From A l’ombre des jeune filles en fleurs, of the alteration in Cottard’s character between the days of Swann in Love and the opening of Within a Budding Grove. So perfect an image of an alternate path of development but, with the loss of the practice referred to, I wonder whether it still resonates today:
we must bear in mind that the character which a man exhibits in the latter half of his life is not always, even if it is often his original character developed or withered, attenuated or enlarged; it is sometimes the exact opposite, like a garment that has been turned.
Remarquons que la nature que nous faisons paraître dans la seconde partie de notre vie, n’est pas toujours, si elle l’est souvent, notre nature première développée ou flétrie, grossie ou atténuée; elle est quelquefois une nature inverse, un véritable vêtement retourné.
Extracts 