Swann’s Way is set in France in the early 20th century. Though the adult narrator is unnamed, later novels in the In Search of Lost Time series imply that he may share his name with the novel’s author, Marcel. Thus, many critics use the name Marcel for the narrator of this novel.

Marcel describes how as a child he used to “go to bed early” (3). As a young man, however, he had problems falling asleep. He describes himself waking up to discover that he fell asleep while reading a book. Now an adult, he is no longer afraid of the “shifting kaleidoscope of the darkness” (4). Instead, he fears losing his perception of time. Sleep, he says, steals “the most rudimentary sense of existence” (5) from people and causes them to forget their true selves when they wake up. On waking, they try to reassemble their identity. Nevertheless, Marcel finds the night to be inspirational. He feels his memories returning to him, particularly his childhood days spent in the fictional French town of Combray, as well as visits to Paris, Venice, and Balbec.

Marcel and his family spent many summers in Combray in the north of France.