The Captive: Remembrance of Things Past - Volume 5

By: Marcel Proust

Narrated by: Neville Jason

Remembrance of Things Past is one of the monuments of 20th-century literature. Neville Jason’s widely praised abridged version has rightly become an audiobook landmark and now, after numerous requests, he is recording the whole work unabridged which, when complete, will run for some 140 hours. The Captive is the fifth of seven volumes. The Narrator’s obsessive love for Albertine makes her virtually a captive in his Paris apartment. He suspects she may be attracted to her own sex.

Download the accompanying reference guide.Public Domain (P)2012 Naxos AudioBooks

Outstanding

Would you listen to The Captive: Remembrance of Things Past - Volume 5 again? Why?

Remembrance of Things Past is one of the two or three best books ever written. It is full of social, pyschological, socio-economic, quality life, and meaning of death insights. For these reasons this book can be reread many times in a life and discover something new each time. Proust was truly inspired when he wrote these volumes

What other book might you compare The Captive: Remembrance of Things Past - Volume 5 to and why?

Proust compares to many existential novelists, for example Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Camus.

Have you listened to any of Neville Jason’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Neville Jason interpretation and presentation is perfect.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

You can't make this book into a film would be the tag line. Alternatively ... skip the film, read!

Any additional comments?

Proust's writing is beautiful and his insights of life and death breath-taking.

Superb…as Always!

Proust is simply extraordinary. As in all the other segments of Remembrance of Things Past, he is a master of language and plot and character. His ability to develop images through words of memories, experiences, visions, and observations is, I strongly believe, unmatched in literature.

I loved the many experiences here of trying to understand what Proust meant by the idea of being a captive. It’s plenty rich.

Everything is superb in this reading, including, of course, Neville Jason’s narration. He has created a special thing of beauty in all these segments of Remembrance that he has narrated.

If you’re up to it, Remembrance is up to you!

Story translation and reader are excellent

Proust is inexhaustible as Maugham said. Philosophy art music human emotions are all there. This is my second time

Excellent reading of The Captive

This is volume 5 in a 7 volume series comprising the entire novel "In Search of Lost Time". The Narrator, consumed with jealousy (reminiscent of Swann's jealousy in V1: Swann's Way) because he suspects his GF of seeing both other men and other women, has her living in her own room in his family's apartment. Since both of his parents are often absent, this sounds like an ideal set-up for a lusty lad except that the presence of eagle-eyed Francoise, the old family servant, cramps his style. He does manage to treat her as a virtual prisoner by controlling where she goes and whom she sees while she tries to circumvent his restrictions. Our hero continues his excursions into Paris society, where he now has friends and acquaintances at the highest levels, and continues his observations on human nature, painting, music and love. Proust, as always, remains witty and perceptive. This story is well worth the time required to listen to it.

Neville Jason's reading is a pleasure to listen to. He was a great voice actor, which makes it easier to identify the characters. it was quite an undertaking to read at 1.25 million words for all 7 volumes. (If all 7 volumes are not available when you read this, please put in a request for the missing volumes to Audible.)

Today, Scott Moncrieff's title "Remembrance of Things Past" has been updated to "In Search of Lost Time", a better translation of the original French. Moncrieff's translation of what is perhaps the greatest twentieth-century novel was a work of art in itself, but the translation included some errors and is out of date. I recommend obtaining William C. Carters translation of this volume in paperback from Yale Press to read or browse (or just use the enlightening notes) when it becomes available, but this is still a great recording.

Many payoffs, long great scene

Don’t believe the negative critical hype on this one. If you get discouraged, read the Albertine Workout by Anne Carson. It’s genius and mostly about this volume. One of the best set piece party scenes with Charlus, and several important threads come together here. My feeling is take it in a gulp. I let myself pause too often, but when I kept momentum, I really enjoyed this one.

Time Remembered Incomplete but we have five vol.

I hope that one day the last two volumes will be added to complete this invaluable treasure of our culture. Scott Moncrief's translation of Proust is the finest English ever written. The reader is excellent. One quibble: when other than Proust French author's are quoted, their words are recited in French! If I could understand French I would get the work in French.

fabulous continuation

This book is a fabulous continuation of the previous books. But as relationships go, the protagonist is an idiot, a controlling awful terrible person. His insecurities resolve in a fashion that is at times downright cruel. of course the manipulative liar Albertine, who stays with him for all the attention, opportunities and expensive outfits she could never afford otherwise is driving him mad with her lies. But he controls her every mood!

A standout performance

Always an excellent narration, Neville Jason delivers a stand-out performance in this volume, The Captive.

Reviews of Books Past

Review #1 (The Capitol)

This is the fifth volume of Proust's In Search of Lost Time/Remembrance of Things Past. In the Captive, Proust's narrator is concerned about who Obama is in love with. The ardor of Speaker Boehner is face-to-face with the serenity of the House's hatred. The happiness that Congress knows is impossible, their fear that they will be rejected in the next election, faces the narrator with a dilemma -- does he leave the President he thinks he loves, or stay with the President he now ceases to love. The Fall, like the Spring of 17 years before, forces the narrator to shut government down to stir his soul to remind him of a vivid more pronounced period. Thinking of Gingrich, Boehner grips his heart in his hands as he discovers that the President has fled and left him alone, all alone, a captive in his own disgraced and ruined House.

Review #2 (The Bedroom)

Like being stuck in bed, in a full-body cast, at home with your mother as caregiver. You adore her. She is funny, attentive and her house dress smells like your childhood (well, a musty, blurry version of your childhood). Mother Proust cooks you all sorts of nice sweet things, but your childhood bedroom AND bed just seem to get smaller and smaller after just the second word and immediately after the first bedpan.

Second favorite volume in In Search of Lost Time

Perhaps one of the lesser read volumes but one of the most emotionally interesting. The narrator grows hot and cold with Albertine while Morel and Charlus do the same. If this were wrestling, we'd say this volume contains a few heel turns.