In Search of Lost Time · Chapter
III explained
The narrator reflects on the complex relationship between M.
What happens
The narrator reflects on the complex relationship between M. de Charlus and the violinist Morel, observing the dynamics of love, jealousy, and social vanity. He also describes his own preoccupation with Albertine during his travels, contrasting his pursuit of phantoms with the fixed values of society. The chapter includes a discussion among the Verdurin salon about Balzac, with Brichot and Cottard offering contrasting views.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Jealousy
M. de Charlus's obsessive love for Morel is marked by jealousy and suffering, as he endures the violinist's public humiliations and cruelties.
Desire and Illusion
The narrator reflects on his pursuit of phantoms—creatures whose reality exists largely in his imagination—highlighting the illusory nature of desire.
Social Class and Snobbery
Morel values his artistic reputation over nobility, while M. de Charlus's vanity is tied to his aristocratic status and his desire to associate with talent.
Characters to notice
- Baron de Charlus
Deeply in love with Morel, he endures the violinist's cruelties and public humiliations, yet continues to pursue him with increasing desperation.
- Charles Morel
The violinist displays a mix of pride and shame towards M. de Charlus, often treating him with irritation and contempt while valuing his artistic reputation above nobility.
- Marcel
The narrator reflects on his own tendency to pursue phantoms, particularly Albertine, and contrasts his inner life with the social world around him.
- Albertine Simonet
She is waiting for the narrator at Saint-Jean de la Haise, where she paints, and he thinks of her constantly during his travels.
- Doctor Cottard
Participates in the salon discussion with puns and skeptical remarks about philosophy and literature, showing his characteristic wit.
- Brichot
Engages in a debate with M. de Charlus about Balzac, criticizing the author's style while defending his own literary tastes.
Key passages
“Fashionable people, when they are in love and whatever the nature of their love, apply their vanity to anything that may destroy the anterior advantages from which their vanity would have derived satisfaction.”
Socially prominent individuals in love redirect their vanity toward whatever undermines their previous sources of pride.
This observation applies to M. de Charlus's relationship with Morel, where his aristocratic vanity is subordinated to his love for a commoner.
“It reminded me that it was my fate to pursue only phantoms, creatures whose reality existed to a great extent in my imagination.”
The narrator realizes he is destined to chase illusions, beings that are largely products of his own mind.
This reflects the narrator's self-awareness about his pattern of idealizing and pursuing unattainable figures like Albertine.