Proust's Duchess: How Three Celebrated Women Captured the Imagination of Fin-de-Siècle Paris

This dense nonfiction explores the lives of three women who Proust used as a composite to create his famous character, the Duchess of Guermantes, in [In Search of Lost Time]. Having recently read this novel, I knew I had to read this as soon as I saw it had been published.

The three women, Geneviève Bizet Straus, Laure de Chevigné, and Élisabeth Greffulhe, (I've shortened their names and titles significantly for convenience!) were staples of the French monde. They were known for their beauty and dominance of society. They were significantly different from each other, and Weber does a wonderful job of bringing them each to life separately. They do have things in common, such as loveless marriages, sometimes even abusive, and a show more shallowness that likely came with their focus on being popular. These traits were central to Proust's novel.

Geneviève Straus's first husband was the composer Bizet of Carmen fame. When he died young she never forgot him despite remarrying. She was an opium user, had a facial tick, and would often entertain in a comfortable but risque nightgown.

Laure de Chevigné was a descendant of the Marquis de Sade. She had an interesting way of speaking, using made up slang and also pursued typically male pursuits like hunting and putting herself in male circles.

Élisabeth Greffulhe was probably the most stereotypical example of a mondain superstar. She consistently made a splash at every ball with her eccentric and beautiful costumes. She gathered men to her, always having many men declaring love for her while she kept them at a distance. It seems she rarely if ever consummated any of these relationships, simply wanting the attention and adoration. She was a beauty, often compared to a swan and painted by many famous artists of the time.

Proust met these three in the order I've described them, at first being obsessed with meeting them and then becoming disillusioned with how boring he found their salons. Weber has written a book that strikes a great balance of describing these women and their lives with source material and also connecting them to Proust's famous novel as characters. She gets the balance between analyzing the book and separating these women from it just right.

I think this will mainly appeal to readers of [In Search of Lost Time], but those who have an interest in the lives of high society women in early 1900 France might also be interested. I loved it.

Original publication date: 2018
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 715 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: library hardback
Why I read this: nonfiction relating to Proust show less

This history captures a fascinating portrait of French high society at the end of the nineteenth century through the lives of three women who inspired Marcel Proust's character of the Duchess of Guermantes. The three women (none of whom were an actual duchess) - Geneviève Bizet Straus, Laure de Chevigné, and Élisabeth Greffulhe - all played a significant role in the French upper class. I enjoyed this history, which contains many details of life in France during this period, but I struggled with the length and the way the narrative seemed to expand (introducing new historical figures and only slowly shifting the focus to Proust). Overall, I would recommend this to anyone interested in the history of this era.

To my way of thinking, Proust's greatness comes from his transcending the world he so ardently observed. His point of view always was intertwined with his observations of art and character. The quality of his mind seen in his writing is where his "genius" lies, his overwhelming and keen artistic sensibilities.
Although I'm aware that many of his readers find the 'gossipy' societal aspect of his writing the most interesting--and indeed, Proust's 'social climbing' is behind the story--I find myself put off by a book that delves into the individuals whose characteristics were modified by Proust into the characters he created.

Well, to each his own, but I returned this book to the store.