Proust in Black: Collision of Media

by Jessica Coburn

For the readers who are kept awake at night and unable to dream, and for the readers drawn to the detective story: Proust in Black is for you.

Proust in Black is a deeply thoughtful and intriguing work by Fanny Daubigny. Daubigny closely analyzes the works of Proust, not only dubbing his works as noir literature but also discussing them alongside and in conversation with the film noir of Europe and Los Angeles. 

"Thus with Proust there is no final moment of transfiguration as there is in the poetry of Dante, but rather a chiaroscuro of consciousness that leaves truth in the work suspended, and with it a taste for a kind of mystery" (Daubigny, 46) 

Proust in Black is a study of the detective story and the aesthetics of Proust and noir films. She delves into their themes dealing with night, dreaming, insomnia, sexuality, and even fear. The work beautifully discusses Proust's search for truth during times of cultural shifts and incertitude, while connecting it to the aesthetics of LA: its night, crime, and ground-zero for cultural movements. Working on many levels, Proust in Black offers a deep dive into the idea of noir media and what they unveil about the author and society in play.