Claire Le Guillou
138
George Sand and archaeological relics
Her interest in and her passion for archaeology was apparent in her
many site visits and, most especially, in her excavations. It should,
however, be noted that she was particularly partial to Celtic archaeology. While she took the opportunity to visit Roman sites in the south
of France and in Italy, these visits simply did not hold the same fascination for her.
3 George Sand needed a more immediate understanding
of places, regarding monuments from the past as open books permitting a privileged reading of history. In short, archaeology’s true attraction for her lay in its capacity to enrich her appreciation of specific
locations and to reinforce the ties that bound her to everyday life in
her own small universe in the regions around Berry and la Marche. As
Nicole Belmont notes, Sand’s rejection of Greco-Latin civilization is
merely a natural consequence of her passionate preference for Celtic
antiquities.
4 In that respect, George Sand very much followed in the
tradition of the Académie Celtique.
By the 1830s, druid stones were already proving to be a
source of interest for the novelist. In 1837, in Mauprat, a very short
scene takes place on a druid stone at Crevant. This site would become
a favourite beauty-spot for the whole Sand family in the 1850s, where
they would go to pick flowers and to catch butterflies among the
standing stones. Subsequently, in 1841, Sand visited a much more impressive site, that of Toulx-Saint-Croix, in the Creuse region. There
she discovered the standing stones, taking great pleasure in their contemplation. She wrote to Eugénie Duvernet that this journey “[lui] a
donné l’envie de faire un roman sur Toul et le maître d’école”. Then,
she continued her letter in the following terms: “J’aurai besoin de
notions géographiques et statistiques plus exactes que celles que je
n’ai pas prises. Je compte sur Charles pour cela.”
5 From this short
visit and from her reading and information gathering, there would
emerge three years later Jeanne.
___________________________
3 Correspondance de George Sand, ed. by George Lubin, 29 vols (Paris: Garnier,
1976-1979), XIII, pp. 116-17.
4 Nicole Belmont, “L’Académie Celtique et George Sand, les débuts des recherches
folkloriques en France”, Romantisme, (1975), n
o 9, pp. 29-38.
5 Sand, Correspondance, V, pp. 472-73.
138
George Sand and archaeological relics
Her interest in and her passion for archaeology was apparent in her
many site visits and, most especially, in her excavations. It should,
however, be noted that she was particularly partial to Celtic archaeology. While she took the opportunity to visit Roman sites in the south
of France and in Italy, these visits simply did not hold the same fascination for her.
3 George Sand needed a more immediate understanding
of places, regarding monuments from the past as open books permitting a privileged reading of history. In short, archaeology’s true attraction for her lay in its capacity to enrich her appreciation of specific
locations and to reinforce the ties that bound her to everyday life in
her own small universe in the regions around Berry and la Marche. As
Nicole Belmont notes, Sand’s rejection of Greco-Latin civilization is
merely a natural consequence of her passionate preference for Celtic
antiquities.
4 In that respect, George Sand very much followed in the
tradition of the Académie Celtique.
By the 1830s, druid stones were already proving to be a
source of interest for the novelist. In 1837, in Mauprat, a very short
scene takes place on a druid stone at Crevant. This site would become
a favourite beauty-spot for the whole Sand family in the 1850s, where
they would go to pick flowers and to catch butterflies among the
standing stones. Subsequently, in 1841, Sand visited a much more impressive site, that of Toulx-Saint-Croix, in the Creuse region. There
she discovered the standing stones, taking great pleasure in their contemplation. She wrote to Eugénie Duvernet that this journey “[lui] a
donné l’envie de faire un roman sur Toul et le maître d’école”. Then,
she continued her letter in the following terms: “J’aurai besoin de
notions géographiques et statistiques plus exactes que celles que je
n’ai pas prises. Je compte sur Charles pour cela.”
5 From this short
visit and from her reading and information gathering, there would
emerge three years later Jeanne.
___________________________
3 Correspondance de George Sand, ed. by George Lubin, 29 vols (Paris: Garnier,
1976-1979), XIII, pp. 116-17.
4 Nicole Belmont, “L’Académie Celtique et George Sand, les débuts des recherches
folkloriques en France”, Romantisme, (1975), n
o 9, pp. 29-38.
5 Sand, Correspondance, V, pp. 472-73.