Synthesized answer
To explain why George Sand was considered "something more exceptional than even a great genius" to a contemporary, one would highlight her unprecedented historical position among women. The opening paragraph of Chapter I states that her rise to eminence in literature was "absolutely without a precedent, in the annals of women of modern times" [4]. This suggests her achievements transcended mere talent, entering a realm of unparalleled distinction for her sex.
Furthermore, her unique circumstances and independence are key. The passages note her "entirely exceptional" career and nature, stating that any attempt to judge it by ordinary standards leads to "hopeless moral contradictions" [1, 3]. Her adoption of male attire for practicality and independence in her busy life, while unusual and only tolerated for fictional characters like Rosalind and Viola, showcases her disregard for convention and pursuit of freedom [1]. This drive for liberty is explicitly stated as a primary desire, overshadowing pleasure or amusement [3]. The text also mentions that fifty years prior, the "female art student had no recognised existence," and women were denied the freedom and advantages now…
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From the book
thers, at all hours, alone if necessary, unmolested and unobserved, in theatre or restaurant, boulevard or reading-room. In defence of her adoption of this strange measure, she pleads energetically the perishable nature of feminine attire in her day,—a day before double-soles or ulsters formed part of a lady's wardrobe,—its incompatibility with the incessant going to and fro which her busy life required, the exclusion of her sex from the best part of a Paris theatre, and so forth; the ineffable superiority of a costume which, economy and comfort apart, secured her equal independence with…
uation, no doubt, was anomalous. In the young girl of barely eighteen, country-bred and intellectually immature, whom M. Dudevant had chosen to marry, who could have discerned one of the greatest poetical geniuses and most powerful minds of the century? Some commiseration might à priori be felt for the petty squire's son who had taken the hand of the petty country-heiress, promising himself, no doubt, a comfortable jog-trot existence in the ordinary groove, to discover in after years that he was mated with the most remarkable woman that had made herself heard of in the literary world since…
nature, entirely exceptional, and any attempt to judge it in any other light lands us in hopeless moral contradictions. She had extraordinary incentives to prompt her to extraordinary actions, which may be condemned or excused, but which there could be no greater mistake than to impute to ordinary vulgar motives. It must also be remembered that fifty years ago, the female art student had no recognised existence. She was shut out from that modicum of freedom and of practical advantages it were arbitrary to deny, and which may now be enjoyed by any earnest art aspirant in almost any great city.…
← George Sand by Bertha Thomas CHAPTER I. CHAPTER II. → London: W. H. Allen , pages 1–25 2579106 George Sand — CHAPTER I. CHAPTER I. EARLY YEARS. In naming George Sand we name something more exceptional than even a great genius. Her rise to eminence in the literature of her century is, if not without a parallel, yet absolutely without a precedent, in the annals of women of modern times. The origin of much that is distinctive in the story of her life may be traced in the curious story of her lineage. George Sand was of mixed national descent, and in her veins ran the blood of heroes and of…
n nature, or yet of these novels, to understand the impracticability of two such minds long remaining together in unity. Genius, in private life, is apt to be a torment—its foibles demanding infinite patience, forbearance, nay, affectionate blindness, in those who would minister to its happiness, and mitigate the worst results of those foibles themselves. Certainly George Sand, for a genius, was a wonderfully equable character; her "satanic" moods showed themselves chiefly in pen and ink; her nerves were very strong, the balance of her physical and mental organisation was splendidly even, as…
More questions about this book
- Bertha Thomas acknowledges "incompleteness" and strategic omissions in her biography. How might these stated limitations affect a reader's ability to truly grasp the "truth and completeness of general outline" of George Sand's character and career, and what does this imply about the nature of historical biography?
- Chapter I asserts George Sand's rise was "absolutely without a precedent." How does the subsequent description of her "curious story of her lineage" and "mixed national descent" specifically attempt to establish or foreshadow this unparalleled eminence?
- The author states her aim to focus on "determining influences on her career and on her work." Considering the diverse lineage described, how might Sand's "blood of heroes and of kings" alongside "the bourgeoisie and the people" serve as a "determining influence" on her literary themes or public persona?
- The decision to omit details "touching persons still living or quite recently deceased" is presented as a practical necessity. Beyond mere privacy, how might such an editorial choice subtly shape the public perception of George Sand, and what does this suggest about the power of biographical narrative?