I finally managed to see
the vast collection of Maurice Sand's marionettes, all housed in a large annexe
of the Sand family home at Nohant-en-Vic in the Berry region. Despite the
beauty of this part of France, it is not an immediate choice for tourists as it
is relatively far from a major city. Nevertheless, the région berrichonne attracts thousands of visitors each year, most
of these wishing to visit the landscapes described in the work of its most
renowned inhabitant; George Sand. More importantly, many are drawn to the
country home which had been the writer's principal residence for much of her
life. La Maison à Nohant, with its
grand architecture, extensive gardens and wooded grounds bears the aristocratic
air of its background, yet it retains an essential down-to-earth quality that
defines it, in a complimentary manner.
Through its rather
contradictory elements, the house reflects the very nature of its illustrious
inhabitant, the woman who still largely defies definition 138 years after her
death. The Maison de George Sand
itself frequently played a key role in Sand's life and of those who stayed
there. It was a backcloth that shaped many of the personal events therein,
becoming an entity in its own right. Not only was it the object of many disputes
concerning ownership, it was also the stage for the tumultuous relations
between its inhabitants. In this respect, the protagonists of these human dramas
were not unlike the marionettes that featured in this living theatre. George
Sand herself remarked that "Nobody
knows how much I owe to the marionettes of my son", as she surely
recognized their value on many levels beyond the purely creative. Indeed, the pupazzi and their theatrical presentations
were to become a focal point of life in this country house and one of the main creative
ties between Sand and Maurice, her son. It was these marionettes that led me to
discover Maurice Sand, and inevitably to reappraise any thoughts I'd previously
had on his famous mother, George.
George Sand is still
famous today, although less for her literary contributions during life, than
her life itself. Indeed, she is largely renowned today for her social and
political stance, bohemian lifestyle and unconventional love-life that seemed
to flout every law and custom in 19th century
France. Although many of her works
are still appreciated, these are largely sought out because the George Sand wrote them. The great
figure has overshadowed this literature which fell into a specific context and
category of its own. Even the sulphurous images of the licentious and lawless
female have been somewhat replaced by more placid notions of the doting
grandmother, this matriarchal gentlewoman governing over her idyllic country home
and those who resided there. This is certainly the atmosphere that reigns in
the family house today.
If Maurice Sand's name
is remembered today, it is usually because he was simply the son of this
illustrious woman. And yet, of all Sand's creations, her son was her proudest.
Alternatively, Maurice might be remembered precisely because of the fusional
relationship he kept with his mother. He is presented as clinging to the
maternal apron strings, as the eager-to-please yet pathologically possessive
mummy's boy. Otherwise he is shown as the child puppet, 'Bouli', tied to a
dominating smother-mother, ever pulling his strings so that he never breaks
free. For all this, relatively little is known about his own talent, which was
considerable and wide-ranging and yet received modest recognition during his
own life. Nor has Maurice Sand ever earned any well-merited post-humus acclaim,
and his marionettes even less so.
The marionettes of
Maurice Sand are remarkable in their own right, with or without their famous
background. Countless figures with vivid features, unique characteristics and
individual personalities were all painstakingly carved from lime wood by
Maurice. They were often clothed by George Sand herself, while all the inhabitants
and visitors of the Maison Nohant would bring these characters to life in theatre
performances and shows that allowed for improvisation and invention. Such presentations
greatly animated life at Nohant, but the intrigues that the puppets enacted
were surely a modest affair compared to those acted out by the people who
inhabited the Sand universe. Neither George Sand nor any of the people who
gravitated around her, would ever be free of the invisible strings that directed
their existence. Indeed, the lives of all those who entered this unique sphere,
either by birth or acquaintance, were dominated by a play of images. Here was a
myriad of reflections and replications of complements and contradictions,
absolutes and oppositions, cyclical repetition and triangular movement that
were played out between all the participants. Much of this tension centred
around George Sand, who held a key role in all the happenings around her. And
yet she herself appears to have been equally ensnared in this intricate
spider's web of ties and bonds.
The unique environment
in which Aurore Dupin, the future George Sand, spent her childhood years
encouraged her to grow in a highly unconventional manner. Every aspect of her
development was solicited almost to excess and every feature of her character
was heightened. Nevertheless, this provided an enriching universe that pushed
her forward whilst protecting her within its boundaries. Born in 1804 to a
family of aristocratic descent on the one hand, with her father's family, and
that of a commoner on the other, with her mother's humble origins, she had a
highly mixed heritage and even greater contrasting genes.
.JPG)
On the early death of
her father, officer Maurice Dupin, it was decided that the infant would be
brought up exclusively by the paternal grandmother, Marie Aurore de Saxe. Mme
de Saxe claimed that the child would benefit more from a provincial life than
from an existence of limited means with the mother. Thus the education and
upbringing of the young Aurore fell under the responsibility of the rather
starchy grandmother, whose reserved nature was in deep contrast to that of the
mother, Sophie. Indeed, the latter was of a volatile temperament, given to the flights
of emotion and deep religious feeling, supposedly typical of a woman of low
birth - "une grisette".
Aurore was influenced by both characters. Like her grandmother, she displayed
discipline and devotion in everything she undertook, but also demonstrated a drive
towards boundless independence and an all-devouring excess which recalled
certain aspects of her mother. As she grew older she would both seek out and
reject these same tendencies in others.
Throughout her life,
having been a child marked by the anguish of loss and abandonment, Aurore
needed to have a certain control over all situations. The death of her father when
she was still a young child and the separation from her mother left her with an
underlying fear that had wounded her psyche. She apprehended all feelings of
vulnerability in herself. Although she was drawn to strong, paternal figures,
her independent streak led Aurore to fight any form of dominance, especially
male. It was vital that she felt free from the force of others, above all if she
herself could not assert a certain power over the people around her.
Aurore's relationship
with her own mother had often been fraught with emotional tension and practical
troubles. It was by definition dysfunctional, with both women being drawn yet
repelled by the other. However the relations that later developed between
Aurore and her own daughter were to prove even more toxic, by anyone's
measures. Solange possessed a capricious, unruly nature that could not be
disciplined. Such traits could not be found endearing by a mother who sensed
danger and opposition in this head-strong child. Solange, like her mother,
would be drawn to fulfillment through excess. She too fought to keep her
independence, often through stubborn, often pig-headed behaviour. Yet instead
of finding, and embracing similarities between herself and her daughter, the
mother seems to have shunned these, or was in turn pushed away by Solange. Increasingly
resistant, isolated and difficult to manage, Solange would later cause her
mother to ask what she done to serve such a daughter. For indeed, a lack of
manageability in the life of George Sand was simply intolerable; in today's
parlance Sand was probably a born control freak.
Free of all constraint
as a child, Aurore simply benefited from the unique existence that Nohant
offered. She fully absorbed the liberal education that her grandmother bestowed
upon her. Introduced to the arts at an early age, Aurore devored all their
forms and was instinctively drawn to those who shared this broad appreciation,
and simultaneously drew others to her with her multi-facetted talent. Taught by
the former tutor of her own father, a certain Deschartres, Aurore had access to
disciplines that would have been deemed inappropriate for a young girl in any
other context. The work of the great philosophers was consumed with as much
zeal as that of the great poets, writers and composers. No field was rejected
out of 'feminine' prissiness or pretension. The natural world around her was a
source of curiosity and adventure, as was the human anatomy and its functions. She
herself was liberated from the womanly preoccupations of attire and appearance
as she had developed a practical taste for wearing men's clothing. Dressed in
masculine clothes, Aurore was able to move at her ease, just as a boy would,
with no route barred and a certain anonymity offered. Alongside her
half-brother Hippolyte, she spent her days riding and roaming the countryside
with the local farmers' sons. Her nights were filled, reading and studying
freely yet intensely. Ultimately Aurore became a odd mixture of civilized and
cultivated, wild and spirited, forever pulled in opposing directions.
The need to tame this
young, unbridled spirit finally made itself felt. Mme de Saxe sensed a lack of
worldly decorum and sought a formal, structured education in a Parisian convent
for her granddaughter. She could not have possibly envisaged that this move
would result in a mystical awakening that transformed the young teenager and would
exert a lasting influence over her.
Removed from the wealth
of intellectual interests and practical occupations that filled her days at
Nohant, Aurore lost herself in the spiritual atmosphere of the convent. While
her Catholic faith subsided with time, from this intense mystical period was born
an enduring capacity for excess and a thirst for the absolute. These would
become the defining features in her life and affected all relationships in it. This
resulted in a life-long insatiable desire to be devoured by a heightened
passion - be it creative, spiritual, physical, sexual, emotional or political.
It also drove her to devour anything or anyone that empassioned her. In many
ways, this was an overwhelming need for fulfillment in a void and was something,
by its very nature, that could not be satisfied.
In love and matrimony Aurore
hoped to find freedom and fulfillment. She had effectively found herself caught
in an impasse on the death of her grandmother in 1821. Too young to successfully
manage the house and grounds of Nohant that she had inherited, and incapable of
living with her mother in Paris, marriage was the only option. She accepted the
offer of Casimir Dudevant. whose demeanour seemed to promise a certain vitality
and his respectful behaviour towards her suggested a gentlemanly approach
towards the affairs of the heart. Their union was indeed initially happy, as the
young wife invested in married life and the domestic duties that it demanded of
her. Their son prospered in a harmonious atmosphere where Aurore devoted
herself entirely to filling her role of loving wife and mother. At this stage,
at least, a certain fulfillment had indeed been reached.
Yet unbeknown to her, a
gaping hole was about to reveal itself in her existence, throwing her into the psychological
and physical disarray that led the sequence of events from which George Sand
was born.
Believing in the union
of sentiment and mind, the young wife Aurore wished to share all interests with
her spouse. She soon came to the realisation, however, that he would never take
up these rather more intellectual pursuits; Casimir simply had an innate
inability to do so. At first he would try to follow her literary interests and
discussion themes but failed miserably, invariably falling asleep or turning
towards less demanding preoccupations; the hunting of country game and
petticoats. With time, the marriage that had initially offered the perfect
escape route from dull arranged matrimony proved to be a lacklustre and
mind-numbing dead-end. Aurore's husband revealed himself to be a borish male
with whom Aurore wished to share nothing.
What she could not find
or cultivate in her husband, in a creative and intellectual sense, Aurore
instinctively developed in her son. Having already remarked Maurice's artistic
talent and interest in the natural world, she wished to nurture both in this
sensitive boy. From this time until the very end of her life, Aurore and
Maurice would share this common ground, the marionettes being just one example
of the fruits of this union. Of her daughter, Aurore would later remark, in a
matter of fact manner, that there was no such artistic leaning or gift.
Ultimately, the
mother-son relationship of Maurice's early years would be insufficient to fill a
void in her adult existence that nothing and no one could counter. Although a
fulfilled mother, motherhood alone could not fill the emptiness within Aurore
nor quell her growing unease. Once Aurore had sensed that her marriage was
ill-fated, she turned to the company of men she found more compelling than her
husband. In her later years, George Sand stated that she "should have been an absolute mother",
for therein lay her true role and talent. Certainly, had she concentrated
wholly on her son, and the daughter born a few years after him, her destiny,
and that of her children would have been very different.
Solange is thought to
have been the result of a liaison with a childhood friend. Whether this child
was illegitimate or not is almost irrelevant since Aurore no longer sought any
union with her husband. She acknowledged that she had felt a great desire to
have a daughter, yet failed to experience with Solange the same joy that her
son had inspired in her. Consequently, here was a being who symbolized all the
doubts and dissatisfaction that her mother experienced at this stage of her
life. These sentiments were never effaced.
Aurore increasingly felt
a desperate need to free herself from the shackles of a now love-less marriage.
She failed to find any lasting well-being in the marital home either; Nohant
stifled her. A deeply-melancholic mood took hold of her. The brutish mindset of
her husband and the tyranny of her wifely obligations appear to have disgusted
and angered her. Furthermore, the marital laws that forced her, like all other
women of the period, to hand over all her worldly possessions to her spouse on
marriage filled her with a sense of injustice. Wakening herself from the state
of despondency this failed union had cast her into, Aurore decided to act. In
1831, when Maurice and Solange were respectively seven and two years old, their
mother decided to leave the suffocating atmosphere of the marital home in order
to find independence in Paris. Thus Aurore Dudevant embarked on her Parisian
adventure, without her children or estranged husband, and far from Nohant. As
divorce was not possible at this period, she managed to obtain Casimir's
agreement to an arrangement that saw her spend large parts of the year in the
capital leaving him in the family domain.
It is difficult to judge
such parenting decisions by today's standards. At that time offspring were
frequently cared for, and educated by, a host of servants and governesses which
meant they rarely benefited from intimate relationships with their parents.
Nevertheless, the apparent ease with which the children's mother detached
herself seems troubling, given that she had herself suffered greatly from loss
and abandonment as a child. Perhaps the adult George Sand could not free
herself from the traumas the young Aurore had endured and, as is frequently the
case in dysfunctional families, simply went on to replicate what she had
experienced. It may have been that in her desperate drive for independence, she
simply found it easier to sacrifice her children for the time required. Whatever
the reason, Aurore's absence would effectively mark her children's development.
The moments shared with them were frequently charged with so much intensity and
heightened emotion, of both a positive and negative nature, that a simple
mother-child relationship proved difficult to maintain.
Although she herself
discovered a liberating, exhilarating life in Paris Aurore's emancipation did
not resolve or lessen the tensions and underlying emotions that had hitherto
governed her life. These were all being channeled and contained in a heady
lifestyle that offered a void of intellectual, creative, social and sexual
excess. The emerging George Sand appeared to devour all that life offered, but
she too was being devoured by this all-consuming drive. Her one-time friend
Comptesse Marie d'Agoult, the mistress of Franz Liszt, later remarked that in
Sand's life the "sacred flame that
God had placed in her found nothing else to devour outside". In
addition, she was desperate to find a means of independence and this further
animated her with a constant energy and determination. Her nascent literary career
was driven by a creative force that found little parallel in her contemporaries,
with the possible exception of Balzac. From the very outset, her capacity for
production was daunting and her prodigious writing never failed to astonish
both during and after her life. Neither devastating passion nor debilitating
illness could deter her as Musset would later attest. Nietzsche found such
churning out of copy to be worthy of a literary "milk cow".
Although the initial
months of this new existence had been hampered by lack of money and material means,
Aurore managed to enter journalistic and literary circles. She finally co-wrote
the book Rose et Blanche in 1831,
alongside her current lover and fellow journalist, Jules Sandeau. They employed
the pseudonym J Sand, but by the
following year George Sand became the
acclaimed, sole writer of the ground-breaking novel, Indiana. Dealing with such themes
as the subordination of women in society, and the injustice meted out to the supposedly
weaker sex in all marital situations and those of the heart, the novel Indiana met great critical acclaim. Literary
success was now assured and the name Sand was associated with literary skills
as much as an ability to shock through a complete disregard for social
convention and customs. She succeeded in entering the masculine bastions of the
city, with her skill and grit. Yet the androgynous guise, again adopted for
practical reasons, the constant cigar-smoking and her bold, if not brazen,
behaviour drew attention and criticism. Her anonymous status as "an atom lost in this immense crowd"
could not last long. Sand was now a name to be reckoned with.
To all appearances,
George Sand seemed to have forgotten Nohant. She did not, however, forsake her
children. Regular correspondence and periodic visits eased this absence, to an
extent, until both children finally came to Paris for their studies. After the
conclusion of her divorce from Casimir in 1836, she was able to recover her
home in Nohant and would resume life there with Maurice and Solange. Until that
moment, however, these initial absences and upheavals must have been
incomprehensible for the children. This was especially the case for Solange,
who was taken to her mother in Paris towards 1832. Maurice, a little older and
of an accommodating temperament by nature, had to resign himself to his
situation, be that in the province or in boarding school in Paris. The letters that
he sent to his mother were those of a truly devoted son, willing to adapt to
his circumstances. Illustrated with the numerous sketches and caricatures for
which he was so skilled, the letters skillfully disguised Maurice's true
sentiments.
Wherever she herself was
situated, Aurore ensured a rich cultural upbringing for her son and daughter.
She refused indifference or mediocrity in the academic studies and not only
supervised their schooling, but also taught them personally wherever possible.
Above all, she incited their interest and curiosity. Whatever her shortcomings
as a mother, she had an instinctive pedagological streak that did not simply
start and end with her own children. Indeed, she would resolutely apply this to
those whose lives she believed could be improved by education and application. Nor
was this instinct for betterment was confined purely to academic fields. All her
life, George Sand encouraged social enlightenment and improvement in order to
fight ignorance and injustice in society. She was one of the few novelists to
portray the peasant class in an honorable light, and to seek to preserve their
unique culture. Having lived in proximity with the poor and the working classes,
Sand was fully aware of the hardships they encountered on a daily basis. Oscar
Wilde pertinently remarked that Sand had "the greatest veneration for the aristocracy of intelligence, but the
democracy of suffering affected her more".
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| Louis Eugène Lambert |
Her unconventional stand
against the 'tyranny' of marriage and her demands for basic democratic rights
for women were repeatedly voiced in her novels, in differing ways. These ideas
were again reiterated in the political pieces that she wrote and defended in
the public arena. She did not hesitate to express her socialist views and went
on to publish her own newspaper during the 1848 Revolution which resulted in
her being hailed as one of the first feminists. Nevertheless, her primary
interest was to actively defend the most vulnerable, regardless of gender,
although this was generally synonymous with the female sex. Above all, she wished
to see a civil equality which could be largely acquired by a decent basic level
of education for girls. Contrary to the 'real' feminists, she did not advocate
the active role of women in politics, since she believed this to be
incompatible with maternal obligations. Ironically, her humanist fight for a
just better world would be incompatible with her life as a mother and was at
the heart of many of her problems with her own children.
For Sand, a resolution
for instruction, nurture and growth were part of an organic progression that
had to form the basis of life itself. She admired the force of creative energy
and determination. Continually pushing herself forward, she expected to find or
instill stamina in those around her. Lack of will and rigor were intolerable,
perhaps even more unacceptable to her than pure laziness itself. She lamented
the lack of industriousness in her Parisian lover, Sandeau, and seemed to
deplore his luke-warm will to fight any obstacle before him.
Without a forward
movement of growth and improvement there was only stasis, decay and death. Her
belief in the natural process of mother nature was almost spiritual in its
intensity and was wholly positive in its outlook. Whilst Catholicism would have
less and less hold over her life, this quasi-relgious faith in Life and nature
grew. Perhaps this partly explains why, when faced with illness and death she
would veer towards the natural vitality that a young lover could offer, or
would simply turn to nature itself. Her final words on departing this world
were "Laissez verdure". Life
had to go on, and had to lead towards natural progress.
Sand's children were
constantly goaded towards application and improvement. Despite the unstinted
efforts of their mother, or perhaps precisely because of these, both
periodically displayed difficulty in their instruction. The traits of character
thus revealed or reinforced would remain with Maurice and Solange, shaping
their lives. The manner in which the two children developed, not only sealed
their personal success in life, it also affected their relationships with
others, and above all with their mother.
Maurice, in his mother's
opinion, lacked vigor and discipline and she strove relentlessly to incite a
certain diligence in him - "la
volonté". His natural abilities were not altogether matched by the
determined character required to forge ahead. Already as a young boy, his
aversion to his first art teacher was sufficient to deter him from attending
drawing classes and distract him from his love of art. Despite the enormous
talent he possessed in any project he undertook, Maurice was almost destined to
be an eternal potterer. The work he produced in his life was astonishing in
both quality and diversity but underlined the fact that, above all else,
Maurice was a dilettante at heart. Sand aptly labelled him indicisive - "vellétitaire". With so many paths
to choose, he preferred not to limit himself to one single choice.
As a young girl,
Solange, was frequently distracted and was of a rather stubborn nature. Perhaps
this was part of a subconscious ploy to get the undivided attention of her
mother and was therefore the sulky response of a frustrated child. Unable to share
the creative bonds that tied mother and son, Solange surely felt excluded. She
may have felt neglected and certainly questioned her own worth. Over the years,
Solange certainly grew increasingly aware and resentful of an apparent
preference for her brother which she read as a rejection of herself.
Conscious that she could
never match such creative talents, Solange must have experienced a sense of
envy towards him and failure with regard to her own self. She instinctively
understood that she could somehow never make the grade, above all when measured
against her own mother. Yet instead of inciting her to push on harder,
Solange's disappointment over her lot in life seemed to stunt her growth on
every level. Her perceived lack of talent became a self-fulfilling reality and
Solange's life was to be one of thwarted potential. Whatever projects she
undertook tended to fade away and the paths she chose ultimately led nowhere.
Later in life Solange remarked that her underachievement was due to the fact
that she had been born to a woman of genius - "My brother is called Maurice Sand, I am just the daughter of George
Sand." Maurice, indeed, had adopted his mother's pen name, Sand, in
preference to his patronym, Dudevant.
Aurore, moreover had
always held great ambitions for Maurice and his creations. She secured private
tuition for him with none other than Delacroix, and later actively involved him
in the illustration of the volumes of her work. Yet for all his manifest
industriousness, Maurice was of a rather retiring nature. He was probably never
happier than in his home environment, free to apply himself to his wide-ranging
personal projects, preferably with his mother nearby. That he could do so was
also due to the fact that his mother had assured a certain material ease which
meant Maurice was never truly obliged to graft for survival. He may not have
been born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but his mother ensured that, to a
degree, he would always be part spoon-fed a comfortable existence.
Perhaps the excess of
the fire and drive in the mother simply extinguished those same attributes in
the son. Maurice may well have been emasculated to a certain degree by the
power of this mother, or might have used 'weakness' to secure her maternal care.
He may have felt that whatever the nature of his work, it would be perceived to
be some kind of filial tribute to his mother, or merely some attempt to copy
her glory.
Whatever the reason, he certainly
never focused his vast talent exclusively in any one of his many centres of
interest in order to attain excellence. Maurice followed his artistic vein
which led him in disparate directions, perhaps causing him to spread himself
'thin' in the process. Although he discarded the indolence that had marked his
late teenage years, he never demonstrated an ambition to succeed in any sense
other than personal contentment. And yet all his work was remarkable on its own
merit. He illustrated his mother's work Légendes
Rustiques (1858); produced several novels - the best known being Raoul de La Châtre (1865) followed by his
vast study of Italian commedia dell arte Masques
et Bouffons (1860); turned to lepidopterology with his Monde des Papillons (1867) and again with the Catalogue raisonné des lepidoptères du Berry et l'Auvergne (1879).
This was alongside the continued work on his marionettes, studies of botany,
mineralogy, an interest for local folklore and followed travel around Africa,
Algeria, Spain and Newfoundland!
George strove to channel
Maurice's encyclopedic mind and talent. She tried to make him the chief illustrator
of her work, by persuading her publisher, Hetzel, to agree to this arrangement
on the death of Tony Johannet, hirtherto considered 'king' in this field. Later
she also arranged interviews with theatre managers and journalists to see
Maurice's work exposed to the public. All her endeavours were largely in vain. That
George Sand never saw Maurice realise the great hopes that she had always
entertained for him must have been frustrating, but this never drove mother and
son apart. The situation was down to a difference in character that George
could accept; she simply cherished her son. He was her "very soul".
The same could not be
said in the case of Aurore and her daughter, who was indeed the "living antithesis" of Maurice, The
feelings that Solange had harboured since childhood crystalized and manifested
themselves in differing forms of behaviour, none of which brought her any
closer to her mother. Quite the contrary.
For all the emotional
complexities that would later mark the children's relationship with their
mother the first years of Sand's Parisian period were relatively calm. At a
young age, both children loved their mother simply and unconditionally. They
were little aware of her convoluted personal life, even if they both suffered
from the periods of separation that this entailed. Maurice was sensitive to the
tensions between his divorcing parents and had heard rumours at his school, but
beyond that the George Sand and her
reputation were part of a largely separate universe. Although the infant
Solange had already encountered her mother's first lovers in Paris, neither she
nor Maurice had yet had a significant or lasting contact with any. For the time
being, no third party intruded on the odd existence that the children enjoyed
with their mother.
Sand's sentimental
affairs during this period were, however, prodigious; even by today's standards.
Her male conquests were numerous and her appetite apparently insatiable, yet
initially at least, the children were largely shielded from this. In public
however, she was soon to earn the reputation of man-eater, said to prey on the
most notable men in literary and political milieus over whom she exerted a
certain power of seduction.
Of these romances, the
tumultuous, yet relatively short-lived affair with the poet Alfred de Musset
was one of the best known. Of its eighteen months duration, much of this singular
drama was largely acted out with Venise as its backdrop and then remodelled and
replayed in the literary works of both Musset and Sand. Beyond the specifics of
the sequence of events that made this affair appear at times like some bohemian
pantomime, it was significant because it bore many of the elements played out
with the majority of Sand's lovers, before and after. However, in spite of the
emotional storm it created in Sand's life, and the months of absence that
ensued, it did not affect her children in any direct manner. Her seven-year romance
with Chopin did.
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| http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Frederic_Chopin_photo_sepia.jpeg |
The period that Sand
spent with the pianist probably had the most significant impact in Sand's life.
It was this union that fatally fractured the dynamics of her family unit
throughout its duration and above all, following its rupture. All those
involved became powerless puppets, guided by almost primal emotional impulses.
It seems fitting that it was the Chopin years that saw the creation and
development of the marionettes in the family home.
Any flaws in Sand's relationship
with her children gradually came to a head, triggering emotions that would have
a devasting effect on all the participants of this drama played out on the
family stage. All the actors were constantly riven apart and driven together in
ever-changing patterns as obsessive love, possessiveness, jealousy, rivalry and
the fear of abandonment governed all their moves. Any other individual drawn
into this intense arena would soon become the direct or indirect cause of
further divisions and hostilities. In continual movements of flux, one side
would set itself against the other or others, splintering existing groups to
create new ones that were equally contentious. Ultimately however, the family
would be drawn back together to host their marionette performances, perfecting
these to an art, aided and accompanied by the musical contributions of the
composer.
The infamous feud that
arose from Solange's marriage was probably the worst example of these family
dramas, but it was but one of several. The introduction of a cousin into this
tinder-box of emotions pitted Maurice and the girl in question (the future Augustine
de Bertholdi) against Chopin, awakening maternal instincts in Sand that enraged
in jealous child in both Solange and Chopin. As was frequently the case, the
roles and boundaries of adult/child were blurred and crossed.
Indeed, the children who
had happily accompanied the lovers Sand/Chopin on the ill-fated 'honeymoon' voyage
to Majorca in 1838 had grown into young adults that were far less accommodating.
Maurice increasingly resented Chopin's presence in his mother's life, until
then exclusively his territory as somewhat a mummy's boy. He resisted the
dominance of this ethereal being in his home and his mother's heart. This
resulted in a struggle to win Sand's undivided attention and was the first time
that Maurice manifested his rights over his mother. It was not the last.
Nevertheless, these frustrated filial emotions were minor compared to those
that rose up in Solange during this same period.
Solange not only felt
the habitual resentment over her mother's love for another, as the child vying
for maternal attention, but also grew to resent this lover's feelings towards
her mother. She too, had enjoyed receiving the attentions of this young man,
under whose guidance she became a rather gifted pianist. She not only felt
validated by his encouragement and her own achievements, but felt a sense of
self-worth through his devotion. Whether she and Chopin actually had a
fully-blown liaison, under George Sand's very nose, is not clear. Either way,
the understanding and mutual appreciation between these two individuals was
seen by Sand as a sign of infidelity. Sand referred to her daughter
unequivocally as "an enemy born from
the breast and fed on my milk". This situation ultimately caused a
rift between mother and daughter that was difficult to resolve and effectively terminated
the union Sand/Chopin.
Drawn to the powerful
figure of the sculptor Clésinger, Solange dropped her advanced marriage
arrangements to her fiancé de Préault in order to marry this new beau. Perhaps this was an act of
defiance on her part towards her mother, or perhaps she was attracted to a
dominant man whose brute force and personality were a match for her mother's.
His stamina made him a preferable choice over the insipid suitor, de Préault,
who was in George Sand's words "milder
than a sheep". Such a marriage would enable Solange to escape the family
home, and provided her with someone strong, able to counter the will of her
mother, if need be. For her part, Sand was initially reassured to see her
unruly daughter with a husband who would make her toe the line, thus
disciplining her, where she, as mother, had failed.
With his rough demeanor,
Sand referred to this son-in-law as "le
cuirassier" whilst Casimir (Solange's father) labelled him the "gauche stonemason". In many ways,
the marriage between Solange and Clésinger resembled the Dudevant union. The happiness
of the honeymoon years was quickly soured, leading to discord, divorce and finally
tragic loss. Financial problems brought about by the husband's uncontrolled expenses
and gambling was compounded by a thirst for a life-style well above the young
couple's means. Sand was directly drawn into the resulting fray as the Clésingers
exerted their rights to benefit from her finances. Material hand-outs did
nothing to change the situation and the repeated demands for money finally met
with refusal. George Sand grew increasingly hostile towards her vulgar
son-in-law and his rapacious wife, her daughter. When the gruff yet loving
husband gradually became a dissolute brute, the Clésinger couple separated, but
not before the mother-daughter bond had taken yet another blow.
As was generally wont in
the Sand universe, the Clésinger rift, like everything else, set off further dissension.
Whilst predictably Maurice defended his mother against the bullying demands of
the newly-weds, Chopin took a more sympathetic view of the young couple's
needs. In view of his previous understanding towards Sand's daughter in the
past, Chopin's support of the Clésingers was ill-timed. His allegiance seemed
to validate a move on their part which could have led to the loss of the family
home of Nohant. For Sand, this was the ultimate act of treachery; Chopin and
Sand separated and there was no further communication. Virtually all traces of
Chopin were removed from the family domain (except the sound-proofed doors),
and all sentiments for him from Sand's heart. Solange continued to maintain relations
with Chopin, to the disapproval of her mother. When he died a few years later,
it was Clésinger himself who created the death cast of the composer's hand and
face.
Although a certain calm
returned to Nohant after the exit of Chopin, the underlying currents remained, ready
to be stirred by new events. The birth of a first child to Solange in her
ill-fated union with Clésinger ended sadly when the baby died a week later. The
loss did not reunite Sand and Solange. The latter reproached her mother the unpardonable
"indifference" she had
shown over this death. The cruel loss of a second daughter at the age of five
further damaged the fragile link between Solange and Sand. It was to be Sand
who was to have the custody of this child but through a clumsy act of spite, Clésinger
brought about the needless death of his own daughter. These deaths severed the
remaining ties that brief motherhood had created between Solange and Sand and entrenched
these two women in their respective positions, leaving them unable to cross the
chasm that separated them. This effectively meant that Solange was left bereft
and adrift for the rest of her life, despite the attempts to throw herself into
a new existence. She could never sufficiently detach herself from her mother,
or the ravages of their relationship which tainted and trapped all and
everything.
The atmosphere at the family
home continued, as it always had, to thrive on creative, cultural and
intellectual exchange and the overall hum of domestic life. This was cultivated
by Sand who possessed an inborn instinct to feed and enrich all around her, in
every sense. Just as her energy and zest for life that seemed to know few
bounds, her generosity spread itself as she nourished everything that came into
her contact. Over the years Nohant would receive many guests, both long and
short term. Friends and acquaintances would spend months in the Sand domain,
able to escape the rigour and routine of Parisian existence in this country
haven, in the excellent company of their hostess and her domestic entourage.
Yet this giving,
enriching territory not only fed the love of friendship and lovers, it also
provided fertile ground for a host of other sentiments. Most of the seeds of
these emotions had, of course, been sown long before and were simply waiting to
germinate, which they invariably did. The irony in this inevitable process was
that at the root of this disharmony were often a generosity and maternal
instinct that were fundamental to George Sand's character.
Throughout her life,
Sand actively sought to banish the flaws and vulnerability in others through an
almost over-generous solicitude. Her giving nature meant that she would
instinctively reach out and draw in those around her, absorbing them almost to
the point of possession. However, she did not occupy this key matriarchal
position from the desire to have a blind, tyrannical hold over another being,
but in order to nurture. Protégés were regularly taken in, and sheltered under
the ample wing of this mother figure.
These maternal relationships
beyond the family circle often had a negative effect on those within it, namely
Sand's own children. Already of a jealous disposition, such arrangements could
only have exacerbated Solange who was, yet again, obliged to acknowledge that
she would never be sole beneficiary of her mother's attentions . This disapproval
in no way deterred Sand from welcoming into the home a number of young girls, to
whom she taught basic skills and simple etiquette.
The fear of one's
mother's affections being usurped by such unworthy outsiders did not just
affect Solange. This misplaced maternal instinct created resentment in Maurice
which was more spectacular still.
Amongst the stream of
visitors to Nohant were invariably young artists, occasionally introduced by
Maurice himself. The ambiance at Nohant was certainly attractive to any
newcomer and was treasured by George Sand herself. The games and intellectual
conversation around the dining table could perhaps match any to be found in the
Parisian salons of the day. Guests would be entertained, amused and stimulated
by this unique cultural environment. The most illustrious of such visitors
included Honoré de Balzac, Eugène Delacroix, Franz Liszt, Alexandre Dumas,
Gustave Flaubert, Prince Jérôme Napoléon and Turgenev. When Maurice's friend,
the young engraver, Alexandre Manceau entered this setting in 1849, he
immediately felt at home as he and Maurice set about creating the marionette castelet and stage. The more he was
engaged in the practical running of Nohant, the more Manceau seemed to occupy a
central role in the domain.
Manceau not only
engraved Maurice's illustrations for Masques
et Bouffons, he also took on secretarial work for the estate and assisted
George in the writing of her journals. Meanwhile, the theatrical work of the comédie à l'impromptu began to play an
increasingly important role in the life of Nohant. From 1854, there were
regular performances that enabled Sand to test her playwriting and find greater
inspiration for future pieces. As the political climate had affected the Press,
she turned more and more to theatre work -
François le Champi being the
first of many plays. In this manner, the puppets developed the plays and vice
versa.
Maurice, as man of the
house, was probably a little displeased by Manceau's growing significance in
the household. When his young friend became his mother's live-in lover, the
tension rose considerably. Here, indeed, was a case of déjà vu that recalled the worst of the Chopin period.
Until the appearance of
the composer, Maurice had enjoyed almost exclusive rights to his mother's care
and attention, as a child who periodically needed to be nursed. He naturally
resented time lavished on Chopin and felt ousted by this sulky, demanding enfant gâté. A similar situation of
quasi sibling rivalry resurfaced during Sand's relationship with Manceau, which
again deprived 'child' from mother. As Sand was able to share the artistic
worlds firstly of the composer and secondly the engraver, Maurice must have
felt that the artistic universe that he shared with his mother was being taken
away from him. Even worse, it was being consumed by usurpers which drained the
life sap from those around them, much like the illness that ravaged them.
Manceau, like Chopin
before him, suffered the debilitating effects of tuberculosis and required
increasing amounts of time and care until his death. When Maurice dismissed his
former friend from the service of the house, it was ostensibly in order to
protect his own family from contamination, having already lost a baby son. He
was, however, also making a final gesture of condemnation and rejection. Whilst
Sand had abandoned Chopin to meet the early grave that awaited him in the
aftermath of the Clésinger drama, she stayed with the consumptive Manceau and
simply abandoned the home at Nohant instead.
Indeed, despite
Maurice's protestations, Alexandre Manceau was to spend fifteen years with
Sand. The atmosphere at Nohant became so strained that the lovers were obliged
to take exile at the village of Gargilesse in the Berry region and Plaiseau,
near Paris. For all his amenable characteristics, Maurice was capable of being
most hostile towards those who encroached on his universe, and the elements
that were integral to it. To share his mother with a man of his own age was
simply intolerable.
Given to fits of pique
and cold revenge, Maurice dealt back what he had received. Following Manceau's
death, Maurice removed all traces of this imposter from his mother's existence
when he transcribed her numerous journals for publication. Unable to evict this
"Tartuffe" from his
mother's life and bed when alive, he simply removed him surgically after death.
And yet although Maurice's stance may have been excessive, perhaps he was
rightly aware that the dynamics in his mother's relationships with lovers were largely
odd, to say the least.
The inappropriate maternal
love that Sand displayed as a mistress not only affected her direct family but ultimately
had an adverse effect on her love affairs too. Despite her reputation as a sensual
individual of unbridled passions and all-devouring sexuality, Sand's
relationships with her lovers were generally of a rather more platonic nature.
The passion of their excessive drama may not have been as smouldering on the
sexual front as was believed. Perhaps her exalted, romantic vision as a young
girl had led her to have exaggerated, unrealistic expectations of all matters
of the heart, sexuality included. Certainly her first physical encounter as a
newly-wed had been far from idyllic, but the situation did not seem to improve vastly
with her numerous subsequent lovers either. She was able to love passionately, or
give passionate expression to feelings, that much was clear, but this did not
coincide with overwhelming sexual desire or satisfaction. If these conquests
did initially satisfy, the feeling was short-lived and her imaginative tactics
to maintain any frisson were powerless. The situation soon gave rise to the
frustration of dashed expectations and perhaps boredom. The thrill of the
challenge may have taken the place of true desire but the result was usually
the same. As André Maurois wrote in his biography of 1953, Lélia ou la Vie de George
Sand a "complete divorce had taken place between the body and
the spirit" of this unique woman. Sand's expectations were not met on
the physical front, and nor, it would seem, were her lovers'. The sex that
should have been part of the process of getting closer to the individual, invariably
became a barrier to intimacy.
Accused of nymphomaniac,
vampirical tendencies, Sand would appear to consume, perhaps ever-hopeful of
overcoming this obstacle, but ended up either jaded or dissatisfied as the
dynamics of the relationship changed. There are frequent references to this in
her own works, but principally in Lélia,
where frigidity is explored in a telling manner. Although this was not
necessarily a roman à clefs, this
theme is again reflected in the letter that George Sand wrote to her lover
Musset. Acknowledging that her physical love might not be the same as that to be
found in more conventional, commonplace affairs, she justified herself against
claims that she was clumsy and cold as a lover. Again and again, there appears
to be a gap between love and its adequate physical expression. Les frères
Goncourt wryly remarked of her that the "genius is male" but the rest was of a "hermaphroditic construction".
Vulnerable men of great
artistic talent and intellect and an even larger artistic temperament attracted
Sand. Perhaps she felt more comfortable in rather more asexual relationships
where creative intellect and companionable 'mothering' could compensate for
inadequacies elsewhere. With such artistic affinities, she could act as muse,
companion and confidant to a man who could never dominate her or question her
self-appointed role. Sand was thus unthreatened, largely in control of the
situation and ultimately maintained the upper hand in such relationships.
This status quo also extended
itself to her admiring entourage. Here too, any deviation from devotion was
seen as an act of disloyalty or a questioning of her authority. The repeated
absences from Nohant of one of Maurice's friends, the 'cat artist' Eugène
Lambert, met Sand's cold disapproval as she took this as a personal snub. Like
some wayward son, he was frostly received until he had learnt the error of his
ways and duly repented. He rightly remarked of Sand that "Nobody knows how to love better, but nobody
shatters faster what she has loved". Nevertheless, Lambert, like
countless others, treasured the friendship of this great woman.
From Solange, this
"bar of iron", there would
be no such repentance. Appearing to reject the happiness of family life, as set
by Sand, this daughter no longer found a place within the unit. Although Sand
recognized that Solange was "of a
difficult character, but had a good heart", she could not make
allowances for her. Solange refused to bend to her mother's will, and was soon
regarded as a dissenter. Here was a power struggle in which Sand, for all her
apparent maternal warmth, could display a coldness of heart, just as she kept a
cool head in passionate affairs. Sand, after all, believed that 'Mother knows
best' and would stomach no anarchy in her ranks On returning home after the
collapse of her marriage, Solange discovered that her bedroom had been transformed
into storage space to accommodate Maurice's marionettes.
Of course, Sand was more
than some scavenging bird of prey, hovering over weaker prey to satisfy her
needs. She truly felt empathy with those suffering and expressed this in a
practical way; nursing. As she herself had pointed out, referring to her night-time
vigils over Maurice during periods of ill health; no one else could perform in
this field as well as she did, having already carried out similar nursing tasks
for her ailing grandmother. In that light it might seem natural that she should
go on to express her love through this 'bed-side manner'. At a time when
epidemics could wipe out swathes of the population and when the White Plague
(TB) was rife, such skills were not negligible. The practicalities of nursing
must have been a drain on Sand in every respect, whatever the supposed
advantages were. Despite the hardship, she was prepared to assume these same
responsibilities throughout her life, whatever the cost to her or her family.
Amongst Sand's lovers, the most notable example of this capacity was, of course,
her relationships with Musset, Chopin and Manceau.
A certain age difference
was often present between Sand and her lovers. She thus assumed the role of the
far more mature, and presumably more experienced lover, and as a term of
affection the men in question were often referred to as 'children'. Musset, the
romantic dandy drawn to debauchery, and periodically prey to hallucination was
called "my child Alfred".
Having already sensed a vital "weakness"
within this troubled soul from the outset of their relationship, Sand was subsequently
obliged to nurse him through dysentery during the stay in Venice. In Chopin she
found another 'child' prodigy, one that demanded even greater care than Musset.
Although the composer had
initially found something distasteful in Sand, he eventually succumbed to her
charm, falling in love with her and falling into a role that he perhaps did not
wish to occupy. Chopin was certainly not above throwing temper tantrums when
neglected by this mother figure. However, when he finally referred to her as
"the mother", it was with a
certain bitterness. Not only was he jealous of her flesh-and- blood offspring,
Maurice and Solange, he also regretted the infantile state that bad health and
perhaps Sand's mothering had reduced him to. Sand partly explored and exposed this
situation in Lucrezia Floriani, 1847.
Chopin, apparently occupying the role of Prince Karol, found that the jealousy
he displayed towards his lover's children would not be humoured by Lucrezia/
Sand. Indeed, such lovers were expected to show full filial devotion, knowing their
place in the 'family' within the novel and in real life. Above all, they were
taught to respect the natural hierarchy which invariably saw Sand occupy the
dominant position.
Musset's betrayal of Sand
during the Venetian sojourn and his calm avowal that he had been "mistaken" in his love for her, led
Sand to promptly reconfigure the dynamics of their relations. Seeking
consolation through an open affair with her lover's doctor, the young Pagello,
she avenged this infidelity - a quasi 'matricide' - and set the situation on
its head. In the subsequent ménage Ã
trois, she referred to this doctor as the child between the adults, Musset
and herself, and indeed regarded him as an infant to be dismissed once no
longer required.
In spite of his relative
youth, it was with Manceau that Sand appeared to find the greatest harmony in
life. Like Maurice, this young man displayed loyalty and compliance, but in
addition it was he who took care of her, and assisted in creative projects.
Even if tuberculosis meant that she was called upon to nurse him constantly
towards the end of his life, their relationship was built on mutual respect and
complementarity.
Tellingly, remarkably
few of the people who really knew Sand ever wholly abandoned her, or banished
her from their lives. This was in spite of the spats and feuds that often punctuated
these animated relationships. Those that did, still recognized the generosity
and vitality of this woman.. The vast collection of correspondance that has
survived attests the importance Sand attached to all the relations that she
maintained throughout her life.
The acrimonious
relations between Sand and her daughter, did not deter Solange from buying a
house at Montgivray, near to that of her mother at Nohant. It should go without
saying that no tie with Maurice could ever be cut. Even the bonds of marriage,
secured in 1862, simply drew mother and son closer still. His Italian wife, Lina
Calamatta, had herself been totally charmed by Sand and stated emphatically that
she had married the son in order to be nearer the mother. The affiliation
between the two women corresponded to all the expectations that Sand had clung
onto when she had admitted her need for a (substitute) daughter. It was in her
role as grandmother to two surviving children that Sand found the fulfillment
and tranquility of mind that had alluded her in early life. Her advanced years
added a certain serenity to her life, without taking away any of its vitality
or creativity. She concluded that the two passions that had shaped and guided
her life were motherhood and friendship; Nohant was the site that had favoured
both in the final part of her life.
Through Nohant, and all
that it represented, the direct and indirect influence of George Sand lived on.
However, her absence was cruelly felt , to the point that inhabiting this
"empty nest", as Maurice
remarked, was unbearable. On his mother's death, he felt a desolation that
could not be consoled and explained "I
have lost more than half of myself". Losing the force in his life, he momentarily
appeared to lose his mind through grief. Insane from his loss, he went through the
family grounds, cutting down trees to mark his distress.
Unable to stay in Nohant
, he extended visits to Paris, transporting much of his marionette collection
for performances there. Nevertheless, Maurice and his family felt the pull of
the family home and returned to occupy it, resolutely, just as they had in the
face of advancing enemy troups of Prussians and the ravages of epidemic disease
in the early 1870s. Maurice also remained steadfast in his dilettante ways,
content to live for and through his numerous projects.
Nohant itself still
exerted an immeasurable power of attraction over Solange too, even if she found
it strangely amputated of its life-force without the "gigantic personality" of George Sand. Likewise, as adults,
both of Sand's granddaughters, Aurore and Gabrielle, would ultimately return to
this family haven, escaping brutish husbands and seeking succour in the
ever-nurturing atmosphere of Nohant, resourcing themselves and protecting this
precious estate just as Sand had done.
Part of the essence of
George Sand appeared to pass onto her surviving descendants. Maurice continued all
his cultural and creative undertakings, in addition to social concerns on
becoming mayor and fireman. Lina supported her husband in all of these, and
also assisted him in the preservation of Sand's literary estate.
Solange had inherited a
degree of her mother's creativity, but followed the same tortuous path that she
had set herself in early life. Despite a certain talent and wish to change the
direction of her life her endeavours never reached fruition nor brought her any
lasting success or happiness. Her novels sadly failed to draw public attention,
just as her painting had met relative indifference. The salon that she hosted
for Parisian literati and politicians met some acclaim, but ultimately faded
out, whilst the planned biography of her brother regrettably never saw the
light of day. Having lost her two children, and never finding durable love in
any of her relationships, she sought solace in her extreme devotion to the
Catholic faith. Yet in so doing Solange further distanced herself from her
remaining family, all converted to Protestantism. and one can only wonder about
her insistance on giving her mother a full Catholic funeral. Everything seemed
to show how Solange would be the tragic victim to her own contrary nature to
the very last.
Sand's direct blood line
was to terminate with the two granddaughters, Gabrielle and Aurore, since
neither had descendants. Although Gabrielle had died at Nohant at the
relatively young age of 41 in 1909, Aurore lived to 95 years and continued to
perpetuate the interests of her grandmother. Like her father and grandmother
before her, she wished to see the folklore and art of the Berrichon region preserved
and was involved in the local cultural association, Les Gâs du Berry. She inherited Nohant in 1940 and in a gesture
that recalled the engagement of
George Sand, used the house to take in refugees and help resistants during the
war years, an act which merited her the Légion
d'Honneur. In 1958 she also made of Georges Smeets-Dudevant-Sand her
adoptive son and thus preserved the Sand lineage in a certain manner. In order
to protect the Sand heritage and share this cultural treasure with the public
at large, Aurore passed the house at Nohant over to the State in the late 1950s,
along with all the rest of the Sand possessions. Many of these personal effects
can be seen today at the Musée de la Vie
Romantique in Paris. The widow of the Aurore's adoptive son, Christiane Smeets-Dudevant-Sand
is actively involved in maintaining the honour of the family name.
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For all her failings, George
Sand was above all a woman of great humanity. All the facettes of her
personality stemmed from her idealism and an essential generosity of spirit.
She was a driven soul, striving to realise her vision. even if that entailed
being selfish and/or callous in the eyes of others. Lambert, the young artist
aptly pointed out how, in life, "One
should love people more for themselves, and less for oneself", but
Sand's egocentrism was an integral part of her altruism. She was no shrinking
violet, ready to use typical feminine wiles to win her way in an alluring
manner. Sand's approach was more direct, with a femininity that assumed a more
masculine stance.
She was indeed larger than life, and certainly far larger in
terms of character than many of the men around her in any social setting. Her
forthright behaviour and striking appearance naturally favoured this tendency.
Her detractors, needless to say, criticized everything in this lawless,
emasculating being who belonged to some monstrous 'third sex'. The Goncourt
brothers were particularly vitriolic in their criticism but their remarks
generally underlined the uniform incomprehension and fear that Sand's persona
had inspired from her early Parisian years. Despite this, many admired her
steadfast 'male' qualities of discipline and determination and indeed Flaubert
praised "the heart of this great man".
In many ways, Sand truly was a patriarchal
woman.
One of the greatest
symbols of the life of George Sand, art and artist, are perhaps the marionettes
themselves. These creations are not only a satire of all the ranks of society,
worthy of the etchings of Goya or the writings of Rabelais, but also a
vaudeville display of life and its fantasy, presenting a humane view of mankind
and life itself. Sand, too, was a creation of her life's circumstances and the world
she was born into. This complex individual seemed to defy definition and would
readily take up new roles, and assume other characters. She was also her own
creator, as she reinvented and redefined herself repeatedly throughout her life
and writings. She edited the representations of herself through her journals
and novels, trying to cast events and emotions in a different light to offer another
slant to interpretation. Maurice would do much the same after Sand's death when
selecting letters to form her Correspondances,
largely excluding the communication between mother and daughter, just as he
edited passages in her sentimental life. In so doing, he partly rewrote George
Sand, the woman who referred to herself as his "author".
George Sand was not so
much a self-deceiver who used language and literary means to lie to others and
herself in the process (Simone de Beauvoir) as an individual in perpetual
self-construction. Through the creative process, both mother and son reflected
the defining symbol of the figure of George Sand; that of ouroboros - the snake devouring itself in order to turn into its
own self (Anthony West Mortal Wounds
1973). In a circular, yet forward-thrusting movement, the symbolic creature
bites its tail and absorbs all around it through a life force that drives it to
become creator - to give life and create.
This was ultimately a
positive process, not one born of the destructive Romantic opposition of Eros/Thanatos.
Although generally associated with the sturm
und drang of full-blown Romanticism, Sand's world view was in fact closer
to the art of Mozart and the philosophic thoughts of Rousseau. Likewise, her
call for free love was not a promotion of promiscuity to herald debauchery, but
the freedom to advance and progress without the shackles of negativity that
held mankind back in a brute state. For all her intentions and actions,
honourable or less so, Sand was above all humane and human.
When observed from a
wider perspective, Sand was far from being the puppet master of her own world,
moulding, string-pulling and creating a narrative. She too was pulled by
pre-existing forces that she could not govern; they were often an integral part
of her. In this way, she too was a marionette. Like the head marionette Le régisseur Blandard, Sand could reign
over her troupe and theatre, organising and improvising performances yet she
would never break free of the internal script that dictated her every move. The
complexities of her life gave rise to great creativity, directly and
indirectly, within herself and beyond. Apart from the incredible volume of her
writing, her opinions and politics, and her persona itself, she acted as a
vital catalyst to the creativity of all those around her. Without Sand, there
would surely have been no marionettes, certainly no Confessions d'un enfant du siècle (Musset) and it should not be
forgotten that Chopin's best work was composed during his Nohant years. On her
death in 1876, Victor Hugo wrote a eulogy about "La grande femme de ce siècle" - a most appropriate
description.
I loved my trip to
Nohant, not least because I stayed in the hotel situated next to the Nohant grounds
and woke up to birdsong, with a view towards the house itself, and Chopin
played during breakfast! Although adapted to receive visitors, the site is remarkably
unspoilt by tourism and retains an intimate feel. There is a certain freedom to
wander around the grounds, whereupon you come across the sombre plot, beneath
imposing trees, where the Sand family lays at rest. During my visit, this was
animated by clusters of butterflies, which were fluttering over from the
gardens. Their delicate vitality seemed almost symbolic and I did wonder if these
might be descendants of butterflies that Maurice had studied and breed.
A sense
of living continuity is conveyed in a more concrete manner by the vast cedar
trees in front of the house, planted by Sand herself to mark the birth of her
two children, Maurice and Solange.
The marionettes, meanwhile,
are caught behind their glass cabinets, looking on, waiting for their
flesh-and-blood counterparts to bring them to life again.
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