Place-Names: The Name Summary

The Narrator speaks of Balbec and of his room at the Grand Hotel de la Plage. Speaking of this room brings forth a flood of memories of his childhood. The Narrator again compares the dreaming of these rooms and that time with the reality of the place and the days of his childhood. The Narrator recalls discussing Balbec with M. Swann and of being astounded that his friend's memories compared so differently with his own about the place.

The Narrator speaks of the wild and tempestuous history of the Balbec region, which brings out his long-held feelings that he wants to travel about the earth by rail, choosing no destination, just getting on the rail carand allowing life to come to him. He thinks of the images in his mind of the towns he would visit, wondering if the...