The Most Scandalous Author in 19th-Century France
2/27/202658 min
By the age of 30, George Sand's literary career was soaring. She was internationally renowned, outselling Victor Hugo in English. So why is she now better known for wearing mens clothes and having a relationship with Chopin?
In this episode, Kate is joined once again by Fiona Sampson to meet the woman behind the name. Who was Aurore Dupin? Why did she dress in men's clothes? And why have her literary achievements been overwritten in the history books by her personal life?
Fiona's book on this is 'Becoming George: The invention of George Sand'.
This episode was edited by Hannah Feodorov. The producer was Sophie Gee. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.
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Transcript preview
First 90 secondsKate Lister· Host0:00
Hello, my lovely Betwixtes. It's me, Kate Lister. Welcome back to Betwixt the Sheets. Hello, it's so nice to see you again. But before I can let you go any further into this podcast, I have to tell you, this is an adult podcast spoken by adults to other adults about adult things in an adulty way, covering a range of subjects, and you should be an adult too. Are you fully briefed? Do you feel prepared? Right then. Proceed at your own peril. [piano music] Ah, bonjour. It is a beautiful day here in the heart of France. It's the mid-1800s, a light breeze plays among the leaves on the trees, and the birds are singing. Ah. An idyll in a country wrought with revolutions. Yep, plural. We are at the famous Nohant, a family estate turned gathering place for the literary and musical and artistic elite. Ooh, la, la. Here is our host, sitting astride a horse and wearing men's breeches. This is George Sand. And don't let the name or the posture or the attire fool you, George is a literary icon, a society leader, a revolutionary, and a woman. Ready to find out more? I know I am.
Unknown speaker1:10
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