Ah it’s a doozy of a question you pose in your last blog post my twin…let’s see if I can tackle it.
First you posit that since you were a philosophy-loving youngster that it lends credence to the fact that the nameless narrator may be able to simultaneously toddle and parse Bergotte. Granted when you weren’t writing exegeses on the Apples and Banana’s song and “Baby Beluga” you were forcing me to re-enact the biblical sacrifice of Abraham and Isaac (“Do you feel the Fear and Trembling yet?”). But you were also a teenager who liked, nay required, his “tucky-tuck” to fall asleep at night. So the mystery still remains.
No my proposal to the answer of your riddle may be a little bit deep (I’ve had a glass of wine tonight…and you know what the Latins said…in vino Jon gets really, really smart–I actually took Latin, so I know this. I also know they called streets “vias” and that that “v” was pronounced like a “w”.)
Well here goes…I think the nameless narrator’s age cannot be quantified…although he may be just a little sprite (and therefore unable realistically to quote, let alone understand, Bergotte) he’s only presented through the prism of the fully-grown (and apparent Bergotte-literate) adult narrator. You cannot remove the adult from his representation of the child…he’s presented the child with knowledge that he only gained later as an adult. So the child is at once 8 (A good guess…I had him pegged at 7 and 3/4) and 42 (I think).
Therefore the answer is both all ages and no age.
Whoa…now you may need a drink!
I just don’t think any person under the age of 20 would have the perspicacity to eviscerate Legrandin as our narrator does around page 130. He just pops the reader’s bubble regarding this character.
A dramatic way to re-enter the storyline…but I’m back and making progress.
You’ll be hearing from me again soon.
Yours in Proust,
Jon
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