Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Dr. Harris
23 September 2018
Proust demands original, exemplary living from his readers. His words reveal
how frequently blind people are to the seemingly “little details”- the sound of gravel
crunching beneath their feet, a bird walking on its two legs rather than flying, or the tinge
of pain upon seeing the sun gleaming off a newly cleaned car. After reading Proust, life
reflects the light it was once too dim to reflect. Alain de Botton crafts his book on Proust
around these very ideas. In another chapter, de Botton attaches the power of language
to our perception- using Proust’s own words to then dethrone the cliché. This chapter
bothers me. I am now aware of each word I say- if any phrase or saying is unoriginal, I
begin to think about how I could express the sentiment in my own words. This attention
to the words said seems to parallel Proust’s ideas about taking time and noticing little
pleasures. How Proust Can Change Your Life reminds the reader “how vulnerable much
Proust’s belief in the power of words to affect perception requires careful choices
in each word used. de Botton writes, “Clichés are detrimental insofar as they inspire us
to believe that they adequately describe a situation while merely grazing its surface.
And if this matters, it is because the way we speak is ultimately linked to the way we
feel” (88). This realization holds many implications for the way life is to be lived. I
as “ah, he just woke up on the wrong side of the bed.” Instead of processing my
experiences for myself, using the context I have available, little idioms like this allowed
being. The thought that these sayings can merely graze the surface of a situation is fully
realised later in the book when de Botton interjects “we are obliged to create our own
language, it is because there are dimensions to ourselves absent from clichés” (95).
Dimensions absent- layers removed- a situation without its saying. Upon reading this
statement, I internalized that clichés hinder language and our world perception. The
question arose: how can I experience life for myself if I can only see it through someone
else’s words? I cannot. This abbreviation of language (and thereby impression of life)
cripples me.
Proust writes about the brevity in everyday life. A flower beside the path walked, the
confusing drop of rain from a clear sky, or the static character of the deep darkness in a
bedroom all deserve our attention and due time to understand and cherish their poetic
nature. Proust used the slogan “n’allez pas trop vite” (don’t go too fast) to inform this
area of his philosophy. While reading de Botton’s book, I also began reading the first
simplest objects strip away the ordinary thoughts and expose deeper truths hidden in
plain sight. The level of observation and further understanding needs time to mature as
a skill; however, once this skill is developed, the ability to dismiss notions creates a
broader understanding and appreciation for each person, place, and thing. I began to
comprehend that not going too fast also applied to the use of language. Each cliché
steals meaning from the experience I manifest. Each moment skipped over steals a
truth I could derive. Proust’s ideas primarily tie to the belief that life demands time and
The life Proust encourages his readers to live is a thoughtful and engaging one.
In his writings, he creates arguments by simply presenting how beautiful and meaningful
life was for him. de Botton then takes Proust’s brilliant ideas and helps the readers of
How Proust Can Change Your Life apply them in the specific areas of their lives.