PROuS'T'$ SOCIETY
to a
'latter-day Versailles, It was
a
habit ofirifud 'and ;attitude
that distorted his over-all' picture 'of society in three respectS. · '., '
In the first place, his society characters have a
haIdne~; ~
rudeness and a maliciousness that is more in keepirig
With
'a
crowded, jealous court than with life in a large city. When
Madame de Gallardon speaks to her cousin, Oriane, abOut
Swann; whom she knows to be the latter's dearest friend, she
says: "People do say about your M. Swann that he's the SOrt of
man one can't have in the house, is that true?" The author ex–
plains this ill-tempered outburst to a woman whose ' favor the
speaker is anxious to cultivate by describing the latter ,as .oneof
those persons who could never restrain her highest social ambi–
tions "to the immediate and secret satisfaction of saying some–
thing disagreeable." Now this is
all
very well, and one has
kI\o~;
plenty of Mesdames de Gallardon, but my trouble comes from
the·fact that
nobody
in Proust seems to be able to resiSt the temp.
tation to say something disagreeable. The air is mote the ar–
rogant air of Versailles than that of Paris within the -memory 6f
many still living. When the Baron de Charlus's friends come to'
Madame Verdurin's to hear Morel, their offensiveness is hard
to credit. Typical of the comments, Proust tells us, of each
duchess within the hearing of their hostess are: "Show
~e,
whieh is mother Verdurin; do you think
I
really need speak:to'
her? I do hope, at least, that she won't put my name in the'
paper tomorrow, nobody would ever speak to me again. What!
That woman with the white hair, but she looks quitepreseIit-'
able," or "Tell me, has there
ever
been a Monsieur Verdurin?"
Poor Odette, in her helpless old age, is treated even worse:,
. One constantly heard people say: 'I don't know if Madame de
Forcheville recognizes tne, perhaps 1 ought to be introduced
dVet
again.' 'You can ' dispense with that>' (sOmeone replied at the
top,
of-his voice, neither knowing nor caring that Gilberte's ' mother'
could .hear every word) ,'you won't' get
a~y '
fun out of
it.
.
She'S'
a bit daft.'
