Book Review: "How Proust Can Change Your Life" by Alain de Botton

A while ago, I read A Therapeutic Journey by Alain de Botton and reviewed the writing style as being something to be admired. In his book How Proust Can Change Your Life, he details the importance of reading the works of one of the greatest writers of the modern age. We get insights into the strange writer's own life, the details of exercise from his own father and the way in which Marcel Proust himself lived life unconventionally - going through money like water. As we move through the book, there are hints and helper points when it comes to reading Proust - what we should be looking for and how we are meant to find ourselves within his works are just as important as the story we are reading.

First, we must accept that In Search of Lost Time is as much a self-explorative text as it is a piece of important literature. Through the little observations on human nature in the text, we are forced to confront our own little habits and so, this book's author (who is also known for his therapy ideas) draws this parallel between Proust's novel and modern mindfulness practices. The book asks us to commit to acts of emotional intelligence as we attempt to understand Proust's relations with the people around him throughout the story. One the reasons for this is that Proust’s characters model a heightened sensitivity to detail in food, art, conversation, and memory. Our author argues that cultivating this type of attention enhances life, making ordinary experiences richer and more fulfilling. I am inclined to agree.

Alain de Botton makes a great argument about how In Search of Lost Time contrasts to modern life. Modern life advertises novelty and chases something new each time, yet Proust's novel urges us to pay attention to long-drawn out and often very slow scenes. Modern life's want for novelty often leads to shallow experiences that can be, after the fact, regrettably dull. Thus, we need something new next time and the time after that and so on and so forth. Appreciation requires time and deliberately slowing yourself down: noticing the texture of a meal, the nuance of a friend’s expression, or the emotions of music. The practice of attention is ethical and psychological: it strengthens empathy, deepens enjoyment, and cultivates gratitude for life’s often-overlooked moments.

I honestly think that this particular argument is more important now than it was when de Botton's book was first written. Now that there are so many distractions in which people are searching for the next hit of dopamine, we seem to have lost the art of slowing down and appreciating things. I would say if you would like to relearn how to, then this book is most likely aimed at you.

Anyone who has read any Proust knows that he exposes the ways people manipulate appearances to gain esteem, mask inadequacies, or assert superiority. He demonstrates the advantages of emotional intelligence and honesty, understanding that there is a universality behind social anxieties and pressures, something we can all be seen to have committed to in our lifetimes. If we acknowledge our responsibilities for authenticity whilst also accepting that we fall prey to some of these social pressures, we can not only live more like ourselves but we also prevent our personas unecessary sufferings and obstacles. Pretending to be someone you aren't is exhausting for anyone and is a short-term solution to a wider societal problem.

Proust definitely viewed solitude as the ultimate experience of human beings - one that allows us to reflect, learn and get better at recognising ourselves. Solitude is not isolation, but a space to develop one’s inner life and refine judgment. Proust's own solitude, de Botton states, allowed him to cultivate an emotional resilience yes, but it also allowed him to write a work like In Search of Lost Time. Therefore, we can assume that solitude is not only necessary in order for us to pursue creative talents, but it is also a skill with a purpose - a resource that does not mean failure. In our modern world, solitude often sounds like we have failed in social endeavours - but social endeavours aren't even half of our world. They matter less than we are lead to believe by the media.

Honestly, I would simply say read this book. It is short, it has some great points that matter more and more with each passing day and it teaches us about the lessons Proust littered into his best work. With slow appreciation, with dedication and with passions for literature and the arts - we can hopefully relearn something that is growing lost with our modern, more short-form-driven lives.