characters, variety of situations,
movement, and intrigues; these are free from all social theories;
in these, reverting to her first tendencies, she is at her best in
elegance and clearness, in analysis of characters. Thus does the work
of George Sand change from a personal lyricism, in which the emotions,
held in check during a solitary and dreamy youth, burst forth in
brilliant and passionate fiction, to a theoretical, systematic novel,
finally reverting to the first efforts, but tempered by experience and
age.

M. d'Haussonville says that in the strict sense of the word George
Sand had no doctrines, but possessed a powerful imagination that
manifested itself at various periods of her life. Whatever the
principles might have been at first, they were made concrete under
a sentiment with her, for her heart was her first inspiration,
her teacher in all things. The ideas are thus analyzed through her
sentiments under a threefold inspiration,--love, passion for humanity,
sentiment for Nature.

According to other novels, love is the unique affair of life; without
love we do not really live, before love enters life we do not live,
and after we cease to love there is no object in life. This love comes
directly from God, of whom George Sand had ideas peculiar to herself.
The majority of her characters have a sort of mystic, exalted love,
looking upon it as a sacred right, making of themselves great priests
rather than genuine human lovers. This love, issuing from God, is
sacred; therefore, the yielding to it is a pious act; he who resists
commits sacrilege, while he who blames others for it is impious; for
love legitimizes itself by itself. Such a theory naturally led her
to a sensual ideality, and her heroes rose to the highest phase of
fatalism and voluptuousness; this impelled her to protest against the
social laws. Jacques says:

"I do not doubt at all that marriage will be abolished if humankind
makes any progress toward justice and reason; a bond more human and
none the less sacred will replace this one and will take care of
the children which may issue from a man and woman, without ever
interfering with the liberty of either. But men are too coarse and
women are too cowardly to ask for a law more noble than the iron
law which binds them--beings without conscience--and virtue must be
burdened with heavy chains."

Yet, in none of her books did George Sand ever submit any theories as
to how such children would be c