george sand-第17章

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　his　head　up；　calm；　purified；　pale　as　you　see　him；　but　handsome　still；　like　a　creature　sent　by　God。〃

We　all　know　how　dear　convicts　are　to　the　hearts　of　romantic　people。　　There　is　no　need　for　me　to　remind　you　how　they　have　come　to　us　recently；　encircled　with　halos　of　suffering　and　of　purity。　　We　all　remember　Dostoiewsky's　_Crime　and　Punishment_　and　Tolstoi's　_Resurrection_。　　When　the　virtue　of　expiation　and　the　religion　of　human　suffering　came　to　us　from　Russia；　we　should　have　greeted　them　as　old　acquaintances；　if　certain　essential　works　in　our　own　literature；　of　which　these　books　are　the　issue；　had　not　been　unknown　to　us。

The　last　part　of　the　novel　is　devoted　to　Stenio。　　Hurt　by　Lelia's　disdain；　which　has　thrown　him　into　the　arms　of　her　sister　Pulcherie；　he　gives　himself　up　to　debauch。　　We　find　him　at　a　veritable　orgy　in　Pulcherie's　house。　　Later　on　he　is　in　a　monastery　at　Camaldules；　talking　to　Trenmor　and　Magnus。　　In　such　books　we　must　never　be　astonished。　。　。　。　　There　is　a　long　speech　by　Stenio；　addressed　to　Don　Juan；　whom　he　regrets　to　have　taken　as　his　model。　　The　poor　young　man　of　course　commits　suicide。　　He　chooses　drowning　as　the　author　evidently　prefers　that　mode　of　suicide。　　Lelia　arrives　in　time　to　kneel　down　by　the　corpse　of　the　young　man　who　has　been　her　victim。　　Magnus　then　appears　on　the　scene；　exactly　at　the　right　moment；　to　strangle　Lelia。　　Pious　hands　prepare　Lelia　and　Stenio　for　their　burial。　　They　are　united　and　yet　separated　up　to　their　very　death。

The　summing　up　we　have　given　is　the　original　version　of　_Lelia_。　　In　1836；　George　Sand　touched　up　this　work；　altering　much　of　it　and　spoiling；　what　she　altered。　　It　is　a　pity　that　her　new　version；　which　is　longer；　heavier　and　more　obscure；　should　have　taken　the　place　of　the　former　one。　　In　its　first　form　_Lelia_　is　a　work　of　rare　beauty；　but　with　the　beauty　of　a　poem　or　an　oratorio。　　It　is　made　of　the　stuff　of　which　dreams　are　composed。　　It　is　a　series　of　reveries；　adapted　to　the　soul　of　1830。　　At　every　different　epoch　there　is　a　certain　frame　of　mind；　and　certain　ideas　are　diffused　in　the　air　which　we　find　alike　in　the　works　of　the　writers　of　that　time；　although　they　did　not　borrow　them　from　each　other。　　_Lelia_　is　a　sort　of　summing　up　of　the　themes　then　in　vogue　in　the　personal　novel　and　in　lyrical　poetry。　　The　theme　of　that　suffering　which　is　beneficent　and　inspiring　is　contained　in　the　following　words：　　〃Come　back　to　me；　Sorrow！　　Why　have　you　left　me？　　It　is　by　grief　alone　that　man　is　great。〃　　This　is　worthy　of　Chateaubriand。　　The　theme　of　melancholy　is　as　follows：　　〃The　moon　appeared。　。　。　。　　What　is　the　moon；　and　what　is　its　nocturnal　magic　to　me？　　One　hour　more　or　less　is　nothing　to　me。〃　　This　might　very　well　be　Lamartine。　　We　then　have　the　malediction　pronounced　in　face　of　impassible　Nature：　　〃Yes；　I　detested　that　radiant　and　magnificent　Nature；　for　it　was　there　before　me　in　all　its　stupid　beauty；　silent　and　proud；　for　us　to　gaze　on；　believing　that　it　was　enough　to　merely　show　itself。〃　　This　reminds　us　of　Vigny　in　his　_Maison　du　berger_。　　Then　we　have　the　religion　of　love：　　〃Doubt　God；　doubt　men；　doubt　me　if　you　like；　but　do　not　doubt　love。〃　　This　is　Musset。

But　the　theme　which　predominates；　and；　as　we　have　compared　all　this　to　music；　we　might　say　the　_leit…motiv_　of　all；　is　that　of　desolation；　of　universal　despair；　of　the　woe　of　life。　　It　is　the　same　lamentation　which；　ever　since　Werther；　was　to　be　heard　throughout　all　literature。　　It　is　the　identical　suffering　which　Rene；　Obermann　and　Lara　had　been　repeating　to　all　the　echoes。　　The　elements　of　it　were　the　same：　　pride　which　prevents　us　from　adapting　ourselves　to　the　conditions　of　universal　life；　an　abuse　of　self…analysis　which　opens　up　our　wounds　again　and　makes　them　bleed；　the　wild　imagination　which　presents　to　our　eyes　the　deceptive　mirage　of　Promised　Lands　from　which　we　are　ever　exiles。　　Lelia　personifies；　in　her　turn；　the　〃_mal　du　siecle_。〃　　Stenio　reproaches　her　with　only　singing　grief　and　doubt。　　〃How　many；　times；〃　he　says；　〃have　you　appeared　to　me　as　typical　of　the　indescribable　suffering　in　which　mankind　is　plunged　by　the　spirit　of　inquiry！　　With　your　beauty　and　your　sadness；　your　world…weariness　and　your　scepticism；　do　you　not　personify　the　excess　of　grief　produced　by　the　abuse　of　thought？〃　　He　then　adds：　　〃There　is　a　great　deal　of　pride　in　this　grief；　Lelia！〃　　It　was　undoubtedly　a　malady；　for　Lelia　had　no　reason　to　complain　of　life　any　more　than　her　brothers　in　despair。　　It　is　simply　that　the　general　conditions　of　life　which　all　people　have　to　accept　seem　painful　to　them。　　When　we　are　well　the　play　of　our　muscles　is　a　joy　to　us；　but　when　we　are　ill　we　feel　the　very　weight　of　the　atmosphere；　and　our　eyes　are　hurt　by　the　pleasant　daylight。

When　_Lelia_　appeared　George　Sand's　old　friends　were　stupefied。　　〃What；　in　Heaven's　name；　is　this？〃　wrote　Jules　Neraud；　the　_Malgache。_　〃Where　have　you　been　in　search　of　this？　　Why　have　you　written　such　a　book？　　Where　has　it　sprung　from；　and　what　is　it　for？　。　。　。　　This　woman　is　a　fantastical　creature。　　She　is　not　at　all　like　you。　　You　are　lively　and　can　dance　a　jig；　you　can　appreciate　butterflies　and　you　do　not　despise　puns。　　You　sew　and　can　make　jam　very　well。〃＇18＇


＇18＇　_Histoire　de　ma　vie_。


It　certainly　was　not　her　portrait。　　She　was　healthy　and　believed　in　life；　in　the　goodness　of　things　and　in　the　future　of　humanity；　just　as　Victor　Hugo　and　Dumas　_pere_；　those　other　forces　of　Nature；　did；　at　about　the　same　time。　　A　soul　foreign　to　her　own　had　entered　into　her；　and　it　was　the　romantic　soul。　　With　the　magnificent　power　of　receptivity　which　she　possessed；　George　Sand　welcomed　all　the　winds　which　came　to　her　from　the　four　quarters　of　romanticism。　　She　sent　them　back　with　unheard…of　fulness；　sonorous　depth　and　wealth　of　orchestration。　　From　that　time　forth　a　woman's　voice　could　be　heard；　added　to　all　the　masculine　voices　which　railed　against　life；　and　the　woman's　voice　dominated　them　all！

In　George　Sand's　psychological　evolution；　_Lelia_　is　just　this：　　the　beginning　of　the　invasion　of　her　soul　by　romanticism。　　It　was　a　borrowed　individuality；　undoubtedly；　but　it　was　not　something　to　be　put　on　and　off　at　will　like　a　mask。　　It　adhered　to　the　skin。　　It　was　all　very　fine　for　George　Sand　to　say　to　Sainte…Beuve：　〃Do　not　confuse　the　man　himself　with　the　suffering。　。　。　。　　And　do　not　believe　in　all　my　satanical　airs。　。　。　。　　This　is　simply　a　style　that　I　have　taken　on；　I　assure　you。　。　。　。〃

Sainte…Beuve　had　every　reason　to　be　alarmed；　and　the　confessor　was　quite　right　in　his　surmises。　　The　crisis　of　romanticism　had　commenced。　　It　was　to　take　an　acute　form　and　to　reach　its　paroxysm　during　the　Venice　escapade。　　It　is　from　this　point　of　view　that　we　will　study　the　famous　episode；　which　has　already　been　studied　by　so　many　other　writers。


No　subject；　perhaps；　has　excited　the　curiosity　of　readers　like　this　one；　and　always　without　satisfying　that　curiosity。　　A　library　could　be　formed　of　the　books　devoted　to　this　subject；　written　within　the　last　ten　years。　　Monsieur　Rocheblave；　Monsieur　Maurice　Clouard；　Dr。　Cabanes；　Monsieur　Marieton；　the　enthusiastic　collector；　Spoelberch　de　Lovenjoul　and　Monsieur　Decori　have　all　given　us　their　contributions　to　the　debate。＇19＇　Thanks　to　them；　we　have　the　complete　correspondence　of　George　Sand　and　Musset；　the　diary　of　George　Sand　and　Pagello's　diary。


＇19＇　Consult：　　Rocheblave；　_La　fin　dune　Legende；_　Maurice　Clouard；　_Documents　inedits　sur　A。　de　Musset；_　Dr。　Cabanes；　_Musset　et　le　Dr。　Pagello_；　Paul　Marieton；　_Une　histoire　d'amour；_　Vicomte　Spoelberch　de　Lovenjoul；　_La　vrai　histoire　d'Elle　et　Lui；_　Decori；　_Lettres　de　George　Sand　et　Musset。_


With　the　aid　of　all　these　documents　Monsieur　Charles　Maurras　has　written　a　book　entitled　_Les　Amants　de　Venise_。　　It　is　the　work　of　a　psychologist　and　of　an　artist。　　The　only　fault　I　have　to　find　with　it　is　that　the　author　of　it　seems　to　see　calculation　and　artifice　everywhere；　and　not　to　believe　sufficiently　in　sincerity。　　We　must　not　forget；　either；　that　as　early　as　the　year　1893；　all　that　is　essential　had　been　told　us　by　that　shrewd　writer　and　admirable　woman；　Arvede　Barine。　　The　chapter　which　she　devotes　to　the　Venice　episode；　in　her　biography　of　Alfred　de　Musset；　is　mo