The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-04-25

THE INNER LIFE OF GREAT NOVELIST
UNVEILED TO A FRIEND.


UNVEILED TO A FRIEND.
Mr.. Edward King thus writes from Paris
10 the Boston Journal. Some time ago the
friends of Custave FIaubert, the eminent
novelist, who died last year, discovered a
series of letters written to him by George
sand toward the close OF her career--that
Ia TO say, from 1868 to 1868. The epistles
are full OF delightful sketches OF character.
for which George Sand was famous. She
was in the habit OF writing to her distin-
pushed coafrere whenever she felt
weary and needed distraction after a
prolonged literary effort. Sometimes,
when she had just completed novel,
she would indulge in whimsical review
OF its contents, criticising herself and her
works in few merry pages. At other
times she wrote him of the theatre and
plays upon which she was engaged or those
In which her friends made grand sue
cesses or noteworthy failures. She seemed
to have had rather maternal feeling for
Flaubert, always criticising his self-depre-
citation, his fancy that he was not popular.
and the terrible pains he took with his
style. She did not hesitate TO tell him that
he was one OF the rare frenchmen who
remained impressionablc, sincere, and
really fond Of his art, neither corrupted by
ambition nor intoxicated with success.
Once or twice she took him TO task for
his tendency to paint the vicious side OF
human nature, and evidently maintained
her anger at his daring experiment Of
" Nine. Bovary" as long as she lived. She
could not understand how spirit so deli
cate and refined as that OF Flaubert could
condescend to make analytical studies OF
/ al, al In linn to n
wrote him under date Of September 81,
1866, "decdedly an original and mystic
rious being. / often have great desire to
question YOU, but Just as | am about to do
so my respect for you prevents me. Saint
Beuye, who is very fond OF you, neyerthe-
less pretends that you are frightfuly VII
cious. but perhaps he sees with his some
what uncleanly gaze. like that wise b0ta-
mist who insisted that the geranilm was OF
a dirty yellow"
One Of Flaubert's fances was that he had
very precise opinions on other eXlstences
in which he had PLAYED role and George
Sand was fond OF rallying him on this
weakness. "Your memories OF past lives"
she wrote him, .'are made up OF an inf
mite amount Of Imagination and erudition.
Az for myself, | believe that i was once
IeltntT n Ntktlttlt vi ~ NtfHSs sAui NV
ALWAYS quite sure OF a complete existence
even now, vet there are times when feel
an immense accumulation Of fatigue be-
cause have existed so long" At the time
when Flaubert was evolving his doctrine
OF naturalism-a doctrine which has since
made enormous progress in the literary
world-George Sand entered into many
discussions with him on the subject, and
some OF the most brilliant pages that she
has ever written are devoted to the reiuta-
ton OF Flaubert's theories. On the whole,
on reading these haStily-traced impressions
of one great novelist. written in the fami-
iarity and diShdbiie OF leisure OF another
great novelist, one is struck with the sin.
gular spirituality and purity which seem to
pervade George Sands inner life. 1t was
only to her professional comrades that she
ever unveiled this inner sell. She was
fond Of appearing 10 the general public as
cynical and prosaic woman, who had
suffered so much that she had, like people
who have chronic diseases, almost lost the
sentiment OF suffering.