george sand-第16章

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old　it　for　a　hundred　and　sixty　pounds！　　That　seemed　to　her　the　wealth　of　the　world；　and　she　did　not　hesitate　to　leave　her　attic　on　the　Quay　St。　Michel　for　a　more　comfortable　flat　on　Quay　Malaquais；　which　de　Latouche　gave　up　to　her。

There　was；　at　that　time；　a　personage　in　Paris　who　had　begun　to　exercise　a　sort　of　royal　tyranny　over　authors。　　Francois　Buloz　had　taken　advantage　of　the　intellectual　effervescence　of　1831　to　found　the　_Revue　des　Deux　Mondes_。　　He　was　venturesome；　energetic；　original；　very　shrewd；　though　apparently　rough；　obliging；　in　spite　of　his　surly　manners。　　He　is　still　considered　the　typical　and　traditional　review　manager。　　He　certainly　possessed　the　first　quality　necessary　for　this　function。　　He　discovered　talented　writers；　and　he　also　knew　how　to　draw　from　them　and　squeeze　out　of　them　all　the　literature　they　contained。　　Tremendously　headstrong；　he　has　been　known　to　keep　a　contributor　under　lock　and　key　until　his　article　was　finished。　　Authors　abused　him；　quarrelled　with　him；　and　then　came　back　to　him　again。　　A　review　which　had；　for　its　first　numbers；　George　Sand；　Vigny；　Musset；　Merimee；　among　many　others；　as　contributors；　may　be　said　to　have　started　well。　　George　Sand　tells　us　that　after　a　battle　with　the　_Revue　de　Paris_　and　the　_Revue　des　Deux　Mondes_；　both　of　which　papers　wanted　her　work；　she　bound　herself　to　the　_Revue　des　Deux　Mondes_；　which　was　to　pay　her　a　hundred　and　sixty　pounds　a　year　for　thirty…two　pages　of　writing　every　six　weeks。　　In　1833　the　_Revue　des　Deux　Mondes_　published　Lelia；　and　on　January　1；　1876；　it　finished　publishing　the　_Tour　de　Percemont_。　　This　means　an　uninterrupted　collaboration；　extending　over　a　period　of　forty…three　years。

The　literary　critic　of　the　_Revue　des　Deux　Mondes_　at　that　time　was　a　man　who　was　very　much　respected　and　very　little　liked；　or；　in　other　words；　he　was　universally　detested。　　This　critic　was　Gustave　Planche。　　He　took　his　own　_role_　too　seriously；　and　endeavoured　to　put　authors　on　their　guard　about　their　faults。　　Authors　did　not　appreciate　this。　　He　endeavoured；　too；　to　put　the　public　on　guard　against　its　own　infatuations。　　The　public　did　not　care　for　this。　　He　sowed　strife　and　reaped　revenge。　　This　did　not　stop　him；　though；　for　he　went　calmly　on　continuing　his　executions。　　His　impassibility　was　only　feigned；　and　this　is　the　curious　side　of　the　story。　　He　suffered　keenly　from　the　storms　of　hostility　which　he　provoked。　　He　had　a　kindly　disposition　at　bottom　and　tender　places　in　his　heart。　　He　was　rather　given　to　melancholy　and　intensely　pessimistic。　　To　relieve　his　sadness；　he　gave　himself　up　to　hard　work；　and　he　was　thoroughly　devoted　to　art。　　In　order　to　comprehend　this　portrait　and　to　see　its　resemblance；　we；　who　knew　our　great　Brunetiere；　have　only　to　think　of　him。　　He；　too；　was　noble；　fervent　and　combative；　and　he　sought　in　his　exclusive　devotion　to　literature　a　diversion　from　his　gloomy　pessimism；　underneath　which　was　concealed　such　kindliness。　　It　seemed　with　him；　too；　as　though　he　took　a　pride　in　making　a　whole　crowd　of　enemies；　whilst　in　reality　the　discovery　of　every　fresh　adversary　caused　him　great　suffering。

When　_Lelia_　appeared；　the　novel　was　very　badly　treated　in　_L'Europe　litteraire_。　　Planche　challenged　the　writer　of　the　article；　a　certain　Capo　de　Feuillide；　to　a　duel。　　So　much　for　the　impassibility　of　severe　critics。　　The　duel　took　place；　and　afterwards　there　was　a　misunderstanding　between　George　Sand　and　Planche。　　From　that　time　forth　critics　have　given　up　fighting　duels　for　the　sake　of　authors。

About　the　same　time；　George　Sand　made　use　of　Sainte…Beuve　as　her　confessor。　　He　seemed　specially　indicated　for　this　function。　　In　the　first　place；　he　looked　rather　ecclesiastical；　and　then　he　had　a　taste　for　secrets；　and　more　particularly　for　whispered　confessions。　　George　Sand　had　absolute　confidence　in　him。　　She　considered　that　he　had　an　almost　angelic　nature。　　In　reality；　just　about　that　time；　the　angelic　man　was　endeavouring　to　get　into　the　good　graces　of　the　wife　of　his　best　friend；　and　was　writing　his　_Livre　d'Amour_；　and　divulging　to　the　world　a　weakness　of　which　he　had　taken　advantage。　　This　certainly　was　the　most　villainous　thing　a　man　could　do。　　But　then　he；　too；　was　in　love　and　was　struggling　and　praying。　　George　Sand　declares　her　veneration　for　him；　and　she　constituted　herself　his　penitent。

She　begins　her　confession　by　an　avowal　that　must　have　been　difficult　for　her。　　She　tells　of　her　intimacy　with　Merimee；　an　intimacy　which　was　of　short　duration　and　very　unsatisfactory。　　She　had　been　fascinated　by　Merimee's　art。

〃For　about　a　week；〃　she　says；　〃I　thought　he　had　the　secret　of　happiness。〃　　At　the　end　of　the　week　she　was　〃weeping　with　disgust；　suffering　and　discouragement。〃　　She　had　hoped　to　find　in　him　the　devotion　of　a　consoler；　but　she　found　nothing　but　cold　and　bitter　jesting。〃＇16＇　　This　experiment　had　also　proved　a　failure。


＇16＇　Compare　_Lettres　a　Sainte…Beuve_。


Such　were　the　conditions　in　which　George　Sand　found　herself　at　this　epoch。　　Her　position　was　satisfactory；　she　might　have　been　calm　and　independent。　　Her　inner　life　was　once　more　desolate；　and　she　was　thoroughly　discouraged。　　She　felt　that　she　had　lived　centuries；　that　she　had　undergone　torture；　that　her　heart　had　aged　twenty　years；　and　that　nothing　was　any　pleasure　to　her　now。　　Added　to　all　this；　public　life　saddened　her；　for　the　horizon　had　clouded　over。　　The　boundless　hopes　and　the　enthusiasm　of　1831　were　things　of　the　past。　　〃The　Republic；　as　it　was　dreamed　of　in　July；〃　she　writes；　〃has　ended　in　the　massacres　of　Warsaw　and　in　the　holocaust　of　the　Saint…Merry　cloister。　　The　cholera　has　just　been　raging。　　Saint　Simonism　has　fallen　through　before　it　had　settled　the　great　question　of　love。〃＇17＇


＇17＇　_Histoire　de　ma　vie_。


Depression　had　come　after　over…excitement。　This　is　a　phenomenon　frequently　seen　immediately　after　political　convulsions。　　It　might　be　called　the　perpetual　failure　of　revolutionary　promises。

It　was　under　all　these　influences　that　George　Sand　wrote　_Lelia_。　　She　finished　it　in　July；　and　it　appeared　in　August；　1833。

It　is　absolutely　impossible　to　give　an　analysis　of　_Lelia_。　　There　really　is　no　subject。　　The　personages　are　not　beings　of　flesh　and　blood。　　They　are　allegories　strolling　about　in　the　garden　of　abstractions。　　Lelia　is　a　woman　who　has　had　her　trials　in　life。　　She　has　loved　and　been　disappointed；　so　that　she　can　no　longer　love　at　all。　　She　reduces　the　gentle　poet　Stenio　to　despair。　　He　is　much　younger　than　she　is；　and　he　has　faith　in　life　and　in　love。　　His　ingenuous　soul　begins　to　wither　and　to　lose　its　freshness；　thanks　to　the　scepticism　of　the　beautiful；　disdainful；　ironical　and　world…weary　Lelia。　　This　strange　person　has　a　sister　Pulcherie；　a　celebrated　courtesan；　whose　insolent　sensuality　is　a　set…off　to　the　other　one's　mournful　complaints。　　We　have　here　the　opposition　of　Intelligence　and　of　the　Flesh；　of　Mind　and　Matter。　　Then　comes　Magnus；　the　priest；　who　has　lost　his　faith；　and　for　whom　Lelia　is　a　temptation；　and　after　him　we　have　Trenmor；　Lelia's　great　friend；　Trenmor；　the　sublime　convict。　　As　a　young　man　he　had　been　handsome。　　He　had　loved　and　been　young。　　He　had　known　what　it　was　to　be　only　twenty　years　of　age。　　〃The　only　thing　was；　he　had　known　this　at　the　age　of　sixteen〃　（！！）　　He　had　then　become　a　gambler；　and　here　follows　an　extraordinary　panegyric　on　the　fatal　passion　for　gambling。　　Trenmor　ruins　himself；　borrows　without　paying　back；　and　finally　swindles　〃an　old　millionaire　who　was　himself　a　defrauder　and　a　dissipated　man〃　out　of　a　hundred　francs。　　Apparently　the　bad　conduct　of　the　man　Trenmor　robs；　excuses　the　swindling。　　He　is　condemned　to　five　years　of　hard　labour。　　He　undergoes　his　punishment；　and　is　thereby　regenerated。　　〃What　if　I　were　to　tell　you；〃　writes　George　Sand；　〃that　such　as　he　now　is；　crushed；　with　a　tarnished　reputation；　ruined；　I　consider　him　superior　to　all　of　us；　as　regards　the　moral　life。　　As　he　had　deserved　punishment；　he　was　willing　to　bear　it。　　He　bore　it；　living　for　five　years　bravely　and　patiently　among　his　abject　companions。　　He　has　come　back　to　us　out　of　that　abominable　sewer　holding　his　head　up；　calm；　purified；　pale　as　you　see　him；　but　handsome　still；　like　a　creature　sent　by　God。〃