George Sand, pratiques et imaginaires de l’écriture: colloque international de Cerisy-la-Salle, Ier-8 juillet 2004 ed. by Brigitte Diaz, Isabelle Hoog Naginski (review)

Abstract

546 Reviews his style-remains curiously absent from this study.A relatively slender bibliography further suggests that thiswork ismore another chapter in theHugo/Sainte-Beuve saga than it is the finalword. None the less, the forthrightnessof the observations on display here is never less than compelling, and should invitemuch discussion from scholars of both Hugo and Sainte-Beuve, as well as attract the attention of anyone entertained by examples of literary friendships turned sour. UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL BRADLEY STEPHENS George Sand, pratiques et imaginaires de l'ecriture: colloque international de Cerisy-la Salle, Ier-8 juillet 2004. Ed. by BRIGITTE DIAz and ISABELLEHOOG NAGINSKI. Caen: Presses Universitaires de Caen. 2oo6. 399 pp. E30. ISBN 978-84I33 273-I This imposing collection of essays isone of themain fruitsof theGeorge Sand bicen tenary in2004, which was marked by an exceptional number of conferences and public events. The order of the calendar sometimes seems to impose its own logic in such commemorations, almost in defiance of intellectual considerations, but in the case of George Sand everything converges to justifypublic homage and academic reflection: an exceptional life,fullof lessons forany study of how awoman could stake her claim to a place in a public sphere that inprinciple was closed toher sex; amodel for modern feminism that at the same time resists any easy transposition, so differentare the cir cumstances inwhich itwas created from those of today; other political and social commitments thatofferone of themost developed and convincing answers for their century to thequestion of the artist's public responsibilities; above all a vast literary production, dominated by thenovel but espousing many forms,constantly changing and in that sense always experimental. Many of the articles in this volume recall and question George Sand's tendency todepreciate her own production and working methods, but that tendency perhaps helps toproduce the exceptional generic fluidity that rightly fascinates modern criticism. Everyone knows the surprising history of George Sand's reputation, her virtual disappearance in the firsthalf of the twentieth century from literaryhistory and academic discourse. Not the least interesting feature of theGeorge Sand revival thathas followed is that it marks thepartial retreatof a cri tical ideology thatcould accord Flaubert thehighest possible statuswhile professing scorn or at best indifferenceforthe woman he called 'mon chermaitre'. However, a fine article here byMarie-Eve Therenty on the failure to produce an edition of Sand's complete works, despite the efforts of Spoelberch de Lovenjoul at the end of the writer's life,comes as a reminder that the eclipse ofSand's reputation had a variety of causes. That eclipse isnow over, and the timewas right in2004, not fora stock-taking (with itssuggestion of immobility), but fora new surge of critical energy and activity. The present volume gathers together thirty-one articles,with an introduction by Brigitte Diaz and a conclusion by Isabelle Hoog Naginski. The theme ('pratiques et imaginaires de l'ecriture') isnot constraining; itdefines a vast area of reflectionwhich most of the authors occupy, but few of themmake specific reference to it,and the collection can also be approached as a series of critical studies of Sand by the best contemporary specialists in France and throughout theworld. Certain articles are of fundamental importance and will be a required reference forcritics in the future. Several also offera subtle lesson in the critical uses ofSand's own text, teasing out the complexities of her positions by confronting one textwith another (see, forexample, Jose-Luis Diaz on Sand and the 'boutique romantique'). Globally, in its richness and its diversity, the volume is itself a proof of Sand's standing. It contains occasional echoes of the old anxiety and defensiveness about her and at the same time answers MLR, 103.2,2oo8 547 them.The proof of her importance ishere, in theway herwork stimulates new think ing about literarygenre and literaryhistory. The papers arewell edited, although, as in many conference volumes, one would like to seemore signs in theprinted textof dialogue and exchange between authors during and after the conference. The editors have undertaken the always problematic taskof grouping the articles under subheadings, with varying degrees of success. However, all editors have to juggle with conflicting imperatives, and to bring this large and dense volume...