Proust's one hundred and one masks

This chapter examines the multifaceted role of the mask in Marcel Proust&s;s À la recherche du temps perdu , exploring its significance in relation to themes of appearance and reality, identity, and temporality. Proust employs the mask both as a symbol of deception and as a means of revealing deeper truths. The chapter attempts to untangle these uses and to present them in a more systematic way, with an eye on Proust&s;s philosophical education and interests. The discussion begins with conventional uses of the mask to signify hypocrisy, concealment, and social performance, before considering more complex instances where the distinction between appearance and reality becomes increasingly blurred and complex. Through an analysis of key passages, including the masked ball and the representation of the sleeping Albertine, and through engagement with contemporary philosophical debates on selfhood, the study situates Proust&s;s reflections within a broader intellectual landscape, revealing how his work challenges traditional notions of a unified, stable self. By structuring its analysis in progressive stages, the chapter demonstrates that the mask, rather than a simple metaphor, emerges as one of the fundamental lenses through which Proust interrogates the nature of personal and aesthetic truth.