ABSTRACT

Before Swann’s passion for Odette, at a time when he was still trying to “run into her” by chance, as lovers like to do, he would frequent Mme. Verdurin’s salon. It was well below the circles he was used to, but Swann had the manners that allowed him to fit in to society at various levels; in other words, he had the common sense to distinguish the levels but to take none of them too seriously. At Mme. Verdurin’s salon, he was fairly sure to run into Odette.