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Just below the surface of A la recherche du temps perdu by Marcel Proust, a theme is slightly distinguishable. As the work progresses, this theme becomes omnipresent, in the narrator under the guise of a wish; this theme is travel. / At first glance, it is the very movement of travelling (real and imaginary) which propels the text. Although all Proustian characters travel, the richness of this theme is most eloquently expressed in Marcel. For this character, travelling takes on many forms: dreamed, accomplished, and written; it becomes at once real and mythic. / It has often been said that the Recherche told the story of a literary career. Given this, it seems that the search for writing is an integral part of this narrative of travel. Let us say that the very construction of the story, which is more related to the imaginary than to a real description of Venice, emphasizes the transition of reading to writing. It is this passage we wish to illustrate in this master's thesis; for Marcel, the act of reading is intimately connected to his desire of travel.

Based on Thorstein Veblen's Theory of the Leisure Class, this thesis gives an interpretation of Marcel Proust's A la recherche du temps perdu. Published in 1899, the Theory proposes a sociological analysis of the economical and social American elite, from 1850 to 1900, a time of major capitalistic expansion in the United States. Veblen's concepts of leisure and conspicuous consumption allow us to demonstrate how each character in Proust's novel distinguishes itself in a context of social rivalry. Referring to Pierre Bourdieu's theory, various conspicuous social practices are analyzed according to the social milieu of La Recherche from which they originated. Therefore, Mme Verdurin's upper middle class perception of reality confronts the aristocratic ethic embodied by the duchesse de Guermantes. In the conclusion of the thesis, we acknowledge the predominant sociological aspect of La Recherche, which is however only one of the many underlying elements of Proust's technique of fiction.

Thesis (M.A.)--Simon Fraser University, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 105-107).

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2007. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 222-226). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Rutgers University, 2009. / "Graduate Program in French." Includes bibliographical references (p. 439-442).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1999. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (p. 210-213).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 203-219).