george sand-第15章

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What　is　her　essential　objection　to　marriage？　　The　fact　that　marriage　fetters　the　liberty　of　two　beings。　　〃Society　dictates　to　you　the　formula　of　an　oath。　　You　must　swear　that　you　will　be　faithful　and　obedient　to　me；　that　you　will　never　love　any　one　but　me；　and　that　you　will　obey　me　in　everything。　　One　of　those　oaths　is　absurd　and　the　other　vile。　　You　cannot　be　answerable　for　your　heart；　even　if　I　were　the　greatest　and　most　perfect　of　men。〃　　Now　comes　the　question　of　love　for　another　man。　　Until　then　it　was　considered　that　such　love　was　a　weakness；　and　that　it　might　become　a　fault。　　But；　after　all；　is　not　passion　a　fatal　and　irresistible　thing？

〃No　human　creature　can　command　love；　and　no　one　is　to　be　blamed　for　feeling　it　or　for　ceasing　to　feel　it。　　What　lowers　a　woman　is　untruth。〃　　A　little　farther　on　we　are　told：　　〃They　are　not　guilty；　for　they　love　each　other。　　There　is　no　crime　where　there　is　sincere　love。〃　　According　to　this　theory；　the　union　of　man　and　woman　depends　on　love　alone。　　When　love　disappears；　the　union　cannot　continue。　　Marriage　is　a　human　institution；　but　passion　is　of　Divine　essence。　　In　case　of　any　dissension；　it　is　always　the　institution　of　marriage　which　is　to　be　blamed。

The　sole　end　in　view　of　marriage　is　charm；　either　that　of　sentiment　or　that　of　the　senses；　and　its　sole　object　is　the　exchange　of　two　fancies。　　As　the　oath　of　fidelity　is　either　a　stupidity　or　a　degradation；　can　anything　more　opposed　to　common　sense；　and　a　more　absolute　ignorance　of　all　that　is　noble　and　great；　be　imagined　than　the　effort　mankind　is　making；　against　all　the　chances　of　destruction　by　which　he　is　surrounded；　to　affirm；　in　face　of　all　that　changes；　his　will　and　intention　to　continue？　　We　all　remember　the　heart…rending　lamentation　of　Diderot：　　〃The　first　promises　made　between　two　creatures　of　flesh；〃　he　says；　〃were　made　at　the　foot　of　a　rock　crumbling　to　dust。　　They　called　on　Heaven　to　be　a　witness　of　their　constancy；　but　the　skies　in　the　Heaven　above　them　were　never　the　same　for　an　instant。　　Everything　was　changing；　both　within　them　and　around　them；　and　they　believed　that　their　heart　would　know　no　change。　　Oh；　what　children；　what　children　always！〃　　Ah；　not　children；　but　what　men　rather！　　We　know　these　fluctuations　in　our　affections。　　And　it　is　because　we　are　afraid　of　our　own　fragility　that　we　call　to　our　aid　the　protection　of　laws；　to　which　submission　is　no　slavery；　as　it　is　voluntary　submission。　　Nature　does　not　know　these　laws；　but　it　is　by　them　that　we　distinguish　ourselves　from　Nature　and　that　we　rise　above　it。　　The　rock　on　which　we　tread　crumbles　to　dust；　the　sky　above　our　heads　is　never　the　same　an　instant；　but；　in　the　depth　of　our　hearts；　there　is　the　moral　lawand　that　never　changes！

In　order　to　reply　to　these　paradoxes；　where　shall　we　go　in　search　of　our　arguments？　　We　can　go　to　George　Sand　herself。　　A　few　years　later；　during　her　intercourse　with　Lamennals；　she　wrote　her　famous　_Lettres　a　Marcie_　for　_Le　Monde_。　　She　addresses　herself　to　an　imaginary　correspondent；　to　a　woman　supposed　to　be　suffering　from　that　agitation　and　impatience　which　she　had　experienced　herself。

〃You　are　sad；〃　says　George　Sand　to　her；　〃you　are　suffering；　and　you　are　bored　to　death。〃　　We　will　now　take　note　of　some　of　the　advice　she　gives　to　this　woman。　　She　no　longer　believes　that　it　belongs　to　human　dignity　to　have　the　liberty　of　changing。　　〃The　one　thing　to　which　man　aspires；　the　thing　which　makes　him　great；　is　permanence　in　the　moral　state。　　All　which　tends　to　give　stability　to　our　desires；　to　strengthen　the　human　will　and　affections；　tends　to　bring　about　the　_reign　of　God_　on　earth；　which　means　love　and　the　practice　of　truth。〃　　She　then　speaks　of　vain　dreams。　　〃Should　we　even　have　time　to　think　about　the　impossible　if　we　did　all　that　is　necessary？　　Should　we　despair　ourselves　if　we　were　to　restore　hope　in　those　people　who　have　nothing　left　them　but　hope？〃　　With　regard　to　feminist　claims；　she　says：　　〃Women　are　crying　out　that　they　are　slaves：　　let　them　wait　until　men　are　free！　。　。　。　　In　the　mean　time　we　must　not　compromise　the　future　by　our　impatience　with　the　present。　。　。　。　　It　is　to　be　feared　that　vain　attempts　of　this　kind　and　unjustifiable　claims　may　do　harm　to　what　is　styled　at　present　the　cause　of　women。　　There　is　no　doubt　that　women　have　certain　rights　and　that　they　are　suffering　injustice。　　They　ought　to　lay　claim　to　a　better　future；　to　a　wise　independence；　to　a　greater　participation　in　knowledge；　and　to　more　respect；　interest　and　esteem　from　men。　　This　future；　though；　is　in　their　own　hands。〃

This　is　wisdom　itself。　　It　would　be　impossible　to　put　it　more　clearly；　and　to　warn　women　in　a　better　way；　that　the　greatest　danger　for　their　cause　would　be　the　triumph　of　what　is　called　by　an　ironical　termfeminism。

These　retractions；　though；　have　very　little　effect。　　There　is　a　certain　piquancy　in　showing　up　an　author　who　is　in　contradiction　with　himself；　in　showing　how　he　refutes　his　own　paradoxes。　　But　these　are　striking　paradoxes　which　are　not　readily　forgotten。　　What　I　want　to　show　is　that　in　these　first　novels　by　George　Sand　we　have　about　the　whole　of　the　feminist　programme　of　to…day。　Everything　is　there；　the　right　to　happiness；　the　necessity　of　reforming　marriage；　the　institution；　in　a　more　or　less　near　future；　of　free　unions。　　Our　feminists　of　to…day；　French；　English；　or　Norwegian　authoresses；　and　theoricians　like　Ellen　Key；　with　her　book　on　_Love　and　Marriage_；　all　these　rebels　have　invented　nothing。　　They　have　done　nothing　but　take　up　once　more　the　theories　of　the　great　feminist　of　1832；　and　expose　them　with　less　lyricism　but　with　more　cynicism。

George　Sand　protested　against　the　accusation　of　having　aimed　at　attacking　institutions　in　her　feminist　novels。　　She　was　wrong　in　protesting；　as　it　is　just　this　which　gives　her　novels　their　value　and　significance。　　It　is　this　which　dates　them　and　which　explains　the　enormous　force　of　expansion　that　they　have　had。　　They　came　just　after　the　July　Revolution；　and　we　must　certainly　consider　them　as　one　of　the　results　of　that。　　A　throne　had　just　been　overturned；　and；　by　way　of　pastime；　churches　were　being　pillaged　and　an　archbishop's　palace　had　been　sack…

aged。　　Literature　was　also　attempting　an　insurrection；　by　way　of　diversion。　　For　a　long　time　it　had　been　feeding　the　revolutionary　ferment　which　it　had　received　from　romanticism。　　Romanticism　had　demanded　the　freedom　of　the　individual；　and　the　writers　at　the　head　of　this　movement　were　Chateaubriand；　Victor　Hugo　and　Dumas。　　They　claimed　this　freedom　for　Rene；　for　Hermann　and　for　Antony；　who　were　men。　　An　example　had　been　given；　and　women　meant　to　take　advantage　of　it。　　Women　now　began　their　revolution。

Under　all　these　influences；　and　in　the　particular　atmosphere　now　created；　the　matrimonial　mishap　of　Baronne　Dudevant　appeared　to　her　of　considerable　importance。　　She　exaggerated　and　magnified　it　until　it　became　of　social　value。　　Taking　this　private　mishap　as　her　basis；　she　puts　into　each　of　her　heroines　something　of　herself。　　This　explains　the　passionate　tone　of　the　whole　story。　　And　this　passion　could　not　fail　to　be　contagious　for　the　women　who　read　her　stories；　and　who　recognized　in　the　novelist's　cause　their　own　cause　and　the　cause　of　all　women。

This；　then；　is　the　novelty　in　George　Sand's　way　of　presenting　feminist　grievances。　　She　had　not　invented　these　grievances。　　They　were　already　contained　in　Madame　de　Stael's　books；　and　I　have　not　forgotten　her。　　Delphine　and　Corinne；　though；　were　women　of　genius；　and　presented　to　us　as　such。　　In　order　to　be　pitied　by　Madame　de　Stael；　it　was　absolutely　necessary　to　be　a　woman　of　genius。　　For　a　woman　to　be　defended　by　George　Sand；　it　was　only　necessary　that　she　should　not　love　her　husband；　and　this　was　a　much　more　general　thing。


George　Sand　had　brought　feminism　within　the　reach　of　all　women。　　This　is　the　characteristic　of　these　novels；　the　eloquence　of　which　cannot　be　denied。　　They　are　novels　for　the　vulgarization　of　the　feminist　theory。



THE　ROMANTIC　ESCAPADE

THE　VENICE　ADVENTURE


George　Sand　did　not　have　to　wait　long　for　success。　　She　won　fame　with　her　first　book。　　With　her　second　one　she　became　rich；　or　what　she　considered　rich。　　She　tells　us　that　she　sold　it　for　a　hundr