20th Century Modernists (Proust, Gide, Colette, Sartre, Beauvoir)

1. Proust's novel is famously long and introspective. What does this scope allow him to achieve that shorter works cannot?

2. Gide's motto was "dare to be yourself." How does this individualism manifest differently across his various works?

3. Colette wrote frankly about female sexuality and aging. How does her sensual wisdom challenge both prudery and pornography?

4. Sartre argued that existence precedes essence. How does this philosophy shape his literary characters and plots?

5. Beauvoir demonstrated that "the personal is political." How does her work navigate between individual experience and systematic analysis?