[Sunday Salon] : The ‘Proust Questionnaire’

With Thursday’s ‘Proustian epiphany’ still fresh in my mind, and my ‘patient’ wait for the books to arrive continuing, you can imagine there’s still a lot of Proust fever going on in my head at the moment. My regular reading of course continues, but in the moments of ‘downtime’ I seem inclined to set off on an eager hunt to find out as much information as I can on Marcel Proust.

It was during one of these online forays yesterday that I discovered something known as the ‘Proust Questionnaire’. On first impressions this sounds like a ‘how much do you know about Proust?” kind of thing, but it’s really nothing of the kind. Instead the Proust Questionnaire is more a series of soul-searching and often profound (sometimes even daft) personal questions ; questions which Marcel Proust himself answered during his lifetime (which has apparently been authenticated by the existence of an original manuscript detailing Proust’s answers). The back pages of Vanity Fair now regularly host the Proust Questionnaire with answers provided by various celebrities.

So I thought I’d use the opportunity of this week’s Sunday Salon both to highlight the Proust Questionnaire for anyone who isn’t aware of it, and may be interested in it (which I’m sure loads of you will – Proust fan or not), and to share my own answers to the questions.

I’ve found various sources for the Proust Questionnaire online, but the best seems to be either the one hosted at the hoelder1in.org website, which, aside from showing Proust’s original responses, allows for online submission and archiving, or a more simplified version to be found on the Vanity Fair website, which also has a nice archive of celebrity responses waiting to be browsed through.

So without delaying the excitement any longer (Hey wake up! )), here’s the rundown on my own rather simplistic responses to the questions posed in the Proust Questionnaire (I went with the more ‘original’ version which, along with Proust’s responses I’ve rather cheekily reproduced here). If you do happen to complete the Questionnaire yourself, then please let me know because I’d love to read your own answers. Meantime, I hope you enjoy mine (provided boredom doesn’t set in before you reach the end )):

1. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Not having the mental or physical health to continue in my quest for knowledge. [Proust: To be separated from Mama]
2. Where would you like to live? Two places of wildly different contrast – Bang in the middle of New York (preferably Brooklyn), or in an isolated cottage in the middle of the wilderness. [Proust: In the country of the Ideal, or, rather, of my ideal]
3. What is your idea of earthly happiness? To be surrounded by those I love, along with countless rows of bookshelves (and maybe an endless supply of Turkish Delight too )). [Proust: To live in contact with those I love, with the beauties of nature, with a quantity of books and music, and to have, within easy distance, a French theater]
4. To what faults do you feel most indulgent? Taking on too many things at once. Being easily distracted by other asides, and to a lesser degree – procrastination! [Proust: To a life deprived of the works of genius]
5. Who are your favorite heroes of fiction? Strangely my heroes are the ones who perhaps are not considered to be heroes at all. These are the characters usually struggling to cope in the face of adversity, so characters such as the unnamed writer in Hamsun’s Hunger, or the Joad family in Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath would fit the bill. [Proust: Those of romance and poetry, those who are the expression of an ideal rather than an imitation of the real]
6. Who are your favorite characters in history? There are many whom I admire, perhaps too many to list. But among those who inspire me most would be – Leonardo Da Vinci (for his creative genius and insatiable thirst for knowledge), Christopher Columbus (for his courage and incredible sense of adventure) and John Steinbeck, just for being John Steinbeck ). [Proust: A mixture of Socrates, Pericles, Mahomet, Pliny the Younger and Augustin Thierry]
7. Who are your favorite heroines in real life? Those who stand up and achieve what they want from their life (whether that be dynamic Arctic explorer or mother and homemaker), without buying into any of this ‘subservience to man’ nonsense. [Proust: A woman of genius leading an ordinary life]
8. Who are your favorite heroines of fiction? Rather shockingly I’m not too familiar at this point with that many female ‘heroes’ in fiction. I suppose the most heroic would be those considered independent and stoic under pressure, and the only one I can think of who fits that bill, is Ma Joad (from Grapes of Wrath). [Proust: Those who are more than women without ceasing to be womanly; everything that is tender, poetic, pure and in every way beautiful]
9. Your favorite painter? Undoubtedly Spanish painter Joan Miró. Although I generally shy away from any form of modernist art, there’s something vibrant, refreshing and hugely inspiring about his work, that touches me deeply. [Proust: Meissonier]
10. Your favorite musician? I’m sorry to copy Proust on this one but Mozart is undoubtedly the undisputed master for me. His music helps me to think more clearly and relax more deeply, than anything else I’ve ever tried. I probably owe both of my degrees more to Mozart than anyone of anything else. [Proust: Mozart]
11. The quality you most admire in a man? Humility. [Proust: Intelligence, moral sense]
12. The quality you most admire in a woman? Resilience. [Proust: Gentleness, naturalness, intelligence]
13. Your favorite virtue? Gaining achievement in a silent and non-boastful manner. [Proust: All virtues that are not limited to a sect: the universal virtues]
14. Your favorite occupation? Reading, writing, gaining knowledge. [Proust: Reading, dreaming, and writing verse]
15. Who would you have liked to be? I would not have liked to have been anyone but myself. I would have liked the opportunity of others, such as the fourteenth-century Islamic explorer Ibn Battutah’s freedom to roam, or da Vinci’s freedom to learn, but I would have wished for these opportunities as my own person. [Proust: Since the question does not arise, I prefer not to answer it. All the same, I should very much have liked to be Pliny the Younger.]
16. Your most marked characteristic? Curiosity and an obvious passion for reading. [Proust: A craving to be loved, or, to be more precise, to be caressed and spoiled rather than to be admired]
17. What do you most value in your friends? Honesty, trust and respect. [Proust: Tenderness - provided they possess a physical charm which makes their tenderness worth having]
18. What is your principle defect? Not always maintaining focus in the things I do. [Proust: Lack of understanding; weakness of will]
19. What to your mind would be the greatest of misfortunes? To lose the ability to think for myself. [Proust: Never to have known my mother or my grandmother]
20. What would you like to be? The type of person who always leaves a positive lasting affect on others (I’m working on it )). [Proust: Myself - as those whom I admire would like me to be]
21. What is your favorite color? Orange – Vibrant! Stimulating! Electrifying! [Proust: Beauty lies not in colors but in their harmony]
22. What is your favorite flower? – Snowdrops, because their arrival marks the onset of Spring, which to me is Nature’s time of renewal, of fresh hope and opportunity (wow check me out talking all Proust-y )). [Proust: Hers - but apart from that, all]
23. What is your favorite bird? – It’s easy to say an eagle because of their majestic resonance, but the fact is they are probably my favourite bird, and for that reason. [Proust: The swallow]
24. Who are your favorite prose writers? Need you ask? ) John Steinbeck first and foremost, but you can also add Chekhov and Hemingway to the list, and it looks like Proust will soon be making his way onto it too. [Proust: At the moment, Anatole France and Pierre Loti]
25. Who are your favorite poets? Poetry is a form that has never moved me to any great degree, although I have memories of being somewhat moved by the war poetry of Siegfried Sassoon. [Proust: Baudelaire and Alfred de Vigny]
26. Who are your heroes in real life? Anyone who triumphs in the face of adversity, and all who have the profound ability to enlighten others. [Proust: Monsieur Darlu, Monsieur Boutroux (professors)]
27. Who are your favorite heroines of history? Elizabeth I for the level of respect she built as Sovereign and the incredible presence she projected, and Joan of Arc for her inherent qualities of fortitude and determination. [Proust: Cleopatra]
28. What are your favorite names? A bizarre question which I don’t quite know how to answer. My favourite word though, has got to be ‘vanilla’ ) [Proust: I only have one at a time]
29. What is it you most dislike? Rudeness! Inconsideration! Arrogance! – with a passion! [Proust: My own worst qualities]
30. What historical figures do you most despise? One would obviously have to say all those considered to be architects of genocide such as Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Milosevic et al. [Proust: I am not sufficiently educated to say]
31. What event in military history do you most admire? The ‘defeat’ of the Persians at Thermopylae (for the bravery of the Spartans and the consequences of the victory), Hannibal’s defeat of the Romans at Cannae (for Hannibal’s genius and sheer audacity), or the Battle of Stalingrad (simply because of its sheer ferocity and utter desperation). [Proust: My own enlistment as a volunteer!]
32. What natural gift would you most like to possess? The ability to easily absorb and remember everything I learn. [Proust: Will power and irresistible charm]
33. How would you like to die? Having lived a full and fruitful life with few regrets. [Proust: A better man than I am, and much beloved]
34. What is your present state of mind? Contented but uncertain for what the future holds. [Proust: Annoyance at having to think about myself in order to answer these questions]
35. What is your motto? Live every day as though it’s your last. [Proust: I prefer not to say, for fear it might bring me bad luck]

That’s the lot folks, and remember if you complete the ‘Proust Questionnaire’ drop me a line so I can read it.

See you next Sunday, Saloners!

**This post has been specifically written for Sunday Salon participation**