Swann's Way tells two related stories, the first of which revolves (forog) around

Marcel, a younger version of the narrator, and his experiences in, and memories of,
the French town Combray. Inspired by the "gusts of memory" that rise up within
him as he dips(belemerul) a Madeleine into hot tea, the narrator discusses his
fear(aggodik) of going to bed at night. He is a creature of habit and dislikes waking
up in the middle of the night not knowing where he is. He claims(allit) that people
are defined by the objects that surround (korbevesz)them and must piece together
their identities bit by bit each time they wake up. The young Marcel is so nervous
about sleeping alone that he looks forward(elkuld) to his mother's goodnight
kisses, but also dreads (fel)them as a sign of an impending(fenyegeto) sleepless
night. One night, when Charles Swann, a friend of his grandparents, is visiting, his
mother cannot come kiss him goodnight. He stays up(fennmarad) until Swann
leaves(bucsuzik) and looks so sad and pitiful(megindito) that even his
disciplinarian(fegyelmezo) father encourages "Mamma" to spend the night in
Marcel's room.

The narrator traces the roots of his inclination to become a writer back to Combray.
His grandparents and friends encourage(felbatorit) him to read and introduce him
to Bergotte, who becomes his favorite author. Marcel is awestruck by the
overpowering(ellenallhatatlan) beauty of the landscape around Combray,
especially the hawthorn blossoms that line the path to Swann's house. He loves to
fall asleep(elaludni) in the shade of these blossoms(viragzas) and then walk around
the outskirts of Combray, where he can admire the town church. Watching the sun
reflect off the roof tiles of the church steeple,( Tkrzzk a templomtorony tetcserjt
Marcel decides to become a writer and describes what he sees to the best of his
ability. One day, he accidentally comes across (keresztul) an open window at M.
Vinteuil's house. A composer, Vinteuil died of a broken heart after his daughter
took another woman as her lover. Marcel spies on(kemkedett) the two lovers as
they mock the memory of the recently deceased Vinteuil. On a separate walk,
Marcel and his family chance(alkalom) across Swann's wife, Odette, and her
daughter, Gilberte. Marcel instantly falls in love with Gilberte, but idealizes her to
such an extent (olyan mertekben)that he thinks her black eyes are really blue.

The novel now carries the reader back fifteen years to relate the second story--that
of the love affair (kapcsolat) between Swann and Odette. Swann does not know
that Odette has a terrible reputation(rettenetesen hires) and, thinking she will be
harder to seduce (elcsabit) than she really is, takes up an interest in her. He finds
her only vaguely (bizonytalan) attractive, however, until one day when he realizes
that she resembles (hasonlit) Botticelli's beautiful rendering of Jethro's daughter in
his painting Zipporrah. Idealizing Odette through the intermediary of the painting,
Swann respects her beauty with all his heart and starts to obsess about her day and
night. Odette introduces Swann to the Verdurins and their nightly salon. At first,
they love Swann's company and make him one of their "faithful" guests. (Hsges
"vendgek.) One night, after failing to see Odette at the Verdurins, Swann looks for
her all over Paris. When they finally run into each other, their passion ignites
(meggyujt)and they become lovers. The Verdurins constantly play Vinteuil's
sonata, whose piercing violin crescendos make Swann so happy that he fixes an
association in his mind between the music and his love for Odette.

Nevertheless, Odette quickly begins to tire of Swann, who in turn is hopelessly in

love with her. He suspects (gyanakszik) that she is cheating on him because she is
such an awful liar(rettenetesen hazudozo), but his obsession for her runs so deep
(alnok)that he ignores the truth about their failed romance until there is no turning
back: he must suffer the tormenting pangs (kinzo lelkifurdalas) of unrequited love.
The Verdurins grow suspicious and jealous of Swann's famous friends, including
the Prince of Wales, and begin to push him out of their social circle. Odette begins
to cheat on Swann with Forcheville, another of the Verdurins' guests; Swann
discovers this infidelity(hazastarsi hutlenseg) by reading one of Odette's letters to
Forcheville. One of Swann's closest friends, Charlus, tries to turn (probalja
visszavaltoztatni) Odette back toward Swann but ends up sending him an
anonymous letter about Odette's history of infidelity. Swann finally confronts her
and learns the truth about her torrid sexual escapades. Dumbfounded, Swann
retreats back (visszavonul) into the high society of aristocrats and royalty that he
had enjoyed before meeting Odette. His suffering soon diminishes, and he gets
used to seeing her only rarely. One day, after realizing the extent to which he had
based(alapoz) his vision of Odette on the idealized version of a Botticelli figure,
Swann exclaims disbelief (hitetlenseg)at having experienced the greatest love of
his life for a woman who wasn't his "type."

Marcel - The narrator of the novel, he is a representation of Marcel Proust, though

noticeably different from the author in some ways. He suffers from nervous
ailments (betegeseg) and longs for the nightly comfort of his mother's kiss. He is
fascinated by art and becomes an avid reader and lover of architecture, theater,
painting and music. He loves to walk around Combray by himself and admire the
stunning hawthorn blossoms that inspire him to become a writer. After losing
himself in books and his imagination, he is easily disappointed (csalodott)by the
"real" world, especially with women he loves. He even imagines the dark eyes of
Gilberte and the Duchess of Guermentes to be blue so that they will be more
beautiful to him. He learns quickly about the vices (bun)of the world by spying
on(kemkedes) people.
Charles Swann - A friend of Marcel's family in Combray, he is also a celebrity
in the Parisian social scene, counting (szamolva) among his friends the Prince of
Wales and major players in the French aristocracy. A wealthy stockbroker, he
becomes an expert art critic and dealer. Swann is also a womanizer who does not
see women for who they really are, but instead compares them to paintings in order
to make them more attractive. This tendency (hajlam)leads him to fall hopelessly
in love with Odette even though she is not his "type." Swann's idealization of
Odette keeps him from seeing her as she really is, to the point that his love for her
becomes a tragic form of vanity and self-love.
Odette - The love of Swann's life and the cause of his most wretched
(boldogtalan)suffering. She is an expert seductress and lures Swann into an affair
and marriage that he will never escape. Though Odette is devoid of intelligence,
class, and even beauty, Swann still falls in love with her after seeing a close
resemblance between her face and that of the girl in the Boticelli painting "Jethro's
Daughter." Odette leads a torrid life, taking lovers behind Swann's back, including
other guests at the Verdurins, Forcheville, and even other women. Despite
(undorosdas, dacara)her inability to love Swann, she nevertheless thinks very
highly of him.
M. de Charlus - One of Swann's closest friends and allies. He encourages Odette
to think more highly of Swann and later becomes her "watchdog," making sure that
she does not cheat on Swann. The narrator hints that Charlus helps Swann not only
out friendliness, but also in the name of an undeclared love for him.
Marcel's mother - Marcel's mother. She is the focal point of all of Marcel's pain
and happiness. Her nightly goodnight kiss brings him immense joy, but once it is
over, he suffers terribly. She worries about his nervous disposition and one night
sleeps in his room to make him feel better.
Marcel's father - Marcel's father. He intimidates Marcel to keep him from
expressing his nightly desire to kiss his "mamma" goodnight. One night, however,
he realizes how sad Marcel is and lets her spend the night with him.
Marcel's grandparents - Marcel's grandparents, who live in Combray. They
worry about his health and encourage him to read. They were great friends with
Swann's father and remain close to Swann, although they greatly disapprove of his
marriage to Odette.
Comte de Forcheville - Odette's other lover who insults and mocks Swann one
night at the Verdurins. Swann finds out that Forcheville was at Odette's house one
day when she pretended to be asleep; he later discovers that Odette had first been
with Forcheville the night that Swann and Odette first slept together.
Gilberte - Swann and Odette's daughter. Marcel falls in love with her from the
moment he sees her because she has been a taboo subject in his family. He hardly
speaks with her and is convinced that her dark eyes are really blue.
Bloch - One of Marcel's friends at Combray. He introduces Marcel to his favorite
writer, Bergotte. He is Jewish, and his presence evokes some anti-Semitic
comments from Marcel's grandfather.
Verdurins - The insufferably hypocritical and obnoxious bourgeois couple that
first introduces Odette to Swann and then to Forcheville. They enlist a salon of
"faithful" members who become their slaves and whom they force to attend various
functions. Compared to Swann, the Verdurins have no class, intelligence, culture,
or social distinction.
Adolphe - Marcel's uncle, who is a connoisseur of courtesans even into old age.
He and Swann nearly duel over Odette. Because Marcel accidentally visits him one
day while he is with a courtesan, (konnyuverun no)Adolphe never returns to
Combray.
Aunt Lonie - Marcel's great aunt. She is convinced that she will die at any
moment and tries to get as much sympathy as possible for her various "ailments."
Nevertheless, Marcel has fond memories of her and her habit of dipping
madeleines in tea. Marcel later dips madeleines himself, helping him recall his lost
memories of Combray.
Eulalie - One of Aunt Lonie's few remaining friends. Eulalie visits Aunt Lonie
each Sunday to gossip about the townspeople.
M. Vinteuil - The composer of Swann and Odette's favorite sonata, which
becomes the theme music of Swann's love. This sonata has the power to conjure up
Swann's feelings for Odette even when he tries not to think of her. The sorrow and
despair that Vinteuil expresses in this sonata about the lesbian love affair of his
daughter, Mademoiselle Vinteuil, come to stand for Swann's sufferings as well.
Mlle. Vinteuil - The daughter of Vinteuil. She breaks her father's heart when she
begins a sordid affair with another woman. She insults her father shortly after his
death.
Franoise - First Aunt Lonie's maid and then a servant for Marcel's own family,
she becomes a dedicated and devoted friend to everyone. Marcel greatly admires
her service, displaying his own class snobbery.
M. Legrandin - A stereotype of bourgeois snobbery. He refuses to introduce
Marcel's family to his sister.
Duchess of Guermentes - The local aristocrat at Combray. Marcel imagines her
to be the most beautiful woman on earth and is sorely disappointed with her
physical appearance when they actually meet.