# Bloch — In Search of Lost Time character guide

> Bloch in In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** M. Bloch, young Bloch, this Bloch

**First appearance:** 0004-combray

## Snapshot

The narrator's schoolfriend, an intellectually eager and socially clumsy Jewish boy whose enthusiasms and faux pas make him both a source of stimulation and embarrassment.

## Who they are

Bloch is the narrator's earliest intellectual companion, a boy whose literary passions and self-important manner push against the genteel conventions of Combray society. His Jewishness exposes him to casual and sometimes vicious antisemitism, and his social missteps, from overfamiliarity with servants to misjudged compliments, reveal the precariousness of belonging in the circles the narrator navigates. He matters as a foil to the narrator's own social anxieties and as a recurring reminder that intelligence and taste do not guarantee acceptance.

## In the story

### [Place-Names: The Place (Continued)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/chapters/part-ii-place-names-the-place-continued)

Visits the narrator; his appearance disappoints Françoise's expectations.

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/chapters/part-ii-i)

Mentioned as a likeness to the new writer, which influences the narrator's perception of the writer's work.

### [II (Continued)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/chapters/part-ii-ii-continued)

Mentioned by Charlus as a potential invitee to the house, reflecting Charlus's ongoing interest in young men.

## Links

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- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/characters