Proust at the Académie Française in 1920 Hypotheses on an election that never was

Based on what we know about the relationship between Marcel Proust and his contemporaries who were members of the Académie française, this article examines the author’s chances of success if he had persevered with his plan to submit his candidacy for the election of June 3, 1920. This enquiry evaluates how the author of À la recherche du temps perdu was positioned in the literary world of the time.