george sand-第36章

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In　the　_Compagnon　du　Tour　de　France_；　Pierre　Huguenin；　a　carpenter；　travels　about　among　all　these　different　societies　of　the　_Compagnonnage_；　and　lets　us　see　something　of　their　competition；　rivalries；　battles；　etc。　　He　is　then　sent　for　to　the　Villepreux　Chateau；　to　do　some　work。　　The　noble　Yseult　falls　in　love　with　this　fine…talking　carpenter；　and　at　once　begs　him　to　make　her　happy　by　marrying　her。

In　the　_Meunier　d'Angibault_　it　is　a　working　locksmith；　Henri　Lemor；　who　falls　in　love　with　Marcelle　de　BIanchemont。　　Born　to　wealth；　she　regrets　that　she　is　not　the　daughter　or　the　mother　of　workingmen。　　Finally；　however；　she　loses　her　fortune；　and　rejoices　in　this　event。　　The　personage　who　stands　out　in　relief　in　this　novel　is　the　miller；　Grand　Louis。　　He　is　always　gay　and　contented；　with　a　smile　on　his　lips；　singing　lively　songs　and　giving　advice　to　every　one。

In　the　_Peche　de　M。　Antoine_；　the　_role_　of　Grand　Louis　falls　to　Jean　the　carpenter。　　In　this　story　all　the　people　are　communists；　with　the　exception　of　the　owner　of　the　factory；　who；　in　consequence；　is　treated　with　contempt。　　His　son　Emile　marries　the　daughter　of　Monsieur　Antoine。　　Her　name　is　Gilberte；　and　a　silly　old　man；　the　Marquis　de　Boisguilbaut；　leaves　her　all　his　money；　on　condition　that　the　young　couple　found　a　colony　of　agriculturists　in　which　there　shall　be　absolute　communism。　　All　these　stories；　full　of　eloquence　and　dissertations　on　the　misfortune　of　being　rich　and　the　corrupting　influence　of　wealth；　would　be　insufferable；　if　it　were　not　for　the　fact　that　the　Angibault　mill　were　in　the　Black　Valley；　and　the　crumbling　chateau；　belonging　to　Monsieur　Antoine；　on　the　banks　of　the　Creuse。

They　are　very　poor　novels；　and　it　would　be　a　waste　of　time　to　attempt　to　defend　them。　　They　are　not　to　be　despised；　though；　as　regards　their　influence　on　the　rest　of　George　Sand's　work；　and　also　as　regards　the　history　of　the　French　novel。　　They　rendered　great　service　to　George　Sand；　inasmuch　as　they　helped　her　to　come　out　of　herself　and　to　turn　her　attention　to　the　miseries　of　other　people；　instead　of　dwelling　all　the　time　on　her　own。　　The　miseries　she　now　saw　were　more　general　ones；　and　consequently　more　worthy　of　interest。　　In　the　history　of　the　novel　they　are　of　capital　importance；　as　they　are　the　first　ones　to　bring　into　notice；　by　making　them　play　a　part；　people　of　whom　novelists　had　never　spoken。　　Before　Eugene　Sue　and　before　Victor　Hugo；　George　Sand　gives　a　_role_　to　a　mason；　a　carpenter　and　a　joiner。　　We　see　the　working…class　come　into　literature　in　these　novels；　and　this　marks　an　era。

As　to　their　socialistic　influence；　it　is　supposed　by　many　people　that　they　had　none。　　The　kind　of　socialism　that　consists　of　making　tinkers　marry　marchionesses；　and　duchesses　marry　zinc…workers；　seems　very　childish　and　very　feminine。　　It　is　just　an　attempt　at　bringing　about　the　marriage　of　classes。　　This　socialistic　preaching；　by　means　of　literature；　cannot　be　treated　so　lightly；　though；　as　it　is　by　no　means　harmless。　　It　is；　on　the　contrary；　a　powerful　means　of　diffusing　doctrines　to　which　it　lends　the　colouring　of　imagination；　and　for　which　it　appeals　to　the　feelings。　　George　Sand　propagated　the　humanitarian　dream　among　a　whole　category　of　men　and　women　who　read　her　books。　　But　for　her；　they　would　probably　have　turned　a　deaf　ear　to　the　inducements　held　out　to　them　with　regard　to　this　Utopia。　　Lamartine　with　his　_Girondins_　reconciled　the　_bourgeois_　classes　to　the　idea　of　the　Revolution。　　In　both　cases　the　effect　was　the　same；　and　it　is　just　this　which　literature　does　in　affairs　of　this　kind。　　Its　_role_　consists　here　in　creating　a　sort　of　snobbism；　and　this　snobbism；　created　by　literature　in　favour　of　all　the　elements　of　social　destruction；　continues　to　rage　at　present。　　We　still　see　men　smiling　indulgently　and　stupidly　at　doctrines　of　revolt　and　anarchy；　which　they　ought　to　repudiate；　not　because　of　their　own　interest；　but　because　it　is　their　duty　to　repudiate　them　with　all　the　strength　of　their　own　common　sense　and　rectitude。　　Instead　of　any　arguments；　we　have　facts　to　offer。　　All　this　was　in　1846；　and　the　time　was　now　drawing　near　when　George　Sand　was　to　see　those　novels　of　hers　actually　taking　place　in　the　street；　so　that　she　could　throw　down　to　the　rioters　the　bulletins　that　she　wrote　in　their　honour。




VIII

1848

GEORGE　SAND　AND　THE　PROVISIONAL　GOVERNMENT

HER　PASTORAL　NOVELS


IN　1846；　George　Sand　published　_Le　Peche　de　M。　Antoine_。　　It　was　a　very　dull　story　of　a　sin；　for　sins　are　not　always　amusing。　　The　same　year；　though；　she　published　_La　Mare　au　Diable_。　　People　are　apt　to　say；　when　comparing　the　socialistic　novels　and　the　pastoral　novels　by　George　Sand；　that　the　latter　are　superb；　because　they　are　the　result　of　a　conception　of　art　that　was　quite　disinterested；　as　the　author　had　given　up　her　preaching　mania；　and　devoted　herself　to　depicting　people　that　she　knew　and　things　that　she　liked；　without　any　other　care　than　that　of　painting　them　well。　　Personally；　I　think　that　this　was　not　so。　　George　Sand's　pastoral　style　is　not　essentially　different　from　her　socialistic　style。　　The　difference　is　only　in　the　success　of　the　execution；　but　the　ideas　and　the　intentions　are　the　same。　　George　Sand　is　continuing　her　mission　in　them；　she　is　going　on　with　her　humanitarian　dream；　that　dream　which　she　dreamed　when　awake。

We　have　a　proof　of　this　in　the　preface　of　the　author　to　the　reader　with　which　the　_Mare　au　Diable_　begins。　　This　preface　would　be　disconcerting　to　any　one　who　does　not　remember　the　intellectual　atmosphere　in　which　it　was　written。

People　have　wondered　by　what　fit　of　imagination　George　Sand；　when　telling　such　a　wholesome　story　of　country　life；　should　evoke　the　ghastly　vision　of　Holbein's　Dance　of　Death。　　It　is　the　close　of　day；　the　horses　are　thin　and　exhausted；　there　is　an　old　peasant；　and；　skipping　about　in　the　furrows　near　the　team；　is　Death；　the　only　lively；　careless；　nimble　being　in　this　scene　of　〃sweat　and　weariness。〃　　She　gives　us　the　explanation　of　it　herself。　　She　wanted　to　show　up　the　ideal　of　the　new　order　of　things；　as　opposed　to　the　old　ideal；　as　translated　by　the　ghastly　dance。

〃We　have　nothing　more　to　do　with　death；〃　she　writes；　〃but　with　life。　　We　no　longer　believe　in　the　_neant_　of　the　tomb；　nor　in　salvation　bought　by　enforced　renunciation。　　We　want　life　to　be　good；　because　we　want　it　to　be　fertile。　。　。　。　　Every　one　must　be　happy；　so　that　the　happiness　of　a　few　may　not　be　criminal　and　cursed　by　God。〃　　This　note　we　recognize　as　the　common　feature　of　all　the　socialistic　Utopias。　　It　consists　in　taking　the　opposite　basis　to　that　on　which　the　Christian　idea　is　founded。　　Whilst　Christianity　puts　off；　until　after　death；　the　possession　of　happiness；　transfiguring　death　by　its　eternal　hopes；　Socialism　places　its　Paradise　on　earth。　　It　thus　runs　the　risk　of　leaving　all　those　without　any　recourse　who　do　not　find　this　earth　a　paradise；　and　it　has　no　answer　to　give　to　the　lamentations　of　incurable　human　misery。

George　Sand　goes　on　to　expose　to　us　the　object　of　art；　as　she　understands　it。　　She　believes　that　it　is　for　pleading　the　cause　of　the　people。

She　does　not　consider　that　her　_confreres_　in　novel…writing　and　in　Socialism　set　about　their　work　in　the　best　way。　　They　paint　poverty　that　is　ugly　and　vile；　and　sometimes　even　vicious　and　criminal。　　How　is　it　to　be　expected　that　the　bad；　rich　man　will　take　pity　on　the　sorrows　of　the　poor　man；　if　this　poor　man　is　always　presented　to　him　as　an　escaped　convict　or　a　night　loafer？　　It　is　very　evident　that　the　people；　as　presented　to　us　in　the　_Mysteres　de　Paris_；　are　not　particularly　congenial　to　us；　and　we　should　have　no　wish　to　make　the　acquaintance　of　the　〃Chourineur。〃　　In　order　to　bring　about　conversions；　George　Sand　has　more　faith　in　gentle；　agreeable　people；　and；　in　conclusion；　she　tells　us：　　〃We　believe　that　the　mission　of　art　is　a　mission　of　sentiment　and　of　love；　and　that　the　novel　of　to…day　ought　to　take　the　place　of　the　parable　and　the　apologue　of　more　primitive　times。〃　　The　object　of　the　artist；　she　tells　us；　〃is　to　make　people　appreciate　what　he　presents　to　them。〃　　With　that　end　in　view；　he　has　a　right　to　embellish　his　subjects　a　little。　　〃Art；〃　we　are　told；　〃is　not　a　study　of　positiv