ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the media of interpersonal communication in belle epoque France as these are presented in Proust's novel, focusing in particular on letters, and on the telegrams which would both complement the written word and compete with it. It discusses the both letters and telegrams occur within three of the novel's primordial relationships: that of the Narrator with his mother, that of Swann with Odette, and that of the Narrator with Albertine. Proust highlights the essential features of letters and telegrams as contrasting media of interpersonal communication. Proust's references to the media of interpersonal communication occur in the context of family relationships, sexual relationships and social life. Proust also emphasizes the dependency of the technology both on the handwriting of the sender and on other human participants in the transmission and delivery of a telegraphed message.
