How Proust Can Change Your Life Reflective Essay

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d)I was intruiged when first assigned to read "How Proust Can Change Your Life". I'm not entirly sure if it was the colorful front cover that attracted my attention to the assigned book or the suggestion that the contents are life changing material. Whichever it were, the book succeeded with its thoughtfulness, concise and clear writing to give me some new perspectives and a few laughs. Alain De Botton has cleverly taken ideas from Proust and his novel "In search of Lost Time" and come up with a 9 chapter "how to..." guide to life - a crash course on how to love, be a friend, find beauty in things otherwise not considered, improve our evaluations of our lives, express what we feel authentically, and improve a dismal mood when undergoeing suffering. The book is offering advice and incite. e)I didn't have trouble grasping concepts being expressed in the book. It was like viewing a finished puzzle where the pieces were once my own thoughts. f)"...the extent to which our dissatisfactions may be the result of failing to look properly at our lives rather than the result of anything inherently deficient about them." I like how this statement holds people responsible for their own happiness. That taking a second look is important, in friendships, in love, while going through a hard time and at the so called ordinary. g)I underlined and responded strongly to many statements throughout the book - too many to list and many of them directly relating to situations in my life whether it be failed friendships, the truth about gossip, who gives the tender speeches when breaking off a romance etc. However, the statement "we cannot be taught wisdom, we have to discover it for ourselves by a journey which on one can undertake for us, an effort which no one can spare us" caused me to respond strongest. It's just proof that no matter what advice we recieve

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