So this volume I spent all night reading - yet again. I'm really tired, but it was well worth it. Also, I'm having a re-read of Go Tell it on the Mountain by James Baldwin. It's great. This volume was a little more mundane than the others and felt generally shorter. Also, for some reason - some books put Volume 5 and 6 together in Volume 5. I can see why, but then again I don't.
Characters:
There are now marriages taking place, but now my favourite character is Aime. Aime is sent to search for Albertine and find out what she is doing. Aime reports back with the fact that Albertine is in Balbec with friends. It is quite depressing that the narrator is so desperate to find out what happened to Albertine. He spends most of this volume lamenting their relationship.
Themes:
The theme of love is quite prominent and we can see that love is making the narrator almost lose his own mind. His wife took off to Balbec and isn't coming back - he spends his time sad about her loss - he also asks someone to spy on her and find out where she is. We can see that the narrator may not have shown very much love to Albertine herself, but he does care about her whereabouts. I seriously don't know whether I should dislike the narrator as much as I do.
Storyline:
The storyline to this volume is all about marriages and arrangements. Swann is marrying Saint-Loup (I think), but Saint-Loup is having an affair with Morel. We also find out why Albertine left the narrator - it was because her aunt wanted another man for her. Oh dear.
Verdict:
I give this volume 8/9.
2/3 for characters: Albertine wasn't in it enough.
100% for themes: Th continuation of themes without overusing them is a forte of Proust.
100% for storyline: It was hard to keep up with names - but I think I got there in the end.
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