Proustian Temptation: Narrative, Sexual, and Readerly Transgressions in la Recherche

Scholars continue to debate the relationship between the author and the narrator of A la recherche du temps perdu, but very few would argue against the temptation to conflate the two. This article examines the nature and implications of this enticement. As I argue here, the tendency to mistake the narrator for Proust, especially regarding his sexuality, can be attributed to the intersection of narrative, sexual, and readerly transgressions throughout la Recherche. I posit that Proust draws attention to his narrator's anonymous identity in passages that breach narrative and sexual conventions thereby tempting readers to participate in a transgressive reading of the text.