Swann's Way: Combray: Marge Simpson: 08/21/09
I'm on my 8th week of reading Swann's Way (Du côté de chez Swann).

From pages 210-240 the novel finishes up with thoughts on the weather moving from beautiful sunsets to torrential rainstorms. Being cooped up makes everyone a little stir crazy.

Mostly though the young protagonist remembers Mlle. Vintueil. She goes against her dead father's wishes by carrying on an affair with a woman. The same sex love brings on thoughts on sadism and the nature of evil.

Now by the lesbianism alone I could have gone with Lois or Meg Griffin but this quote had me turning for a second time to Marge Simpson: "Sadists of Mlle Vintueil's sort are creatures so purely sentimental , so naturally virtuous, that even sensual pleasures appears to them as something bad, the prerogative of the wicked." (p. 231). Lois is never apologetic for her actions. Marge though is constantly taking the side of the virtuous.

The thoughts on Mlle Vintueil's personality and her transformation into something evil made me wonder about Bart Simpson and where he gets his evil tendencies from. In the early episodes it was implied that his bad boy ways were the juvenile version of Homer's antics. Now though I'm wondering if Marge is hiding something in her over done virtue.

Previous posts: Lisa's First Word, Baby Mine, I Sing the Body Electric, The Lady in Pink, Bleeding Gums Murphy, Caturday, Cherry Blossoms.

books | fiction | Marcel Proust | 1913

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