Part 14 (1/2)
Novelists are given to speaking of the theatre somewhat disdainfully
They say that there is too much convention, that an author is too ed to consider the taste of the crohilst a book appeals to the lover of literature, who can read it by his own fireside, and to the society woh, as one of their novels has had more success than its predecessors, they do not hesitate to cut it up into slices, according to the requireo beyond the little circle of lovers of literature and society woest crowd possible
George Sand never pretended to have this immense disdain for the theatre which is professed by ultra-refined writers She had always loved the theatre, and she bore it no grudge, although her pieces had been hissed
In those days plays that did not find favour were hissed At present they are not hissed, either because there are no more poor plays, or because the public has seen so many bad ones that it has become philosophical, and does not take the trouble to show its displeasure
George Sand's first piece, _Cosima_, was a noted failure About the year 1850, she turned to the theatre once y and talent _Francois le Chareat success In January, 1851, she wrote as follows, after the performance of _Claudie:_ ”A tearful success and a financial one The house is full every day; not a ticket given away, and not even a seat for Maurice The piece is played adnificent The public weeps and blows its nose, as though it were in church I am told that never in the ht I was not present eration in the words ”never in the reat _Claudie_ is still given, and I re Paul Mounet interpret the part of Ree de Victorine_, it figures every year on the programme of the Conservatoire coenues_
_Francois le Chae de Victorine_ e Sand's dras
These pieces were all her own, and, in her own opinion, that was their principal ed to accept the collaboration of persons who know nothing of literature
”Your characters say this,” observes the er; ”it is all very well, but, believe me, it will be better for him to say just the opposite The piece will run at least sixty nights longer” There was a ny He was a very clever ht to say for e Sand co every play, and she added: ”Every piece that I did not change, such, for instance, as _Champi_, _Claudie_, _Victorine, Le Demon du foyer_ and _Le Pressoir_, was a success, whilst all the others were either failures or they had a very short run”(48)
(48) _Correspondance:_ To Maurice Sand, February 24, 1855
It was in these pieces that George Sand carried out her own idea of as required for the theatre Her idea was very siives it in two or three words: ”I like pieces that make me cry” She adds: ”I like drama better than comedy, and, like a woman, I must be infatuated by one of the characters” This character is the congenial one The public is with hi is all the reeable, because the public knows perfectly well that all will end well for this character It can even go as far as weeping the traditional six tears, as Madane did for Andromaque Tears at the theatre are all the sweeter, because they are all in vain When, in a play, we have a congenial character who is there fro to the end, the play is a success Let us take _Cyraino de Bergerac_, for instance, which is one of the greatest successes in the history of the theatre
Francois le Chaenial character, for he is a ht We are such believers in justice and in the interference of Providence When good, straightforward people are persecuted by fate, ays expect to see a man appear upon the scene ill be the chahts, and find the proper thing to do and say in every circumstance
Francois appears at the house of Madeleine Blanchet, who is aand very sad and ill He takes her part and defends her froues He is hard on the latter, and he disdains another woman, Mariette, but both La Severe and Mariette love him, so true is it that women have a weakness for conquerors Francois only cares for Madeleine, though On the stage, we like a uarantee that he will only care for one of them
”Cha ”natural son” Dumas _fils_ wrote a play entitled _Le Fils naturel_ The hero is also a superior man, who plays the part of Providence to the fanize him
In _Claudie_, as in _Francois le Chareat charms of the play The first act is one of the e It takes place in a farmyard, the day when the reapers have finished their task, which is just as awe-inspiring as that of the sowers A cart, drawn by oxen, enters the yard, bringing a sheaf all adorned with ribbons and flowers The oldest of the labourers, Pere Remy, addresses a fine couplet to the sheaf of corn which has cost so much labour, but which is destined to keep life in theirls, e met with in the novel entitled _Jeanne_ She had been unfortunate, but Jeanne, although virtuous and pure herself, did not despise her, for in the country there is great latitude in certain e everything becomes more dramatic and is treated in a more detailed and solemn fashi+on Claudie's e apart, and it raises her very high in her own estee that can be said aboutthe truth, kind-hearted, upright people will acknowledge that I do not deserve to be insulted” Her old grandfather, Remy, has completely absolved her
”You have repented and suffered enough, and you have worked and wept and expiated enough, too, h all this she has becoe It is a case of that special moral code by which, after free love, the fault must be recompensed
Claudie is later on the Jeannine of the _Idees de Madame Aubray_, the Denise of Alexandre Dumas She is the unmarried mother, whoseoutraged, has a right now to a double share of respect The first good young man is called upon to accept her past life, for there is a law of solidarity in the world The huories, the one is always busy doing harive itself up to e de Victorine_ belongs to a well-known kind of literary exercise, which was fores This consists in taking a celebrated work at the place where the author has left it and in i the ”sequel” For instance, after the _Cid_, there would be the ue and Chimene for us As a continuation of _L'Ecole des Fe Horace with the tiresoave a sequel to the _Menteur_ hilantine wrote the sequel to _Le Misanthrope_, and called it _Le Philinte de Moliere_
George Sand gives us here the sequel of Sedaine's _chef-d'oeuvre_ (that is, a _chef-d'oeuvre_ for Sedaine), _Le Philosophe sans le savor_
In _Le Philosophe sans le savoir_ Monsieur Vanderke is a nobleman, who has become a merchant in order to be in accordance with the ideas of the times He is a Frenchman, but he has taken a Dutch name out of snobbishness He has a clerk or a confidential servant nahter Vanderke's son is to fight a duel, and fro the result of this duel, it is easy to see that she is in love with this young e Sand's play turns on the question of what is to be done when the day comes for Victorine to ence, one of Monsieur Vanderke's clerks He belongs to her own class, and this is considered one of the indispensable conditions for happiness inseehted, and she, too, seeood spirits, but, all the tiin to see that she has soreat trouble
”Silk and pearls!” she exclaims; ”oh, how heavy they are, but I am sure that they are very fine Lace, too, and silver; oh, such a quantity of silver How rich and fine and happy I shall be And then Fulgence is so fond of ets sadder and sadder) ”And father is so pleased
How strange I feel stifled” (She sits down in Antoine's chair) ”Is this joy?I feelAh, it hurts to be as happy as this”
She bursts into tears This suppressed eives vent, and this forced se The question is, how can Victorine's tears be dried? She wants toVanderke, the son of her father's e is, then, to arrange this e
”Is it a crime, then, for my brother to love Victorine?” asks Sophie, ”and is it ive your consent?”
”My dear Sophie,” replies Monsieur Vanderke, ”there are no unequal ht of God A servitor like Antoine is a friend, and I have always brought you up to consider Victorine as your companion and equal”
This is the way the father of the family speaks Personally, I consider him rather imprudent