Sand's Peasant Heroines: From Victim to Entrepreneur, From `Connaissance' to `Idée,' From Jeanne to Nanon

This article examines ways of knowing in George Sand's three most fully realized eponymous peasant heroines, those in Jeanne (1834), La Petite Fadette (1845), and Nanon (1872). Although similar in their motherless state, their role as healers, and their social superiority, the three illustrate an evolution in ways of perceiving the world. The concept of "connaissance," a mixture of superstition, religion, and poetic, otherworldly knowledge defines the martyred Jeanne, whereas the successful entrepreneur Nanon bases her approach to life on a conception of "idée," which involves managing well with very few resources. The key ideas of love/sex/marriage, money, and language/education are explored in each novel and linked to the ways each heroine perceives herself and others, leading to the lack of a "generous ending" in Jeanne, a happy outlook for Fadette, and the joyous conclusion to Nanon. (NER)