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CHAPTER 8 The Cosmos Builder Heat Becomes Light T h e da y of revelations begins when th e Narrator, o n his way to a reception a t th e Guermantes' s tow n house , enter s th e courtyar d and literally stumbles upon th e key to his quest i n the form o f an uneven pavin g ston e simila r t o th e on e h e ha d trippe d ove r i n Venice, Suddenl y image s o f th e Italia n cit y wel l u p befor e hi m and alternate with th e view o f his actual surroundings. Thi s tim e he i s determined t o fin d ou t wha t lie s behind th e phenomeno n of involuntary memor y H e continue s t o roc k back an d fort h o n the stone , concentratin g an d tryin g t o understan d thi s myster y The Narrator , a s resolute a s Jacob wrestlin g wit h th e angel , wil l not releas e the stone until he has solved the riddle o f this experi ence . Rememberin g tha t h e experience d th e sam e feelin g o f felicity from th e madelein e episode , h e ask s himself : "Mai s pourquoi le s images d e Combra y e t d e Venise m'avaient-elles , a Tun e t a Pautre moment, donn e un e joie pareille a une certitude , et suffisante , san s autre s preuves , a m e rendr e l a mor t indif ferente ?" (Ill , 867). At such moments he is freed from the presen t and exist s outsid e o f time : "Seu l [l'etr e extra-temporel ] avai t l e pouvoir d e m e fair e retrouve r le s jours anciens , l e temp s perdu , devant quo i le s effort s d e m a memoir e e t d e mo n intelligenc e echouaient toujours " (III , 871) . Th e revelation s h e i s abou t t o receive an d th e reassertio n o f hi s wil l empowe r hi m t o write . This i s th e ultimat e goa l o f hi s quest , th e momen t whe n th e 207 208 TH E PROUSTIAN QUEST sickly, nervous, insecure , an d inep t Narrato r i s about t o become , at last, the cosmo s builder.1 The artist' s abilit y t o recaptur e th e pas t an d cas t i t i n a work o f art was foreshadowed i n the madeleine episod e as well as other experience s involvin g involuntar y memor y Thes e epipha nies occur fortuitously throughou t th e novel, but in the last multiple serie s occurrin g nea r th e en d o f hi s ques t the y creat e a crescendo effect , heraldin g th e moment whe n h e come s int o ful l possession o f his artistic powers . Thes e "moment s bienheureux, " which releas e th e permanen t bu t normall y hidde n essenc e o f things, ar e characterize d by a sensation o f joy cause d by the feel ing that death has been vanquished. After experiencin g the depth s of despair, the Narrator-Lazarus i s brought back to life as a creator through th e celestia l nourishment2 provide d by thes e epiphanies : "notre vrai moi qui, parfois depuis longtemps, semblait mort, mais qui n e Petai t pa s entierement , s'eveille , s'anim e e n recevan t l a celeste nourriture qu i lui es t apportee" (III , 873) . He wil l inter pret thes e epiphanie s a s proof o f laws and idea s he mus t conver t into a work o f ar t (III , 879) , realizin g tha t literatur e i s the sol e means o f regainin g los t time . Th e Narrato r no w see s tha t th e experience o f hi s lif e i s th e subjec t o f hi s futur e work : "Ains i toute m a...

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