Du côté de la couleur proustienne

Abstract

In this paper I present some aspects of the multi-faced “chromatic” universe of Proust’s Recherche. Colour is not only a major theme in Proust’s masterpiece, but also a philosophical topic for the first person narrator, reflecting the “chiasm” between visible and invisible, as Merleau-Ponty points out. Finally, colour is a stylistic device in Proust’s prose, showing pictorial and literary models superimposed on his intricate style.
Another way of showing colours in the novel is the practice of allusion: by the repetition of the same structures in complex sentences, or by the use of synonyms, Proust makes reference to colours without mentioning them. The fusion of colour in style is the ultimate example of the Proustian metamorphosis process from reality to language.