remembrance of things past: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Medium (as a recognized phrase, not a common lexical unit)Literary, Formal, Academic
Quick answer
What does “remembrance of things past” mean?
The act or process of recalling and reflecting on memories and experiences from one's own life or history.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The act or process of recalling and reflecting on memories and experiences from one's own life or history.
A nostalgic, often bittersweet, engagement with personal or collective memories, especially when such reflection is central to understanding one's identity or the nature of time. This phrase is strongly colored by its use as the English title of Marcel Proust's novel 'À la recherche du temps perdu'.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant lexical differences. The phrase is known in both varieties through literature and literary/academic discourse.
Connotations
Identical; strongly connotes high culture, literature (specifically Proust), and philosophical reflection on memory.
Frequency
Equally low frequency in both varieties. Its use is confined to specific literary, artistic, or intellectual contexts.
Grammar
How to Use “remembrance of things past” in a Sentence
The [noun] evoked a powerful remembrance of things past.Her work is a profound [noun] of things past.He was lost in [noun] of things past.Vocabulary
Collocations
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Virtually never used.
Academic
Used in literary criticism, philosophy (phenomenology, philosophy of time), cultural studies, and psychology when discussing memory, autobiography, or Proust.
Everyday
Extremely rare. Would be considered highly pretentious or deliberately allusive in casual conversation.
Technical
Not used in STEM fields. May appear as a stylistic allusion in some humanities papers.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “remembrance of things past”
Strong
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “remembrance of things past”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “remembrance of things past”
- Treating it as a common noun phrase to be used freely (e.g., 'I had a remembrance of things past about my holiday').
- Using it without awareness of its Proustian allusion, which can confuse educated listeners.
- Misspelling as 'remberance'.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is not a common idiom or collocation. Its use in modern English is almost exclusively as a reference to the English title of Proust's novel or in academic/literary discussions about memory.
The phrase was coined by the English translator C.K. Scott Moncrieff for his 1922 translation of Proust's 'À la recherche du temps perdu'. He took it from Shakespeare's Sonnet 30: 'When to the sessions of sweet silent thought / I summon up remembrance of things past.'
It is not recommended for everyday conversation as it will sound overly formal, literary, and possibly pretentious. Simpler terms like 'memories', 'reminiscing', or 'nostalgia' are more appropriate for casual contexts.
Later translators have favoured titles like 'In Search of Lost Time' or 'The Search for Lost Time', which are more literal translations of the original French and avoid the archaic Shakespearean tone of 'Remembrance of Things Past'.
The act or process of recalling and reflecting on memories and experiences from one's own life or history.
Remembrance of things past is usually literary, formal, academic in register.
Remembrance of things past: in British English it is pronounced /rɪˈmɛm.brəns əv θɪŋz pɑːst/, and in American English it is pronounced /rɪˈmɛm.brəns əv θɪŋz pæst/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “A Proustian moment”
- “A madeleine moment”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Link to Proust's famous novel: REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PAST is the English PAST for Proust's À la recherche du temps perdu.
Conceptual Metaphor
THE PAST IS A STORAGE CONTAINER (from which 'things' can be retrieved). MEMORY IS A JOURNEY/SEARCH (as in the original French title 'recherche').
Practice
Quiz
The phrase 'remembrance of things past' is most closely associated with: