george sand-第37章

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Art；〃　we　are　told；　〃is　not　a　study　of　positive　reality；　it　is　the　seeking　for　ideal　truth。〃　　Such　is　the　point　of　view　of　the　author　of　_La　Mare　au　Diable_；　which　we　are　invited　to　consider　as　a　parable　and　an　apologue。

The　parable　is　clear　enough；　and　the　apologue　is　eloquent。　　The　novel　commences　with　that　fine　picture　of　the　ploughing　of　the　fields；　so　rich　in　description　and　so　broadly　treated　that　there　seems　to　be　nothing　in　French　literature　to　compare　with　it　except　the　episode　of　the　Labourers　in　_Jocelyn_。　　When　_Jocelyn_　was　published；　George　Sand　was　severe　in　her　criticism　of　it；　treating　it　as　poor　work；　false　in　sentiment　and　careless　in　style。　　〃In　the　midst　of　all　this；　though；〃　she　adds；　〃there　are　certain　pages　and　chapters　such　as　do　not　exist　in　any　languaoe；　pages　that　I　read　seven　times　over；　crying　all　the　time　like　a　donkey。〃　　I　fancy　that　she　must　have　cried　over　the　episode　of　the　_Labourers_。　　Whether　she　remembered　it　or　not　when　writing　her　own　book　little　matters。　　My　only　reason　for　mentioning　it　is　to　point　out　the　affinity　of　genius　between　Lamartine　and　George　Sand；　both　of　them　so　admirable　in　imagining　idylls　and　in　throwing　the　colours　of　their　idyllic　imagination　on　to　reality。

I　have　ventured；　to　analyze　the　_Comtesse　de　Rudolstadt_　and　even　_Consuelo_；　but　I　shall　not　be　guilty　of　the　bad　taste　of　telling　the　story　of　_La　Mare　au　Diable_；　as　all　the　people　of　that　neighbourhood　are　well　known　to　us；　and　have　been　our　friends　for　a　long　time。　　We　are　all　acquainted　with　Germain；　the　clever　farm…labourer；　with　Marie；　the　shepherdess；　and　with　little　Pierre。　　We　remember　how　they　climbed　the　_Grise_；　lost　their　way　in　the　mist；　and　were　obliged　to　spend　the　night　under　the　great　oak…trees。　When　we　were　only　about　fifteen　years　of　age；　with　what　delight　we　read　this　book；　and　how　we　loved　that　sweet　Marie　for　her　simple　grace　and　her　affection；　which　all　seemed　so　maternal。　　How　much　better　we　liked　her　than　the　Widow　Guerin；　who　was　so　snobbish　with　her　three　lovers。　　And　how　glad　we　were　to　be　present　at　that　wedding；　celebrated　according　to　the　custom　in　Berry　from　time　immemorial。

It　is　easy　to　see　the　meaning　of　all　these　things。　　They　show　us　how　natural　kindliness　is　to　the　heart　of　man。　　If　we　try　to　find　out　why　Germain　and　Marie　appear　so　delightful　to　us；　we　shall　discover　that　it　is　because　they　are　simple…hearted；　and　follow　the　dictates　of　Nature。　　Nature　must　not　be　deformed；　therefore；　by　constraint　nor　transformed　by　convention；　as　it　leads　straight　to　virtue。

We　have　heard　the　tune　of　this　song　before；　and　we　have　seen　the　blossoming　of　some　very　fine　pastoral　poems　and　a　veritable　invasion　of　sentimental　literature。　　In　those　days　tears　were　shed　plentifully　over　poetry；　novels　and　plays。　　We　have　had　Bernardin　de　Saint…Pierre；　Sedaine；　Florian　and　Berquin。　　The　Revolution；　brutal　and　sanguinary　as　it　was；　did　not　interrupt　the　course　of　these　romantic　effusions。　　Never　were　so　many　tender　epithets　used　as　during　the　years　of　the　Reign　of　Terror；　and　in　official　processions　Robespierre　was　adorned　with　flowers　like　a　village　bride。

This　taste　for　pastoral　things；　at　the　time　of　the　Revolution；　was　not　a　mere　coincidence。　　The　same　principles　led　up　to　the　idyll　in　literature　and　to　the　Revolution　in　history。　　Man　was　supposed　to　be　naturally　good；　and　the　idea　was　to　take　away　from　him　all　the　restraints　which　had　been　invented　for　curbing　his　nature。　　Political　and　religious　authority；　moral　discipline　and　the　prestige　of　tradition　had　all　formed　a　kind　of　network　of　impediments；　by　which　man　had　been　imprisoned　by　legislators　who　were　inclined　to　pessimism。　　By　doing　away　with　all　these　fetters；　the　Golden　Age　was　to　be　restored　and　universal　happiness　was　to　be　established。　　Such　was　the　faith　of　the　believers　in　the　millennium　of　1789；　and　of　1848。　　The　same　dream　began　over　and　over　again；　from　Diderot　to　Lamartine　and　from　Jean…Jacques　to　George　Sand。　　The　same　state　of　mind　which　we　see　reflected　in　_La　Mare　au　Diable_　was　to　make　of　George　Sand　the　revolutionary　writer　of　1848。　　We　can　now　understand　the　_role_　which　the　novelist　played　in　the　second　Republic。　　It　is　one　of　the　most　surprising　pages　in　the　history　of　this　extraordinary　character。

The　joy　with　which　George　Sand　welcomed　the　Republic　can　readily　be　imagined。　　She　had　been　a　Republican　ever　since　the　days　of　Michel　of　Bourges；　and　a　democrat　since　the　time　when；　as　a　little　girl；　she　took　the　side　of　her　plebeian　mother　against　〃the　old　Countesses。〃　　For　a　long　time　she　had　been　wishing　for　and　expecting　a　change　of　government。　　She　would　not　have　been　satisfied　with　less　than　this。　　She　was　not　much　moved　by　the　Thiers…Guizot　duel；　and　it　would　have　given　her　no　pleasure　to　be　killed　for　the　sake　of　Odilon　Barrot。　　She　was　a　disciple　of　Romanticism；　and　she　wanted　a　storm。　　When　the　storm　broke；　carrying　all　before　it；　a　throne；　a　whole　society　with　its　institutions；　she　hurried　away　from　her　peaceful　Nohant。　　She　wanted　to　breathe　the　atmosphere　of　a　revolution；　and　she　was　soon　intoxicated　by　it。

〃Long　live　the　Republic；〃　she　wrote　in　her　letters。　　〃What　a　dream　and　what　enthusiasm；　and　then；　too；　what　behaviour；　what　order　in　Paris。　　I　have　just　arrived；　and　I　saw　the　last　of　the　barricades。　　The　people　are　great；　sublime；　simple　and　generous；　the　most　admirable　people　in　the　universe。　　I　spent　nights　without　any　sleep　and　days　without　sitting　down。　　Every　one　was　wild　and　intoxicated　with　delight；　for　after　going　to　sleep　in　the　mire　they　have　awakened　in　heaven。〃＇39＇


＇39＇　_Correspondance：　　_　To　Ch。　　Poncy；　March　9；　1848。


She　goes　on　dreaming　thus　of　the　stars。　　Everything　she　hears；　everything　she　sees　enchants　her。　　The　most　absurd　measures　delight　her。　　She　either　thinks　they　are　most　noble；　liberal　steps　to　have　taken；　or　else　they　are　very　good　jokes。

〃Rothschild；〃　she　writes；　〃expresses　very　fine　sentiments　about　liberty　at　present。　　The　Provisional　Government　is　keeping　him　in　sight；　as　it　does　not　wish　him　to　make　off　with　his　money；　and　so　will　put　some　of　the　troops　on　his　track。　　The　most　amusing　things　are　happening。〃　　A　little　later　on　she　writes：　　〃The　Government　and　the　people　expect　to　have　bad　deputies；　but　they　have　agreed　to　put　them　through　the　window。　　You　must　come；　and　we　will　go　and　see　all　this　and　have　fun。〃＇40＇


＇40＇　_Correspondance：_　To　Maurice　Sand；　March　24；　1848。


She　was　thoroughly　entertained；　and　that　is　very　significant。　　We　must　not　forget　the　famous　phrase　that　sounded　the　death…knell　of　the　July　monarchy；　〃La　France　s'ennuie。〃　France　had　gone　in　for　a　revolution　by　way　of　being　entertained。

George　Sand　was　entertained；　then；　by　what　was　taking　place。　　She　went　down　into　the　street　where　there　was　plenty　to　see。　　In　the　mornings　there　were　the　various　coloured　posters　to　be　read。　　These　had　been　put　up　in　the　night；　and　they　were　in　prose　and　in　verse。

Processions　were　also　organized；　and　men；　women　and　children；　with　banners　unfurled；　marched　along　to　music　to　the　Hotel　de　Ville；　carrying　baskets　decorated　with　ribbons　and　flowers。　　Every　corporation　and　every　profession　considered　itself　bound　in　honour　to　congratulate　the　Government　and　to　encourage　it　in　its　well…doing。　One　day　the　procession　would　be　of　the　women　who　made　waistcoats　or　breeches；　another　day　of　the　water…carriers；　or　of　those　who　had　been　decorated　in　July　or　wounded　in　February；　then　there　were　the　pavement…layers；　the　washerwomen；　the　delegates　from　the　Paris　night…soil　men。　　There　were　delegates；　too；　from　the　Germans；　Italians；　Poles；　and　most　of　the　inhabitants　of　Montmartre　and　of　Batignolles。　　We　must　not　forget　the　trees　of　Liberty；　as　George　Sand　speaks　of　meeting　with　three　of　these　in　one　day。　　〃Immense　pines；〃　she　writes；　〃carried　on　the　shoulders　of　fifty　working…men。　A　drum　went　first；　then　the　flag；　followed　by　bands　of　these　fine　tillers　of　the　ground；　strong…looking；　serious　men　with　wreaths　of　leaves　on　their　head；　and　a　spade；　pick…axe　or　hatchet　over　their　shoulder。　　It　was　magnificent；　finer　than　all　the　_Roberts_　in　the　world。〃＇41＇　Such　was　the　tone　of　her　letters。


＇41＇　_Correspondance。_


She　had　the　Opera　from　her　win