george sand-第12章

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forth　a　very　pleasant　one　just　at　present。　。　。　。〃　　This　was　the　novel　written　in　collaboration　with　Sandeau　which　appeared　under　the　signature　of　Jules　Sand　towards　the　end　of　1831。　　It　was　entitled；　_Rose　et　Blanche；　ou　la　Comedienne　et　la　Religieuse_。

It　begins　by　a　scene　in　a　coach；　rather　like　certain　novels　by　Balzac；　but　accompanied　by　insignificant　details　in　the　worst　taste　imaginable。　　Two　girls　are　travelling　in　the　same　coach。　　Rose　is　a　young　comedian；　and　Sister　Blanche　is　about　to　become　a　nun。　　They　separate　at　Tarbes；　and　the　scene　of　the　story　is　laid　in　the　region　of　the　Pyrenees；　in　Tarbes　Auch；　Nerac；　the　Landes；　and　finishes　with　the　return　to　Paris。　　Rose；　after　an　entertainment　which　is　a　veritable　orgy；　is　handed　over　by　her　mother　to　a　licentious　young　man。　　He　is　ashamed　of　himself；　and；　instead　of　leading　Rose　astray；　he　takes　her　to　the　Convent　of　the　Augustines；　where　she　finds　Sister　Blanche　once　more。　　Sister　Blanche　has　not　yet　pronounced　her　vows；　and　the　proof　of　this　is　that　she　marries　Horace。　　But　what　a　wedding！　　As　a　matter　of　fact；　Sister　Blanche　was　formerly　named　Denise。　　She　was　the　daughter　of　a　seafaring　man　of　Bordeaux；　and　was　both　pretty　and　foolish。　　She　had　been　dishonoured　by　the　young　libertine　whom　she　is　now　to　marry。　　The　memory　of　the　past　comes　back　to　Blanche；　and　makes　her　live　over　again　her　life　as　Denise。　　In　the　mean　time　Rose　had　become　a　great　singer。　　She　now　arrives；　just　in　time　to　be　present　at　her　friend's　deathbed。　　She　enters　the　convent　herself；　and　takes　the　place　left　vacant　by　Sister　Blanche。　　The　whole　of　this　is　absurd　and　frequently　very　disagreeable。

It　is　quite　easy　to　distinguish　the　parts　due　to　the　two　collaborators；　and　to　see　that　George　Sand　wrote　nearly　all　the　book。　　There　are　the　landscapes；　Tarbes　Auch；　Nerac；　the　Landes；　and　a　number　of　recollections　of　the　famous　journey　to　the　Pyrenees　and　of　her　stay　at　Guillery　with　the　Dudevant　family。　　The　Convent　of　the　Augustines　in　Paris；　with　its　English　nuns　and　its　boarders　belonging　to　the　best　families；　is　the　one　in　which　Aurore　spent　three　years。　　The　cloister　can　be　recognized；　the　garden　planted　with　chestnut　trees；　and　the　cell　from　which　there　was　a　view　over　the　city。　　All　her　dreams　seemed　so　near　Heaven　there；　for　the　rich；　cloudy　sky　was　so　near〃that　most　beautiful　and　ever…changing　sky；　perhaps　the　most　beautiful　in　the　world；〃　of　which　we　read　in　_Rose　et　Blanche_。　　But　together　with　this　romance　of　religious　life　is　a　libertine　novel　with　stories　of　orgies；　of　a　certain　private　house；　and　of　very　risky　and　unpleasant　episodes。　　This　is　the　collaborator's　share　in　the　work。　　The　risky　parts　are　Sandeau's。

Such；　then；　is　this　hybrid　composition。　　It　was；　in　reality；　the　monstrosity　announced　by　George　Sand。

It　had　a　certain　success；　but　the　person　who　was　most　severe　in　her　judgment　of　it　was　Sophie…Victoire；　George　Sand's　mother；　who　had　very　prudish　tastes　in　literature。　　This　woman　is　perfectly　delightful；　and　every　time　we　come　across　her　it　is　a　fresh　joy。　　Her　daughter　was　obliged　to　make　some　excuse　for　herself；　and　this　she　did　by　stating　that　the　work　was　not　entirely　her　own。

〃I　do　not　approve　of　a　great　deal　of　the　nonsense；〃　she　writes；　〃and　I　only　let　certain　things　pass　to　please　my　publisher；　who　wanted　something　rather　lively。　。　。　。　　I　do　not　like　the　risky　parts　myself。　。　。　。〃　　Later　on　in　the　same　letter；　she　adds：　　〃There　is　nothing　of　the　kind　in　the　book　I　am　writing　now；　and　I　am　using　nothing　of　my　collaborator's　in　this；　except　his　name。〃＇15＇


＇15＇　_Correspondance_：　　To　her　mother；　February　22；　1832。


This　was　true。　　Jules　Sand　had　had　his　day；　and　the　book　of　which　she　now　speaks　was　_Indiana_。　　She　signed　this　〃George　Sand。〃

The　unpublished　correspondence　with　Emile　Regnault；　some　fragments　of　which　we　have　just　read；　contains　a　most　interesting　letter　concerning　the　composition　of　_Indiana_。　　It　is　dated　February　28；　1832。　　George　Sand　first　insists　on　the　severity　of　the　subject　and　on　its　resemblance　to　life。　　〃It　is　as　simple；　as　natural　and　as　positive　as　you　could　wish；〃　she　says。　　〃It　is　neither　romantic；　mosaic；　nor　frantic。　　It　is　just　ordinary　life　of　the　most　_bourgeois_　kind；　but　unfortunately　this　is　much　more　difficult　than　exaggerated　literature。　。　。　。　　There　is　not　the　least　word　put　in　for　nothing；　not　a　single　description；　not　a　vestige　of　poetry。　　There　are　no　unexpected；　extraordinary；　or　amazing　situations；　but　merely　four　volumes　on　four　characters。　　With　only　just　these　characters；　that　is；　with　hidden　feelings；　everyday　thoughts；　with　friendship；　love；　selfishness；　devotion；　self…respect；　persistency；　melancholy；　sorrow；　ingratitude；　disappointment；　hope；　and　all　the　mixed…up　medley　of　the　human　mind；　is　it　possible　to　write　four　volumes　which　will　not　bore　people？　　I　am　afraid　of　boring　people；　of　boring　them　as　life　itself　does。　　And　yet　what　is　more　interesting　than　the　history　of　the　heart；　when　it　is　a　true　history？　　The　main　thing　is　to　write　true　history；　and　it　is　just　that　which　is　so　difficult。　。　。　。〃

This　declaration　is　rather　surprising　to　any　one　who　reads　it　to…day。　We　might　ask　whether　what　was　natural　in　1832　would　be　natural　in　1910？　　That　is　not　the　question　which　concerns　us；　though。　　The　important　fact　to　note　is　that　George　Sand　was　no　longer　attempting　to　manufacture　monstrosities。　　She　was　endeavouring　to　be　true；　and　she　wanted　above　everything　else　to　present　a　character　of　woman　who　would　be　the　typical　modern　woman。

〃Noemi　（this　name　was　afterwards　left　to　Sandeau；　who　had　used　it　in　_Marianna_。　　George　Sand　changed　it　to　that　of　_Indiana_）　is　a　typical　woman；　strong　and　weak；　tired　even　by　the　weight　of　the　air；　but　capable　of　holding　up　the　sky；　timid　in　everyday　life；　but　daring　in　days　of　battle；　shrewd　and　clever　in　seizing　the　loose　threads　of　ordinary　life；　but　silly　and　stupid　in　distinguishing　her　own　interests　when　it　is　a　question　of　her　happiness；　caring　little　for　the　world　at　large；　but　allowing　herself　to　be　duped　by　one　man；　not　troubling　much　about　her　own　dignity；　but　watching　over　that　of　the　object　of　her　choice；　despising　the　vanities　of　the　times　as　far　as　she　is　concerned；　but　allowing　herself　to　be　fascinated　by　the　man　who　is　full　of　these　vanities。　　This；　I　believe；〃　she　says；　〃is　the　usual　woman；　an　extraordinary　mixture　of　weakness　and　energy；　of　grandeur　and　of　littleness；　a　being　ever　composed　of　two　opposite　natures；　at　times　sublime　and　at　times　despicable；　clever　in　deceiving　and　easily　deceived　herself。〃

This　novel；　intended　to　present　to　us　the　modern　woman；　ought　to　be　styled　a　〃feminist　novel。〃　　It　was　also；　as　regards　other　points　of　view。　　_Indiana_　appeared　in　May；　1832；　_Valentine_　in　1833；　and　_Jacques_　in　1834。　　In　these　three　books　I　should　like　to　show　our　present　feminism；　already　armed；　and　introduced　to　us　according　to　George　Sand's　early　ideas。


_Indiana_　is　the　story　of　a　woman　who　had　made　an　unfortunate　marriage。　　At　the　age　of　nineteen　she　had　married　Colonel　Delmare。　　Colonels　were　very　much　in　vogue　in　those　days；　and　the　fact　that　he　had　attained　that　rank　proves　that　he　was　much　older　than　she　was。　　Colonel　Delmare　was　an　honest；　straightforward　man　in　the　Pharisaical　sense　of　the　word。　　This　simply　means　that　he　had　never　robbed　or　killed　any　one。　　He　had　no　delicacy　and　no　charm；　and；　fond　as　he　was　of　his　own　authority；　he　was　a　domestic　tyrant。　　Indiana　was　very　unhappy　between　this　execrable　husband　and　a　cousin　of　hers；　Ralph；　a　man　who　is　twice　over　English；　in　the　first　place　because　his　name　is　Brown；　and　then　because　he　is　phlegmatic。　　Ralph　is　delightful　and　most　excellent；　and　it　is　on　his　account　that　she　is　insensible　to　the　charms　of　Raymon　de　Ramieres　an　elegant　and　distinguished　young　man　who　is　a　veritable　lady…killer。

Space　forbids　us　to　go　into　all　the　episodes　of　this　story；　but　the　crisis　is　that　Colonel　Delmare　is　ruined；　and　his　business　affairs　call　him　to　the　Isle　of　Bourbon。　　He　intends　to　take　Indiana　with　him；　but　she　refuses　to　accompany　him。　　She　knows　quite　well　that　Raymon　will　do　all　he　can　to　prevent　her　going。　　She　hurries　away　to　him；　offers　herself　to　him；　and　volunteers　to　re