Creative Development in Marcel Proust's A La Recherche Du Temps Perdu

Jeffery Johnson, an independent Proust scholar with a creative and scientific background, studies development and empowerment of creativity in Marcel Proust's series of novels, In Search of Lost Time. He considers Proust's creative idealism as a driving factor in his Romantic conception of the origin of the work of art; Marcel's search for "lost time" as a search for spiritual unity; mind and body, identity and the cinematic view of life; how Marcel's lack of this unity drives the series of novels; involuntary genius; the autobiographic character of In Search of Lost Time; and how the concept of the "fourth dimension" provides Proust with a foundation for "writing in the dimension of Time." Johnson is also concerned with Proust's real-life inspiration for writing these novels. In the end Johnson argues that Proust shows how conscious awareness lies at the root of a full life as well as creative genius. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Jeffrey Johnson is an independent Proust scholar living and working in New York City. Although he has spent much of his adult life in creative practice, Johnson has a background as a trained scientist. He brings insights from both fields to his reading, thinking, and writing about Proust’s novel, A la recherche du temps perdu. Over the last several years, Johnson has presented papers at numerous conferences and given lectures and seminars on Proust in China and the United States. An article on Proust and the birth of the modern citizen appeared in the fall 2011 issue of the journal Nouvelles Francographies.