Obraz XIX-wiecznej francuskiej prowincji Berry w świetle pamiętnika George Sand „Dzieje mojego życia”

Abstract

The article’s aim is to present the unique character of French province on the example of Berry – the region known from the diary of the famous writer, George Sand (1804–1876). In her book published in 1854, the accomplished writer and feminist dedicated much attention to nature of the Indre valley and to the inhabitants of Nohant – her place of birth. The writer was famous for being an acute observer of human emotions and behavior, and her, mostly life-long, friendly relationships with the inhabitants of the nearby villages enabled her to describe the country life of that period. The mansion which belonged first to her grandmother and later to George Sand had multiple functions, one of them being the centre of culture for the inhabitants of the surrounding areas (e.g. an amateur theatre, Franz Liszt and Frederic Chopin’s piano concerts).Thanks to the diary, the reader can find out how the French province reacted to the revolutionary events taking place in Paris, what the life of both ordinary and rich inhabitants looked like and what were the typical pastimes of the region. The discrepancies between the English, Polish and French province of that time are so distinct mainly due to the witnesses’ account. The reader will probably find it surprising that Story of My Life does not contain descriptions of customs and traditions which are so typical of Berry, and without which we cannot fully reconstruct its microhistory.