How does unconscious memory help the narrator recover his past in In Search of Lost Time?

In Marcel Proust’s novel cycle In Search of Lost Time, unconscious memory serves as the essential mechanism for the narrator to recover his past and find meaning in his life.12

The process is triggered by involuntary sensory experiences, most famously when the narrator tastes a madeleine dipped in tea. This accidental sensation bypasses conscious, intellectual effort, instantly retrieving the vivid landscape and people of his boyhood holidays in Combray.12

Throughout the narrative, the protagonist often feels that time is lost and that his experiences lack enduring significance. However, at a post-war reception, a series of similar incidents of unconscious memory reveals to him that the beauty he experienced in the past remains eternally alive. This realization allows him to transcend the decay of time, leading to the concept of "time regained." By understanding that his past is preserved within his unconscious, the narrator is finally able to commit to his vocation as a writer, transforming his life's memories into the very novel the reader experiences.12