Based on a specific episode from Marcel Proust's novel “In Search of Lost Time”, the article examines one of the features of the writer's artistic language related to
the implementation of his aesthetic principles. It is about the problem of perception and artistic representation of the external world by the “inner self” of a person. The importance of realizing and preserving deep experiences of reality for Proust is due to the fact that, in his opinion, they form the essence and meaning of personal existence. The “external self” of a person, existing in the present tense, being constantly in contact with phenomena and objects of objective reality, generates an experience of the moment of the «inner self», based on visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory and tactile sensations, which in turn generate sensory impressions that form an emotional image on a subconscious level. The sphere of consciousness seeks to define its meaning, to put it into words, to “give it a Name”. Such naming presupposes the connection of the interaction that arose in this way with the specific external objects that gave rise to it. Due to the specific character of the coexistence of the “inner” and “outer” selves, many fragments of deep life are “forgotten” after a while, but they continue to remain in the subconscious. The finding of “lost” moments of the life of the “inner self” involves a complex process — the restoration of their Name through “involuntary memory”, In connection with this, another problem arises — the difficulty of translating the Proustian text into Russian.
For citation: Taganov A.N. “Opaque” words in the structure of Marcel Proust's novel “In Search of Lost Time”, Ivanovo State University Bulletin, Series: Humanities, 2025, iss. 4, pp. 39—45.