as long as women were not liberated from marital oppression, they were not ready for political action. When Sand meant to distill her ideas and call for a change through her novels, Tristan, was about action.
Both women have inspired. Flora Tristan is maybe better known for being painter Paul Gauguin’s grandmother than for her writing, but she remains one of the feminists who contributed to the progress of women’s rights.
George Sand is still considered today as one of the Romantic writers who took the defense of women, promoted passion, denounced marriage and fought against the prejudice of a conservative society.
George Sand wrote until her last breath. She died at the age of 72, leaving behind a considerable and varied work in the tradition of the greatest French writers of the nineteenth century. Why is she better known than Flora Tristan who contributed much more actively in her shorter life? One could argue that it was her tumultuous romantic affairs, tremendous literary work and relatively long life.
Sources: http://www.linternaute.com/biographie/george-sand/, https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Sand, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flora_Tristan, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Sand, http://www.unsa-education.com/spip.php?article479, http://www.larousse.fr/encyclopedie/personnage/Aurore_Dupin_baronne_Dudevant_dite_George_Sand/143001, http://womhist.alexanderstreet.com/awrm/intro.htm, https://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/rschwart/hist255/at/sandntristan.html, https://www.nytimes.com/books/first/j/jack-sand.html, http://www.mirales.es/sociedad-activismo/flora-tristan-una-paria-peregrina/, http://www.miroirdemuses.com/blog/les-dessous-de-george-sand/
Salon George Sand. Musée de la vie romantique ( Museum of the Romantic life) à Paris. PD.
Madame Dupin de Francueil bought the château de Nohant on 23 août 1793. George Sand inherited it from her grandmother in 1819. PD.
French stamp honoring Flora tristan. PD.
40 | Ceres Magazine | Spring 2016