Biography of George Sand | Page 4

Vibrating with every breath, electrified by every storm, she looked up
at every cloud behind which she fancied she saw a star shining. The
work of another novelist has been called a repertory of human
documents. But what a repertory of ideas her work was! She has said
what she had to say on nearly every subject; on love, the family, social
institutions and on the various forms of government. And with all this
she was a woman. Her case is almost unique in the history of letters. It
is intensely interesting to study the influence of this woman of genius
on the evolution of modern thought.
I shall endeavour to approach my subject conscientiously and with all
due respect. I shall study biography where it is indispensable for the
complete understanding of works. I shall give a sketch of the original
individuals I meet on my path, portraying these only at their point of
contact with the life of our authoress, and it seems to me that a gallery

in which we see Sandeau, Sainte-Beuve, Musset, Michel (of Bourges),
Liszt, Chopin, Lamennais, Pierre Leroux, Dumas fils, Flaubert and
many, many others is an incomparable portrait gallery. I shall not
attack persons, but I shall discuss ideas and, when necessary, dispute
them energetically. We shall, I hope, during our voyage, see many
perspectives open out before us.
I have, of course, made use of all the works devoted to George Sand
which were of any value for my study, and among others of the two
volumes published, under the name of Wladimir Karenine,[1] by a
woman belonging to Russian aristocratic society. For the period before
1840, this is the most complete work that has been written. M. Samuel
Rocheblave, a clever University professor and the man who knows
more than any one about the life and works of George Sand, has been
my guide and has helped me greatly with his wise advice. Private
collections of documents have also been placed at my service most
generously. I am therefore able to supply some hitherto unpublished
writings. George Sand published, in all, about a hundred volumes of
novels and stories, four volumes of autobiography, and six of
correspondence. In spite of all this we are still asked for fresh
documents.

[1] WLADIMIR KARENINE: George Sand, Sa vie et ses aeuvres. 2
Vols. Ollendorf.
It is interesting, as a preliminary study, to note the natural gifts, and the
first impressions of Aurore Dupin as a child and young girl, and to see
how these predetermined the woman and the writer known to us as
George Sand.
Lucile-Amandine-Aurore Dupin, legitimate daughter of Maurice Dupin
and of Sophie-Victoire Delaborde, was born in Paris, at 15 Rue Meslay,
in the neighbourhood of the Temple, on the 1st of July, 1804. I would
call attention at once to the special phenomenon which explains the
problem of her destiny: I mean by this her heredity, or rather the radical
and violent contrast of her maternal and paternal heredity.

By her father she was an aristocrat and related to the reigning houses.
Her ancestor was the King of Poland, Augustus II, the lover of the
beautiful Countess Aurora von Koenigsmarck. George Sand's
grandfather was Maurice de Saxe. He may have been an adventurer and
a condottiere, but France owes to him Fontenoy, that brilliant page of
her history. All this takes us back to the eighteenth century with its
brilliant, gallant, frivolous, artistic and profligate episodes. Maurice de
Saxe adored the theatre, either for itself or for the sake of the women
connected with it. On his campaign, he took with him a theatrical
company which gave a representation the evening before a battle. In
this company was a young artiste named Mlle. de Verrieres whose
father was a certain M. Rinteau. Maurice de Saxe admired the young
actress and a daughter was born of this liaison, who was later on
recognized by her father and named Marie-Aurore de Saxe. This was
George Sand's grandmother. At the age of fifteen the young girl
married Comte de Horn, a bastard son of Louis XV. This husband was
obliging enough to his wife, who was only his wife in name, to die as
soon as possible. She then returned to her mother "the Opera lady." An
elderly nobleman, Dupin de Francueil, who had been the lover of the
other Mlle. Verrieres, now fell in love with her and married her. Their
son, Maurice Dupin, was the father of our novelist. The astonishing
part of this series of adventures is that Marie-Aurore should have been
the eminently respectable woman that she was. On her mother's side,
though, Aurore Dupin belonged to the people. She was the daughter of
Sophie-Victoire Delaborde milliner, the grandchild of a certain
bird-seller on the Quai des Oiseaux,