A Japanese lantern lit by gas in Marcel Proust's "Du côté de chez Swann" (1913)

When Charles Swann has tea with Odette de Crécy in Marcel Proust's "Du côté de chez Swann" (1913), they ascend stairs that feature “une grande lanterne japonaise suspendue à une cordelette de soie (mais qui, pour ne pas priver les visiteurs des derniers conforts de la civilisation occidentale s'éclairait au gaz)”. In the mid-to-late nineteenth century France of the novel's "Un amour de Swann" section, the oriental fashion of the Japanese lantern hanging on a silken string may offer an exotic touch, but the practical comforts of occidental progress, here in the form of the gas used to light the lantern, are still maintained. Eastern ornamentation serves to decorate Western functionality. (Andrew Shields, #111Words, 2 September 2024)