Valentine

ALSO BY GEORGE SAND

The Bagpipers

Indiana

The Intimate Journal

Leone Leoni

The Letters of Sand and Flaubert

Lucrezia Floriani

Mauprat

Winter in Majorca

Published by

Academy Chicago Publishers

363 West Erie Street

Chicago, IL 60610

Chronology © Academy Chicago Publishers 1977

First Printing 1978

Second Printing 1995

Chronology may not be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the publisher.

Printed and bound in the USA.

Cover: Jean-Honore Fragonard,
The Stolen Kiss,
c. 1786-89.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Sand, George, pseud. of Mme. Dudevant, 1804-1876.

Valentine.

Reprint of the 1902 ed. published by G. Barrie, Philadelphia, as a volume The Masterpieces of George Sand.

I. Title.

PZ3.S21 Vol. 1978 [PQ2411] 843'.8 77-28026

ISBN 0-915864-59-2 pbk.

ISBN 0-915864-60-6 lib. bdg.

1804

July 1: Birth at 15 rue Meslée, Paris, to Maurice Dupin and Sophie-Victoire Delaborde. Christened Amantine-Lucile-Aurore. Family moves to rue de la Grande-Batelière, Paris.

1808

Aurore travels to Spain with her mother. They join her father at the Palace de Godoy in Madrid where he is serving in Napoleon's army under General Murat. The family travels to Nohant in France, the home of Maurice Dupin's mother, born Marie-Aurore de Saxe, Comtesse de Horne, daughter of the illegitimate son of King Frederick-Augustus II of Poland.

Sept 16: Death of Maurice Dupin, age 30, in a fall from a horse.

1809

Feb 3: Sophie-Victoire gives custody of Aurore to Mme Dupin de Francueil, her mother-in-law, in return for payment of Maurice's debts and a pension of 1000 francs a year.

1810-1814

Winters in Paris at rue Neuve-des-Mathurins with her grandmother. Visits from Sophie-Victoire. Summers at Nohant.

1818-1820

Educated at the English Convent des Augustines in Paris.

1820

Returns to Nohant. Studies with her father's tutor, Deschartres. Rides horseback in male clothing.

1821

Death of Mme Dupin de Francueil. Aurore inherits money, a house in Paris and the house at Nohant.

1822

Moves in with her mother at 80 rue St-Lazare, Paris. April: Meets Casimir-François Dudevant, son of Baron Dudevant, on a visit to the Duplessis family.

September 10: Marries Dudevant. They move to Nohant in October.

1823

June 30: Maurice is born at Hôtel de Florence, 56 rue Neuve-des-Mathurins, Paris.

1824

Spring and summer at the Duplessis' at Plessis-Picard near Melun; autumn at a Parisian suburb, Ormesson; winter in an apartment at rue du Faubourg-St Honoré.

1825

Spring at Nohant. Aurore is ill in the summer. Dudevants travel to his family home in Gascony. Vacation in the Pyrenees where she meets Aurélian de Sèze and recovers her health.

Nov 5: Writes long letter to Casimir confessing attraction to de Sèze. She gives him up. Winter in Gascony.

1827

Takes Stéphane de Grandsagne as lover. They meet in Paris.

1828

Sept 13: Birth of Solange.

1829

Writes
Voyage en Auvergne,
unpublished in her lifetime. Sees de Sèze.

1830

Visit to de Sèze in Bordeaux. Their correspondence ceases. She writes a novel,
Aimée,
which she later burns. Meets new lover, Jules Sandeau.

Dec: Discovers Casimir's will, filled with antipathy toward her. Decides to separate from him, to spend half the year in Paris, leaving the children in Nohant.

1831

Jan 4: Moves to Paris, to 31 rue de Seine, to live secretly with Sandeau. Joins staff of
Le Figaro.
Writes three short stories: “La Molinara” (in
Figaro),
“La Prima Donna” (in
Revue de Paris)
and “La Fille d'Albano” (in
La Mode).

April: Returns to Nohant for three months. Writes
Indiana.

July: Moves to 25 Quai St-Michel, Paris.

Dec: Publishes
Rose et Blanche
in collaboration with Jules Sandeau. Book is signed Jules Sand.

1832

Travel between Paris and Nohant.

April: Brings Solange to Paris. Quarrels with Sandeau.

May:
Indiana
published.

Nov: Moves to 19 Quai Malaquais with Solange.
Valentine
published. Maurice sent by Casimir to the Lycée Henri Quatre in Paris.

1833

Breaks with Sandeau.

June: Meets Alfred de Musset.

Publishes
Lélia.

Sept: To Fontainebleau with Musset.

Dec 10: To Italy with Musset.

Publishes novellas in various journals.

1834

Jan 19: Hotel Danieli in Venice. Musset attempts a break with Aurore, becomes ill. His physician is Pietro Pagello.

March 29: Musset returns to Paris. Aurore remains with Pagello. Publication of
André, Mattéa, Jacques, Léone Léoni
and the first
Lettres d'un Voyageur.

July: Returns to Paris with Pagello.

Aug 24: Musset goes to Baden.

Aug 29: Aurore to Nohant.

Oct: Returns to Paris. Musset returns from Baden.

Pagello returns to Venice.

Nov 25: Begins journal to de Musset.

Dec: Returns to Nohant.

1835

Jan: Returns to Paris.

Mar 6: Final break with de Musset.

Meets Michel de Bourges, her lawyer and political mentor.

Writes
Simon.

Autumn: Returns to Nohant for Maurice's holiday.

Oct 19: Casimir threatens her physically. Begins suit for legal separation.

Dec 1: Judgment in her favor won by default.

1836

Feb 16: She wins second judgment. Casimir brings suit.

May 10, 11: Another verdict in her favor from civil court of La Chatre. Casimir appeals to a higher court.

July 25, 26: Trial in royal court of Bourges. Jury divided.

Out-of-court settlement. Her fortune is divided with Casimir.

Aug: To Switzerland with Maurice and Solange, Franz Liszt and Aurore's friend Marie d'Agoult.

Autumn: Hôtel de la France, 15 rue Lafitte, Paris, with Liszt and d'Agoult. Meets Chopin.

1837

Jan: Returns to Nohant.

Publishes
Mauprat
in spring. Writes
Les Maîtres Mosaïstes.
Liszt and d'Agoult visit Nohant. Fatal illness of Sophie-Victoire in Paris. Visit to Fontainebleau. Writes
La Dernière Aldini.
Trip to Gascony to recover Solange, who has been kidnapped by Casimir.

1838

Writes
L'Orco
and
L'Uscoque,
two Venetian novels.

May: To Paris. Romance with Chopin.

Nov: Trip to Majorca with children and Chopin.

Writes
Spiridion. La Dernière Aldini
published.

1839

Feb: Leaves Majorca for three months in Marseilles. Then to Nohant.

Publishes
L'Uscoque, Spiridion
and revised
Lelia.

Oct: Occupies adjoining apartments with Chopin until spring of 1841 at 16 rue Pigalle, Paris. Summer is spent at Nohant, with Chopin as guest.

1840

Writes
Le Compagnon du Tour de France
and
Horace.
Influenced by Pierre Leroux. Publication of
Gabriel, Cosima,
a novel based on her play.

1841

Moves from rue Pigalle to 5 and 9 rue St-Lazare, Square d'Orléans, with Chopin. Publication of
Pauline.

1842

Vols 1 and 2 of
Consuelo
published, and
Horace.
Chopin and Delacroix at Nohant. Publishes
Un Hiver à Majorque.

1843

Vols 3-4 of
Consuelo
published, along with
Fanchette
and vols 1-2
of La Comtesse de Rudolstadt,
the sequel to
Consuelo.

1844

Jeanne
published, first of the pastoral novels. Also the last vols of
La Comtesse de Rudolstadt.
Established liberal newspaper
L'Éclaireur.
Writes articles on
Politics and Socialism.

1845

Publishes
Le Meunier d'Angibault.

1846

Publishes
La Mare au Diable,
second pastoral novel,
Isidoro,
and
Teverino.

1847

Solange marries Auguste-Jean Clésinger. Estrangement from Chopin, who has sided with Solange in a family quarrel, and whose health is deteriorating.
Lucrezia Fioriani, Le Péché de M. Antoine
and
Le Piccinino
published.

1848

On behalf of the Second Republic, writes government circulars, contributes to
Bulletins de la République
and publishes her newspaper
La Cause du Peuple.
Death of Solange's newborn daughter.

1849

La Petite Fadette
published. Birth of Solange's daughter Jeanne-Gabriel.
François le Champi
successfully performed as a play at the Odèon theater in Paris.

1850

Begins liason with Alexandre Manceau, Maurice's friend.
François le Champi
published as both play and novel.

1851

Republic falls. Plays
Claudie
and
Le Manage de Victorine
published.

1852

Uses her influence with Louis Napoleon to save her friends from political reprisal. Solange and her husband quarrel, leave Jeanne-Gabriel with Sand at Nohant.

1853

Death of Michel de Bourges.
Les Maîtres Sonneurs, La Filleule, Mont-Revêche
published.

1854

Clésingers officially separated. Vols 1-4 of
Histoire de Ma Vie, Adriani
and
Flaminio
published.

1855

Jan 13: Deat hof Jeanne-Gabriel at school. Visit to Italy with Maurice and Alexandre Manceau. Vols 5-20 of
Histoire de Ma Vie
published.

1856

Does French adaptation of
As You Like It.

1857

Death of Musset. Manceau buys cottage at Gargilesse for himself and Sand.
Le Diable aux Champs
and
La Daniella
published.

1858