In Proust's Du Côté chez Swann, what does 'Aussi je lisais' mean?

Question

I am translating a passage from the first book in the Recherche, and I don't understand what the following sentence means: "Aussi je lisais, je chantais intérieurement sa prose". - the translation of 'aussi' as 'also' does not seem to make sense here, you can find the full text on http://www.classicistranieri.com/french/… where you can use the search function (crtl+f on windows) to find the passage if you think I have misunderstood entirely what the passage is talking about.

Answer 1

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It has the meaning of "so", which is best in this context.

"So, as I read, I could hear the music of his prose within me."

Answer 2

Literally, its "Also I read, I was singing inside his prose."

Answer 3

it means:
Therefore, I read and sang to myself / inwardly his/her prose

"aussi" here has the meaning of "therefore", "consequently"

edit: according to the whole context, it can be "I was reading and singing" or "I used to read and sing". I can't see the full text with the link. For the proper tense, I think you'll have no problem to choose the right one.

Kk : abuse reported

Source(s):

I'm French*

Answer 4

Aussi has the meaning of "that's why, therefore" but normally needs the inversion of the verb that follows like: Aussi lisais-je... It looks to me that this is the meaning in this case and not making the inversion is yet another liberty the author takes with the French language.
The whole meaning would be: "Therefore, while reading I was singing inwardly his prose." [wanting to stress the effect the words he reads have on him- exhilaration]
Professional translator.

Answer 5

"Aussi" is often used to mean "as" eg. Elle est aussi grand que sa mere. As I read, I sang within....

Source(s):

Harrap's French dictionary

Answer 6

"aussi je lisais"

Here its means therefore

Pay attention to words order.

"aussi je lisais" and "je lisais aussi" are not equal.