The George Sand by Gustave Flaubert [PDF]

Information: The George Sand

• Author: Gustave Flaubert
• Publication Date: 1921
• Main Characters:
  • George Sand: French novelist and memoirist, known for her optimism, political engagement, and prolific literary output. She writes with warmth and a desire to connect.
  • Gustave Flaubert: French novelist and author of Madame Bovary, known for his devotion to artistic perfection, skepticism, and solitary temperament.
  • Stuart P. Sherman: American literary critic who wrote the introduction to the 1921 English edition, contextualizing the friendship and its literary significance.
  • Aimee L. McKenzie: Translator of the English edition who rendered the French correspondence into accessible, faithful English prose.
• Brief Summary: The George Sand-Gustave Flaubert Letters is a collection of personal correspondence between the French novelists George Sand and Gustave Flaubert, covering the period from 1863 to 1876. The letters document their evolving friendship, their debates over the purpose of art and literature, and their reactions to the political upheavals of their time, including the Franco-Prussian War and the Paris Commune. First published in English in 1921, translated by Aimee L. McKenzie with an introduction by Stuart P. Sherman, the book provides intimate insight into two contrasting temperaments united by mutual admiration. Sand writes with optimism and social engagement, while Flaubert responds with sharp observation and artistic devotion.
• Thematic Analysis: The central tension in these letters is the debate between art for art's sake (Flaubert's position) and literature as a tool for social progress (Sand's belief). Their correspondence also explores themes of aging, creative struggle, political disillusionment after the Commune, and the sustaining power of friendship across philosophical divides. The letters reveal how two writers with fundamentally different worldviews found common ground in their shared commitment to honesty and craft.
• Historical Context: The correspondence takes place during a turbulent period in French history, including the final years of the Second Empire, the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871, and the violent suppression of the Paris Commune. Sand and Flaubert lived through these events and their letters provide firsthand reactions to the political chaos, offering a personal lens on a period that reshaped modern France. The English translation appeared in 1921, making this exchange accessible to a broader international audience for the first time.