The romantic and rebellious novelist George Sand, born in 1804 as Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin, remains one of France’s most infamous and beloved literary figures. Thanks to a peerless translation by Gretchen van Slyke, Martine Reid’s acclaimed biography of Sand is now available in English. Drawing on recent French and English biographies of Sand as well as her novels, plays, autobiographical texts, and correspondence, Reid creates the most complete portrait possible of a writer who was both celebrated and vilified. Reid contextualizes Sand within the literature of the nineteenth century, unfolds the meaning and importance of her chosen pen name, and pays careful attention to Sand’s political, artistic, and scientific expressions and interests. The result is a candid, even-handed, and illuminating representation of a remarkable woman in remarkable times. With its clear, flowing language and impeccable scholarship, this Ernest Montusès Award–winning biography of the author of La Petite Fadette and A Winter in Majorca will be of great interest to those specializing in Sand and nineteenth-century literature—and to readers everywhere.

Set in the French countryside of George Sand’s childhood and narrated in the unique voice of a Berrichon peasant, La Petite Fadette is a beloved 1848 novel about identical twin brothers and Fadette, the mysterious waif with whom they both fall in love. The brothers, Landry and Sylvinet, belong to a highly respected farm family. When young Landry meets Fadette, whose very name suggests that she is a witch, he is captivated by the girl despite her lowly status and disreputable family. Sylvinet soon follows suit. Fadette’s relationship with the twins defies the patriarchal norms of French society as well as the expectations of the village, resulting in a tale of love, courage, and clever strategy winning out over superstition and prejudice. Often regarded as a simple country tale, Sand’s novel is layered with meaning, including subtle nods to the burgeoning desire for political and sexual equality in nineteenth-century France. This thoughtful critical translation by Gretchen van Slyke brings the complexity of the original story to life. Her introduction explores the autobiographical and political dimensions of the novel, and her translation preserves the rustic charm and archaic flavor of Sand’s language. An invaluable contribution to French literary studies and nineteenth-century literature studies, this new edition ensures that La Petite Fadette will be read by generations to come.

Mythodologies challenges the implied methodology in contemporary studies in the humanities. We claim, at times, that we gather facts or what we will call evidence, and from that form hypotheses and conclusions. Of course, we recognize that the sum total of evidence for any argument is beyond comprehension; therefore, we construct, and we claim, preliminary hypotheses, perhaps to organize the chaos of evidence, or perhaps simply to find it; we might then see (we claim) whether that evidence challenges our tentative hypotheses. Ideally, we could work this way. Yet the history of scholarship and our own practices suggest we do nothing of the kind. Rather, we work the way we teach our composition students to write: choose or construct a thesis, then invent the evidence to support it. This book has three parts, examining such methods and pseudo-methods of invention in medieval studies, bibliography, and editing. Part One, "Noster Chaucer," looks at examples in Chaucer studies, such as the notion that Chaucer wrote iambic pentameter, and the definition of a canon in Chaucer. "Our" Chaucer has, it seems, little to do with Chaucer himself, and in constructing this entity, Chaucerians are engaged largely in self-validation of their own tradition. Part Two, "Bibliography and Book History," consists of three studies in the field of bibliography: the recent rise in studies of annotations; the implications of presumably neutral terminology in editing, a case-study in cataloguing. Part Three, "Cacophonies: A Bibliographical Rondo," is a series of brief studies extending these critiques to other areas in the humanities. It seems not to matter what we talk about: meter, book history, the sex life of bonobos. In all of these discussions, we see the persistence of error, the intractability of uncritical assumptions, and the dominance of authority over evidence. TABLE OF CONTENTS // Part I. Noster Chaucerus Chap. 1. How Many Chaucerians Does it Take to Count to Eleven? The Meter of Kynaston's 1635 Translation of Troilus and Criseyde and its Implications for Chaucerian Metrics Chap. 2. Chaucer's "Rude Times" Chap. 3. Meditation on Our Chaucer and the History of the Canon Coda. Godwin's Portrait of Chaucer Part II. Bibliography and Book History Chap. 4. The Singularities of Books and Reading . Chap. 5. Editorial Projecting Chap. 6. The Haunting of Suckling's Fragmenta Aurea (1646) Coda. T. F. Dibdin: The Rhetoric of Bibliophilia Part III. Cacophonies: A Bibliographic Rondo Fakes and Frauds: The "Flewelling Antiphonary" and Galileo's Sidereus Nuncius Modernity and Middle English The Quantification of Readability The Elephant Paper and Histories of Medieval Drama The Pynson Chaucer(s) of 1526: Bibliographical Circularity Margaret Mead and the Bonobos Reading My Library

Focusing on the efforts of nine European intellectuals, including Tocqueville, Flaubert and Marx, to make sense of 1848, Jonathan Beecher casts a fresh and engaging perspective on the experience and impact of the Revolution, and on why, within two generations, a democratic revolution had twice culminated in the dictatorship of a Napoleon.

This is George Sand's second novel. Like Indiana, her first, it explores the relationship between men and women. Valentine, an aristocratic girl, falls despearately in love with Benedict, the son of a poor farmer. Again, like Indiana, this novel challenges preconceived masculine assumptions about woman's role in society. In loving Benedict, Valentine rebels against her family and her class.

The Master Pipers (1852) is a love story set in central France. Sand's exploration of the developing relationships of two sets of lovers underlines her belief that both partners in a marriage should consider themselves equal. The novel also gives a vivid picture of local customs, speech, and dances, and Sand investigates the nature of music, particularly through the predicament of Joseph, a talented child whose very gift renders him incapable of communicating with others until he discovers the musical instruments that will allow him to speak.

Immerse yourself in the enchanting world of George Sand with her evocative tale, "The Devil's Pool." This beautifully crafted narrative weaves together themes of love, nature, and the mystical, inviting readers into a serene yet complex landscape. As Sand unfolds her poignant story, a thought-provoking question arises: What role does nature play in shaping our desires and destinies, and how do our choices reflect our deepest selves? Set against the backdrop of rural France, the novel explores the lives of its characters as they navigate love and heartache, intertwined with the enchanting yet haunting atmosphere of the countryside. Sand’s lyrical prose captures the essence of human emotion and the delicate balance between joy and sorrow. This edition revitalizes Sand’s classic work, making it accessible for modern readers while preserving the depth and richness of her writing. Each chapter invites you to contemplate the beauty of nature and the complexity of human relationships. Are you ready to explore the depths of passion and the power of the natural world in "The Devil's Pool"? Engage with beautifully crafted passages that reflect on the human experience, prompting you to consider your own connections to the environment and those you love. Sand’s exquisite storytelling invites introspection and appreciation for the world around us. This is your chance to experience a timeless classic that resonates with the heart of humanity. Will you take the plunge into the depths of emotion and discover the truth hidden within? Don’t miss the opportunity to own this captivating tale. Purchase "The Devil's Pool" now, and embark on a journey that intertwines the beauty of love with the magic of nature.