The Fugitive (Remembrance of Things Past)
In The Fugitive, the seventh volume of Proust's classic  Remembrance of Things Past, the focus is grief. The plot is  superficially simple: Albertine, the narrator's mistress, has  left him; he considers his love for her, her reasons for  departure, what response(s) he should make, and his life. He  makes several attempts to manipulate her return; when it becomes  impossible, he mourns and remembers the past. This series is a  pseudoautobiographical study of the author's own self-centered,  physically restricted, self-reflective life in pre-World War I  France. In Time Regained, the final volume, Proust gathers  together all the themes of the previous seven. The narrator pays  several visits to Paris, during and after the war, observing the  military and nonmilitary behaviors of old and new acquaintances.  Later, he is shocked to recognize that they and he have become  old. Finally, his thoughts turn to former events, old loves, and  reliving his experiences through writing. The author is known  for his complicated thought patterns and recurring, interwoven  themes. Unfortunately, both the abridgment and the format  compound these textual difficulties. There is likely to be  little demand for this abridged French classic in translation,  unless it is made into a movie. Neville Jason has a beautiful  voice and an obvious love for the text. Recommended for large  academic and public libraries. I. Pour-El, Iowa State Univ.  Lib., AmesCopyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to theAudio Cassetteedition.