2022: XXIV
Articoli

La marquise d’Hervey de Saint-Denys dans la Recherche: une tromperie mondaine sous le changement onomastique?

Ludovico Monaci
Università di Padova, Université Grenoble Alpes

Pubblicato 2022-11-08

Parole chiave

  • anthroponyms,
  • Proust,
  • À la recherché du temps perdu,
  • Hervey de Saint- Denys,
  • princesse d’Orvillers,
  • princesse de Nassau
  • ...Più
    Meno
  • anthroponyms,
  • Proust,
  • À la recherché du temps perdu,
  • Hervey de Saint- Denys,
  • princesse d’Orvillers,
  • princesse de Nassau
  • ...Più
    Meno

Abstract

This contribution focuses on the names of a marginal character of Proust’s À la recherche du temps perdu. In Sodome et Gomorrhe, the hero meets the Princesse d’Orvillers; in Le Temps retrouvé, the same character is named Princesse de Nassau. I will first address the analogies between the fictional figure and the real-life inspiration, the Marquise d’Hervey. In order to outline the princess’ personality, I will investigate the textual genesis of the episodes in which this character appears. The combined analysis of extradiegetic and intradiegetic portraits of the marquise/princess will show that the variation in her surname is related to historical and fictional issues.