Information AboutGeorge Sand |
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Amantine Aurore Lucile Dupin, Baronne Dudevant ( July 1 , 1804 – June 8 , 1876 ), best known by her pseudonym '''George Sand''', was a French Novelist and Feminist . EARLY LIFE AND FAMILY Sand's father was of aristocratic lineage (a granddaughter of – 1889 ) and Solange ( 1828 – 1899 ). In 1835 Sand was legally separated from her husband, which prompted her lifelong search for true liberty and independence. CONTEMPORARY PERCEPTION Her reputation was questioned when she began sporting menswear in public, the clothes being far sturdier and less expensive than a noble woman's dress. Also, she was one of the few female pipe smokers of her time. This male "disguise" also enabled Sand to circulate more freely about Paris, and gave her increased access to venues that might have been denied to a woman of her social standing. This was an exceptional practice for the 19th Century , where social codes—especially in the upper class—were of the highest importance. As a consequence Sand lost many of the privileges attached to being a Baroness . Ironically, the Mores of this period allowed women of higher classes to live physically separated from their husbands ''without'' losing face, provided they did not show any blatant irregularity to the outer world. The poet Charles Baudelaire is one example of a contemporary critic of George Sand: "She is stupid, heavy and garrulous. Her ideas on morals have the same depth of judgment and delicacy of feeling as those of janitresses and kept women... The fact that there are men who could become enamoured of this slut is indeed a proof of the abasement of the men of this generation." 1 RELATIONSHIPS She was linked romantically with Alfred De Musset (summer 1833 -March 1834 ), Franz Liszt and Frédéric Chopin ( 1837 - 1847 ). Later in life, she corresponded with Gustave Flaubert ; despite their obvious differences in temperament and aesthetic preference, they eventually became close friends. She was engaged in an intimate friendship with actress Marie Dorval , which led to widespread but unconfirmed rumors of a lesbian affair. {Link without Title} In . She left Chopin shortly before he died from Tuberculosis . WRITING CAREER Her first published novel, ''Rose et Blanche'' ( 1831 ) was written in collaboration with Jules Sandeau , from whom she allegedly took her pen name, Sand. Drawing from her childhood experiences of the countryside, she wrote the rural novels ''La Mare au Diable'' ( 1846 ), ''François le Champi'' ( 1847 – 1848 ), ''La Petite Fadette'' ( 1849 ), and ''Les Beaux Messieurs Bois-Doré'' ( 1857 ). Her other novels include '' Indiana '' ( 1832 ), '' Lélia '' ( 1833 ), '' Mauprat '' ( 1837 ), '' Le Compagnon Du Tour De France '' ( 1840 ), '' Consuelo '' ( 1842 – 1843 ), and '' Le Meunier D'Angibault '' ( 1845 ). Further theatre pieces and autobiographical pieces include ''Histoire de ma vie'' ( 1855 ), ''Elle et Lui'' ( 1859 ) (about her affair with Musset), ''Journal Intime'' (posthumously published in 1926 ), and ''Correspondence''. Sand often performed her theatrical works in her small private theatre at the Nohant estate. In addition, Sand authored literary criticism and political texts. Her most widely used quote being, "There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved." She was known well in far reaches of the world, and her social practices, her writings and her beliefs prompted much commentary, often by other luminaries in the world of arts & letters. A few excerpts demonstrate much of what was often said about George Sand: :"She was a thinking bosom and one who overpowered her young lovers, all Sybil — a Romantic." ::V.S. Pritchett (writer) :"What a brave man she was, and what a good woman." ::Ivan Turgenev (novelist) :"The most womanly woman." ::Alfred de Musset (poet) DEATH George Sand died at Nohant , near Châteauroux , in the Indre '' Département '' of France on June 8 , 1876 at the age of 72 and was buried in the grounds of her home there. In 2004 , controversial plans were suggested to move her remains to the Panthéon in Paris. WORKS )]]
Novels
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