{"product_id":"in-the-shadow-of-girls-in-blossom-9780192845672","title":"In the Shadow of Girls in Blossom","description":"\u003cstrong\u003e'I was at one of those periods in youth--vacant, without any particular love object--when, like a lover seeing his beloved in all things, we desire, we seek, we see Beauty everywhere.'\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cem\u003eIn the Shadow of Girls in Blossom\u003c\/em\u003e, the second volume of Proust's\u003cem\u003e In Search of Lost Time\u003c\/em\u003e (1913-27), is a novel of exploration and (self-) discovery, continuing the story of the narrator's youth and adolescence. From the enclosed spaces of the \u003cem\u003efin-de-siècle\u003c\/em\u003e social world that revolves around Madame Swann, we move to the fictional town of Balbec on the Normandy coast, a place where the social classes intermingle with mutual fascination. Against the ever-changing backdrop of the sea--a constant reminder of beauty, mutability, and the vastness of the world beyond individual human affairs--the narrator encounters individuals who will shape his experience and indelibly colour his outlook on that world. He finds a friend in the aristocratic Robert de Saint-Loup and is perplexed by his enigmatic uncle the Baron de Charlus; he finds a tutelary figure in Elstir, the gifted, idiosyncratic painter; and in Albertine he comes to recognise the blossoming girl who will become the love--and the bane--of his life. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe novel provides a breath-taking illumination of what it is to encounter beauty and to seek to understand our relation to it, in people, in experiences, in art, or the landscape around us. An exploration of the thrills of infatuation, the fallibility of perception, and how desire builds and ebbs, the narrative prepares readers for the love affair that will define the narrator's future existence and shape the volumes of \u003cem\u003eIn Search of Lost Time\u003c\/em\u003e to come. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Marcel Proust, Adam Watt\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Oxford University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/12\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSeries:\u003c\/b\u003e Oxford World's Classics\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 576\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.9lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.68h x 5.20w x 1.02d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780192845672","brand":"Oxford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44189368483977,"sku":"9780192845672","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0636\/9240\/6921\/files\/img_8a5d2e51-3d9b-4ced-8d49-70fecfec3af0.jpg?v=1748926075","url":"https:\/\/sonsanddaughtersbooks.com\/products\/in-the-shadow-of-girls-in-blossom-9780192845672","provider":"Sons and Daughters Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}