Elizabeth Harlan
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- October 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780300104172
- eISBN:
- 9780300130560
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300104172.003.0016
- Subject:
- Literature, European Literature
This chapter discusses Sand's ambivalence toward her daughter, which began even before Solange was born. The pregnancy was difficult; by April, Aurore had gained too much weight and was suffering ...
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This chapter discusses Sand's ambivalence toward her daughter, which began even before Solange was born. The pregnancy was difficult; by April, Aurore had gained too much weight and was suffering from minor complications. By the time she wrote her autobiography, Sand had concocted a full-blown cover-up to distract from Solange's illicit birth: “I was afraid my daughter might not live since she was born prematurely as the result of a fright,” says Sand. In fact, Solange was born large and well-formed and, by all indications, at full term. The day after Solange's birth, Sand reports that she overheard her husband making love to the Spanish maid Pepita in the room next door. However, in the absence of any acknowledgment by Sand that she had also cheated on her husband, the chronological juxtaposition of these two events—Solange's birth and Casimir's conspicuous betrayal—seems contrived.Less
This chapter discusses Sand's ambivalence toward her daughter, which began even before Solange was born. The pregnancy was difficult; by April, Aurore had gained too much weight and was suffering from minor complications. By the time she wrote her autobiography, Sand had concocted a full-blown cover-up to distract from Solange's illicit birth: “I was afraid my daughter might not live since she was born prematurely as the result of a fright,” says Sand. In fact, Solange was born large and well-formed and, by all indications, at full term. The day after Solange's birth, Sand reports that she overheard her husband making love to the Spanish maid Pepita in the room next door. However, in the absence of any acknowledgment by Sand that she had also cheated on her husband, the chronological juxtaposition of these two events—Solange's birth and Casimir's conspicuous betrayal—seems contrived.
