Lost Time" is considered one of the most significant literary works of the 20th century, and "Swann's Way" sets the foundation for this deep and introspective exploration that characterizes the entire series. It is studied for its innovative writing style and psychological depth.

Proust was born on 10 July 1871 at the home of his great-uncle in the Paris Borough of Auteuil (the south-western sector of the then-rustic 16th arrondissement), two months after the Treaty of Frankfurt formally ended the Franco-Prussian War. His birth took place at the very beginning of the French Third Republic, during the violence that surrounded the suppression of the Paris Commune, and his childhood corresponded with the consolidation of the Republic. Much of In Search of Lost Time concerns the vast changes, most particularly the decline of the aristocracy and the rise of the middle classes, that occurred in France during the fin de siècle.