Cars, Trains, Planes and Proust

The occasions conventionally referred to as expériences proustiennes are only the ultimate solutions to the problems posed by time. Analogous experiences of a lower order occur frequently throughout A la recherche du temps perdu, and one such experience is traveling. Cars and trains offer differing and ultimately complementary kinds of similarities to the moments bienheureux. Because of the intimate connection between the expérience proustienne and art, there is also an important connection between the experience of traveling and art. This is made especially clear in the three scenes in which Marcel spies airplanes in the skies above him. (CA)