Abstract
Marcel Proust's long narrative A la Recherche du Temps Perdu reveals that the inevitable form of existence of the temporal ego, “I”, is alienation, with desire as its psychological expression and "hating the neighbor" as its ethical expression. But Proust also suggests an extra-temporal ego, the “true I.” The narratives of the "true I" and "I" are isomorphic to Sartre's "pre/non-reflective consciousness" and "reflective consciousness." The temporal ego is fictional and the ego is polyphonic. This means that, although "hatred" is the inevitable ethical impulse of the "I" towards the world, "non-hatred" is also a realistic and existential possibility. Lacan intends to demonstrate the inevitability of "loving your desire as yourself" so as to provide an ontological proof for "loving your neighbor as yourself" and to overcome traditional moral legalism’s abuse of existence. However, Jacques Lacan has in reality risked losing love’s ethical value. The "I" in A la Recherche refutes Lacan's optimistic prospect of "loving your neighbor as yourself," while the "true I," free from of alienation because of its extra-historical nature, provides a "negative" logical starting point for love. By exposing the polyphonic form of existence of the ego, A la Recherche has given love and hatred ethical significance.
First Page
167
Last Page
175
Recommended Citation
Guo, Xiaolei. 2021. "A la Recherche du Temps Perdu: Enlightenment on "Hatred" and "Love"." Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art 41, (5): pp.167-175. https://tsla.researchcommons.org/journal/vol41/iss5/1
