Claire Le Guillou
144
nade à la recherche des mardelles. Ils ne trouvent qu’un tumulus à
Marron.”
22 The prized “mardelle” was not finally discovered until
1873, as Sand informed her daughter on 19 April of that year: “Nous
avons enfin découvert une mardelle dans la brande. Il y a cinquante
ans que j’en cherche et la brande en est remplie. Mais il faut être
dessus pour les voir.”
23 While it is tempting to conclude that unskilled
prospecting techniques may have been responsible for this lengthy
pursuit, it has been independently noted that: “La recherche de ces
excavations est bien plus difficile qu’on ne pourrait le supposer au
premier abord. On ne les aperçoit pas de loin, elles sont souvent même
dissimulées dans les replis du terrain, au milieu des fourrés, dans les
bois.”
24 Otherwise, throughout her life, Sand frequented a number of
antiquarians and archaeologists, and the catalogue of her library bears
witness to her abiding interest in their works, among which the writings of Pictet, Feydeau, de Belloguet and Raynal feature prominently.
Archaeological inspirations in Sand’s œuvre
Sand’s obvious enthusiasm for the study of antiquities poses the question of how archaeological themes actually influenced her writing.
Can we, for instance, discern the presence of standing stones, ancient
currencies or mardelles in her work? What use does she make of archaeology? How does she present the process of archaeological discovery in her writings? And how does she describe the figure of the
archaeologist for her readers? Firstly, although the traces of archaeological influence in her works are, at times, extremely subtle, they reappear constantly throughout the duration of her career, thus bearing
witness to a long-standing preoccupation on her part. Several titles
suggest themselves immediately: Jeanne in 1844, Le Péché de Monsieur Antoine in 1847, La Famille de Germandre in 1861 and Nanon
in 1872. Nor should we forget the short story “Le Marteau rouge”,
___________________________
22 Sand, Agendas, III, p. 59.
23 Sand, Correspondance, XXIII, p. 142.
24 Congrès archéologiques de France, XL
e session, séances générales tenues à
Châteauroux en 1873 (Paris: Derache-Didron-Dumoulin Libraires, 1874), p. 150. See
also Geneviève Dindinaud, “Sur les ‘mardelles’ de Dun-sur-Auron”, Cahiers
d’archéologie et d’histoire du Berry (1969), 22-26.
144
nade à la recherche des mardelles. Ils ne trouvent qu’un tumulus à
Marron.”
22 The prized “mardelle” was not finally discovered until
1873, as Sand informed her daughter on 19 April of that year: “Nous
avons enfin découvert une mardelle dans la brande. Il y a cinquante
ans que j’en cherche et la brande en est remplie. Mais il faut être
dessus pour les voir.”
23 While it is tempting to conclude that unskilled
prospecting techniques may have been responsible for this lengthy
pursuit, it has been independently noted that: “La recherche de ces
excavations est bien plus difficile qu’on ne pourrait le supposer au
premier abord. On ne les aperçoit pas de loin, elles sont souvent même
dissimulées dans les replis du terrain, au milieu des fourrés, dans les
bois.”
24 Otherwise, throughout her life, Sand frequented a number of
antiquarians and archaeologists, and the catalogue of her library bears
witness to her abiding interest in their works, among which the writings of Pictet, Feydeau, de Belloguet and Raynal feature prominently.
Archaeological inspirations in Sand’s œuvre
Sand’s obvious enthusiasm for the study of antiquities poses the question of how archaeological themes actually influenced her writing.
Can we, for instance, discern the presence of standing stones, ancient
currencies or mardelles in her work? What use does she make of archaeology? How does she present the process of archaeological discovery in her writings? And how does she describe the figure of the
archaeologist for her readers? Firstly, although the traces of archaeological influence in her works are, at times, extremely subtle, they reappear constantly throughout the duration of her career, thus bearing
witness to a long-standing preoccupation on her part. Several titles
suggest themselves immediately: Jeanne in 1844, Le Péché de Monsieur Antoine in 1847, La Famille de Germandre in 1861 and Nanon
in 1872. Nor should we forget the short story “Le Marteau rouge”,
___________________________
22 Sand, Agendas, III, p. 59.
23 Sand, Correspondance, XXIII, p. 142.
24 Congrès archéologiques de France, XL
e session, séances générales tenues à
Châteauroux en 1873 (Paris: Derache-Didron-Dumoulin Libraires, 1874), p. 150. See
also Geneviève Dindinaud, “Sur les ‘mardelles’ de Dun-sur-Auron”, Cahiers
d’archéologie et d’histoire du Berry (1969), 22-26.