Reading can at times engage one emotionally and entail inner psychological experiences in ways akin to those in clinical psychoanalysis. In that light, after a general introduction regarding the import of reading, attention is turned to Proust, Freud's literary complement, as an exemplary instance to illustrate those similarities. Ideas of Proust on reading are followed by thoughts on reading Proust, with the ending of Proust's masterpiece used to illustrate a parallel to termination in clinical psychoanalytic experience.

We feel very clearly that our own wisdom begins where that of the author leaves off, and would like him to provide answers, when all he can do is provide us with desires.