Why does the narrator become jealous of Albertine in In Search of Lost Time?

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Portrait of French author Marcel Proust, seated with his hand resting thoughtfully against his chin, wearing a dark suit and looking directly at the camera. — Marcel Proust French author Marcel Proust wrote what is considered one of the supreme achievements of modern fiction, the seven-part autobiographical novel *À la recherche du temps perdu* (1913–27; *In Search of Lost Time*).

In Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time, the narrator’s jealousy toward Albertine is primarily driven by his suspicion that she is attracted to women.1

During a second visit to the seaside resort of Balbec, the narrator begins to suspect Albertine of having lesbian affairs. This suspicion evolves into an obsessive, possessive passion that leads him to bring her to Paris and keep her in a state of captivity. Despite living together, the narrator remains tortured by the belief that Albertine is engaging in clandestine relationships, and he demands her constant, undivided attention. His jealousy is further intensified by her eventual flight and subsequent accidental death.12