Philosophy as Fiction reconstructs Proust's powerful, coherent and original outlook on knowledge, self-deception and self-fashioning. In addition, it explains why these ideas had to give rise to a work of art and not a philosophical treatise. Parts of the philosophy serve literary ends, with certain assertions forming part of the novel's intricate lace-work; and aspects of the aesthetics also serve philosophical ends, enabling a reader to engage in an active manner with an alternative art of living.