A Conversation About Proust and Food with Nathalie Ferrier
Tuesdays from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Castle Hill in Truro.
Class dates: Oct. 22, 29, Nov. 5, 12. No class on Nov. 19.
…D’où avait pu me venir cette puissante joie? Je sentais qu’elle était liée au goût du gâteau, mais qu’elle le dépassait infiniment, ne devait pas être de même nature. D’où venait-elle? Que signifiait-elle? Où l’appréhender?
Whence could it have come to me, this all-powerful joy? I sensed that it was connected with the taste of the tea and the cake, but that it infinitely transcended those savours, could, no, indeed, be of the same nature. Whence did it come? What did it mean? How could I seize and apprehend it?...
This course is a conversation about Proust, his time and the power of food memories. The course will be taught both in English and French. In order to enjoy the course fully, it is recommended that you have a solid knowledge of French, since we will be reading excerpts from Proust’s books, first in French and then in English.
In addition to reading Proust and learning about the times in which he lived and wrote, we will be learning about the history of the French cake called the madeleine, catalyst for Proust’s evocation of his past. We will also learn to bake this cake. While we bake and taste this treat we can discuss what constitutes your own “madeleine.” What kind of revelations have you experienced from food?
Because of the dual nature of our class—both reading Proust and baking together—this course will meet for 4 sessions of 2 hours 30 minutes each on Tuesdays from 10:30 a.m. to l p.m.
October 22: Baking madeleine and tasting. History of the madeleine.
October 29: Proust’s biography.
November 5: History of the period: literature and art.
November 12: History of the period: literature and art, part 2.
Suggested Readings:
Swann’s Way. by Marcel Proust.
Du Côté de Chez Swann, by MarcelProust.
Proust par Lui-même, by Claude Mauriac.