Unpruned: Re-reading Proust's Translations of Ruskin

Abstract: This article re-evaluates Proust's translations of Ruskin. In contrast to the critical consensus, it argues that they possess originality and flair, particularly in the context of Ruskin translations at the turn of the century. Beginning with a close reading of a Ruskin passage, the article shows how two contemporary translators, Robert de La Sizeranne and Gaston Paris, failed to bring across important elements of Ruskin's unconventional prose style. By contrast, Proust's bold decision to translate Ruskin's texts as faithfully as possible allowed for a successful recreation of Ruskin's "unpruned" sentences across La Bible d'Amiens (1904) and Sésame et les Lys (1906). Through further examples, the article demonstrates how Proust's translations often display a sophisticated and creative ability to bring across Ruskin's idiosyncratic prose techniques. In closing, it speculates on how the act of translation may have influenced Proust's handling of sentences in the Recherche .