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Georges Sand. Author George Eastman House.

Top 10 Amazing Facts about George Sand

Although George Sand is principally remembered for her contributions to literature, particularly her rustic novels, she also gained notoriety for her romantic involvement with famous men, including master of the short story Prosper M茅rim茅e , poet and dramatist Alfred de Musset, and composer and pianist. She was considered one of the most popular and respected authors of either gender in Europe.

It is also said that she is a cross-dresser, and likely bisexual, who lived on her own terms.

1. George Sand was an influential French author

George Sand (born Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin) was a French author of the Romantic era. She was extremely popular during her time and typically wrote about 鈥渓ove transcending the obstacles of convention and class鈥�. She wrote under the pen name 鈥淕eorge Sand鈥�.

Sand wrote several books in which she drew from her countryside childhood experiences at her grandmother鈥檚 estate.

2. Sand was a descendant of Augustus II the Strong, King of Poland through her father, through illegitimate lines.

George Sand was known to her friends and family as “Aurore”. She was born in 麻豆APP and was raised for much of her childhood by her grandmother Marie-Aurore de Saxe, Madame Dupin de Francueil, at her grandmother’s house in the village of Nohant, in the French province of Berry. Sand inherited the house in 1821 when her grandmother died; she used the setting in many of her novels.

Her father, Maurice Dupin, was the grandson of the Marshal General of France, Maurice, Comte de Saxe (an out-of-wedlock son of Augustus II the Strong, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony), and a sixth cousin of Kings Louis XVI, Louis XVIII and Charles X of France She was also more distantly related to King Louis Philippe of France through common ancestors from German and Danish ruling families. Sand’s mother, Sophie-Victoire Delaborde, was a commoner.

3. Sand justified her cross dressing (wearing men鈥檚 clothes) by saying that they are less expensive and more comfortable than the dress of a noblewoman.

She was one of many notable 19th-century women who chose to wear male attire in public. Whereas, in 1800, the police issued an order requiring women to apply for a permit to wear male clothing, some women applied for health, occupational, or recreational reasons (e.g., horse riding). Many women chose to wear pants and other traditional male attire in public without receiving a permit.

However, Sand was one of the women who wore men’s clothing without a permit, justifying it as being less expensive and far sturdier than the typical dress of a noblewoman at the time. In addition to being comfortable, Sand’s male attire enabled her to circulate more freely in 麻豆APP than most of her female contemporaries and gave her increased access to venues that barred women, even those of her social standing.

4. Despite, or because, or her behavior, Sand was both hated and admired by writers of her time.

In case you thought that she might have just been popular with the masses as a passing phase, get ready to be proven wrong. Sand wasn鈥檛 just deeply popular with the general reading population, her noted peers thought the world of her and her writing abilities. Fyodor Dostoevsky was a major fan of her work, reading anything by her that he could get his hands on in Russia.

Famed writer Marcel Proust also name-dropped George Sand鈥檚 work in his own seminal literature, and Victor Hugo referred to her as a 鈥済reat woman.鈥� French writer Honor茅 de Balzac famously declared that if anyone had a problem with Sand鈥檚 writing, it was their fault and they needed to fix their critical standards.

5. She was sent to a convent and had a strange, mystical experience

In 1817, as a young teenager, she went to a convent. You might assume she hated it and escaped, but George Sand had a profound, mystical experience.

She wandered into a church late in the day and through the window came in a 鈥減erfume of honeysuckle and the songs of the birds.鈥� There was a calm sensation within her and then she would go on to describe what happened to her next.

6. She wrote about women defying social conventions

The first novel George Sand published under her pen name was Indiana. The book was about the struggle women face being stuck with the men they鈥檙e married to, despite being in love with others. Hmm, do you wonder where she could have gotten that idea?

Two more of her famous novels include Valentine and L茅lia. Her novels centered on class struggle and often featured peasants as protagonists.

7. She was the most popular writer in Europe at the time

George Sand could be referred to as the most popular writer in Europe at the time, according to many. This is an amazing accomplishment, and a testament to her ability to write characters and themes people connect with, and a 鈥減ost-revolutionary symbol鈥�.

Scholars say she was more popular than even Balzac or Hugo at the time. In addition to being popular, Sand was highly respected by the elites of the literary world.

8. Sand Also Wrote 13 Different Plays

Aside from the 58 novels that she wrote in her lifetime, Sand also wrote at least 13 different plays, including a French adaptation of William Shakespeare鈥檚 as You Like It. Another of her plays was co-written with the iconic French actress Sarah Bernhardt, who was called 鈥渢he queen of the pose and the princess of the gesture.鈥�

9. Among The Main Themes Is The Rustic Setting

As Sand developed into an established author, her voice emerged through her work. Among the main themes which she used and re-used in her works include the rustic setting of her home in Nohant, a sympathetic portrayal of the poor classes, and love conquering the forces of social status and conservative customs.

10. Sand鈥檚 Pen Name Originated From Collaboration

The origins of Sand鈥檚 pen name lay with the collaboration that resulted in her debut into the literary world. Working together with established author Jules Sandeau, Sand co-wrote a number of stories. Rather than both authors getting a shared credit, they created the pen name 鈥淛ules Sand鈥� and released the stories under that name.

When it came time for her first independent novel, the pen name turned into 鈥淕eorge Sand,鈥� and the rest became history.