The Devil's Pool: A Tale of Love, Sacrifice, and Societal Constraints in 19th-Century France

by George Sand

The Devil's Pool is a novel by George Sand. Germain has been a widower for two years, and his wife left behind three young children. He undertakes a voyage to find new love.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, France, French Literature, 19th Century, Roman, Romance

79 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1846

About the author

Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin de Francueil, best known by her pen name George Sand, was a French novelist, memoirist and journalist. One of the most popular writers in Europe in her lifetime, being more renowned than either Victor Hugo or Honoré de Balzac in England in the 1830s and 1840s, Sand is recognised as one of the most notable writers of the European Romantic era. She wrote more than 50 volumes of various works to her credit, including tales, plays and political texts, alongside her 70 novels.
Like her great-grandmother, Louise Dupin, whom she admired, George Sand advocated for women's rights and passion, criticized the institution of marriage, and fought against the prejudices of a conservative society. She was considered scandalous because of her turbulent love life, her adoption of masculine clothing, and her masculine pseudonym.

Reviews

[Axl Oswaldo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

A cozy, feel-good novella, which was also the first book I read by George Sand (also known as Amantine Aurore Dupin). In this story, a 28-year-old young man, Germain, who is a widower and father of three children, is told to get married as soon as he can, since once he is thirty, he will be too old to do so (this fact made me laugh quite a bit, I must confess). His father-in-law, who asked Germain to get married, wants him to meet a widow who lives nearby, despite the fact that he (Germain) is not so interested.

Marie, a young woman and Germain's neighbor, joins him on this journey to the widow's house, since she is looking for a job in a nearby town, and then it is when our story really begins. As I said, this is an enjoyable reading, easy to read, and a typical provincial story. We have a bucolic atmosphere from beginning to end, two well developed main characters, and an ideal ending.
I truly enjoyed reading The Devil's Pool, which is like a one-sitting read, and therefore I'd recommend it. If it was a 3.5-star book for me, it is because after the proper ending there is a very long appendix, which is also part of the novel, and it was not as enjoyable to read as the previous story. Besides, you have to read this part as well in order for you to know the real ending, which was great, but perhaps not the way it is told.

“When one is happy and proud, the courage to make others accept one's happiness seems easily within reach; but to be rebuffed in one direction and blamed in another is not a very pleasant plight.”

[Jan-Maat]

If I was giving this book a star rating I might go for three. It is hardly a story at all but there is a simplicity and a charm to it, well not exactly charm, perhaps grace. It has a very proper pragmatism and a quite shocking regard for children, I mean I'm used to the attitudes in British literature, in which children are there either to be abused or romanticised to death - but not in the same work on the whole. Here the father and grandparents and even, without missing to give any spoilers to what is essentially a one line story, other women all have great concern for the happiness and feelings of the children involved. There's a sense of deep feeling about the story, not feelings that can be articulated but the feeling an animal has for it's partner when it dies, though without the condescension that one might attach to the feelings of our four-legged peers.

I hesitate to say anything much more than nothing about the story because there is so little too it, but let me say this. I felt genuinely lucky to find this at the library, all I knew of Sand was that she was said to sit by or between a pianist's legs as he hammered some tune out of the old Joanna more rhyming slang, but only if you naturally say piana rather than piano in an ecstatic bundle communing with the music, apparently Chopin found this habit of her quite inconvenient at first (though I'm not sure when peddles were added to forte-pianos which would have made her habit very inconvenient), but there are no fancy big city instruments in this work only traditional songs and the song of a ploughman at his work.

The Devil's pool sits at the centre of the story but is less exciting than it sounds, still it is the central point geographically if you were to map the story and naturally symbolically too.

Loss and sorrow at the inevitability of death are strong themes, Sand hints at a wider vision, this isn't just about individuals it is about the culture the railway will come and with it habits of speech and dress will change, the simplicity and naturalness, the wayward ancient customs evidenced at a country wedding will disappear, the death of the jolly gravedigger strengthens Sand's initial reflection upon Holbein's ploughman. The countryside is in symbiosis with death. Eternal renewal and inevitable death are a team, hand in hand. The Devil's pool of lust and sexuality is central for them both.

[Fatema Hassan , bahrain · Rating 4 out of 5]

وحدها الصدف تقودك للأقلام الجميلة، لكن عبء الاستمرار بقربها يبقى على عاتقك وحدك، مؤخرًا استحوذت الروائية الفرنسية جورج صاند على اهتمامي حيث تتقافز كنيتها المستعارة هذه من بين روايات ومقالات كثيرة ، أحببت التعرف عليها عن قرب من خلال عمل من أعمالها، العنوان فنّي ومثير وبعيد كل البعد عن مضمون الرواية ، فلا شياطين و لا مستنقعات مائية ولا متاهة، دوامة اتخاذ القرار الصائب هي المتاهة التي سيعيشها شخصيات الرواية، حيث يتوجه جرمان الفلاح الأرمل و ماري الصبية لرحلة موحّدة للبحث عن مبتغى مختلف ، لكن رامة الشيطان حيث تعيد آجال البشر الدوران بعد تيه طويل ستكون لهما بالمرصاد

ما المثير بخصوص جورج صاند؟ شخصيتها المستقلة أو فكرها الإنتقائي؟ عشقها ل شوبان؟ صداقتها لبلزاك و غوستاف فلوبير و موسيه؟ كيف تعرفت عليهم و نمت علاقات الإعجاب رغم اختلاف الآراء و التوجهات؟
مقدمة العمل كانت رائعة جدًا بقلم الدكتور علي نجيب إبراهيم أطفأت الشيء الكثير من ظمئي للتعرف على جورج صاند، وبينت الفرق بين أسلوبها في الكتابة و أسلوب بلزاك و فلوبير، وكيف استوحت فكرة روايتها من لوحة الفنان ( هانس هولباين الابن) و هي اللوحة التي استوحى منها دوستويفسكي فكرة روايته( الأبله)، تحدثت جورج صاند في أكثر من فصل تمهيدي للرواية حول نظريتها الأدبية ، لم أملك سوى الإعجاب بفكرها و بإيمانها بقضيتها الأدبية و بتمردها، أعجبت بها والأعجاب ثروة و أنا ممن لا يتركون ثرواتهم نهب الرياح .

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Germain, a father of three children had been a widow for awhile when his father-in-law suggested he remarry. He knew a widow in a neighbouring village and would arrange things. Everything sounded good.

One day, Germain took his eldest son Petit Pierre and a new shepherd girl Petite Marie off to the farm. They unfortunately got lost in the woods and spent the night at a watering hole, known as La Mare au Diable (The Devil’s Pool). It was a bewitching night because the son was frightened, Marie helped to calm the boy while Germain was bewitched by the shepherd girl. Germain was 28; Marie was 16.

Now this may be shocking to our sensibility but not so much for the 19th century. However this is not the oddest part of the book. The book opens with the author appealing to the reader as she explains an old quatrain found under an etching of the Les Simulachres de la mort by Hans Holbein the Younger (1497-1543):

À la sueur de ton visaige
Tu gagnerais ta pauvre vie
Après long travail et usaige,
Voicy la mort qui te convie.

To the sweat of your face
You would earn your poor life
After long work and use,
Here is the death that invites you.

Isn’t this rather bleak? The book carries on as I described above. Where is the bleak part? Life is nasty, brutish and short especially for rural folk in this time period, but it seems like a romance? An intrigue at the devil’s pool. Sounds illicit?

Sand wrote the book in four days and thought the book was done in 1845. But in the following year, she decided to add four more chapters.

Why? She dedicated the book to Frederic Chopin, and when Eugene Delacroix* read the book, he was mesmerized by Petite Marie (I liked her too). Sand herself had an estate in the Loire Valley and wanted to write about the customs, language and the peoples of France. This wasn’t the first time she did this, see François le Champi (1848). The new section has fascinating material with a slender connection to the original story. Fortunately my Folio edition has sufficient notes on these changes.

Is the backstory more important than the actual story? At times a little too perplexing for me. I liked the story, devils and all.

*Refused by the Paris Salon committee of 1845, « Éducation de La vierge » was painted by Eugene Delacroix in 1842 at Sand’s estate of Nohant and offered to George Sand. Perhaps Sand was inspired by the painting to create the Marie character?


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[Ivana Books Are Magic · Rating 3 out of 5]

La mare au diable (Devil's Pool) is a pastoral novel written in a romantic style. Simple and easy to read, it is not without its charms. In particular, the descriptions of the pastoral life have something genuine and warm about them. I enjoyed the author's explanations of the country life and the characters. Devil's Pool (an actual place where characters get stuck during their travel) offers some interesting symbolic reading. The characters themselves are a bit black and white, they aren't developed in depth but are likable. The plot is simple and predictable, for most part it isn't terribly interesting as such. However, there are some really touching moments in this story, for example the way Germain cares about his children. Moreover, this is a book one can enjoy, mostly because it is written economically and sensibly. I quite enjoyed following this narrative to its end.

The novel opens up with Germain, a young widower who upon a request from his father in law considers taking a new wife. Germain is a hard worker and a good man, appreciated by his in-laws who want him to find happiness again. Germain is a sympathetic man, very devoted to his children but not used to expressing his desires or even considering them. He seems to obey his father in law in everything and even if Maurice seems like a good man, this makes Germain seem quite passive. At times a reader might feel frustrated with him, but I actually think the mental slowness and clumsiness Germain sometimes experiences makes sense in the context of his character. Germain is capable of strong emotion but not really used to thinking for himself.

At the heart of a novel is a love story featuring Germain and a quite predictable one. The love story didn't capture my heart, I guess I'm not terrible romantic that way, but on overall I did enjoy this short novel. It praises nature and the people that work the land, but not in a silly way the way some literature of the Romantic period does. It is a very traditional setting that Sand describes, a village life where people respect their elders.

Soon Germain travels to a nearby place to visit the young widow his father in law wants him to marry. He doesn't really want to remarry but sees that it can bring benefits to his family. Upon a request from her mother, Germain takes Marie (a young neighbour who is about to start her first employment) to ride with him. When his son joins them he doesn't have the heart to send the little boy away so they all ride on the mare. It must have been quite a horse to stand three people with no complains. I'm not being sarcastic, there are breeds that are quite strong, especially those really used to work the land. Still, the horse did have some complaints for he runs away, we never do learn is it because of the weight he had to carry but most probably it is just the case of being scared of new territory.

During their travel, the tree of them lose their way in the fog and surrounded by water. Marie, the poor girl, proves amazing resourceful and Germain is impressed with how well she takes care of him and his son. Used to a hard and poor life, Marie easily finds solutions to all their problems and never complains. Germain starts to have doubts about his possible future wife. Will she be as good with children? That's where the love story starts to develop. Marie (Mary) claims she doesn't see Germain in that light because he is older than her (she is only sixteen and he is twenty seven) but is she speaking from the heart or just wanting him to marry well? Will Germain have the strength to fight for his heart or will he listen to the opinions of others? Read and find out.

[Kelly_Hunsaker_reads ... · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I read that Poet Charles Baudelaire had this to say about George Sand, I knew I would in all likelihood enjoy her book.

"She is stupid, heavy and garrulous. Her ideas on morals have the same depth of judgment and delicacy of feeling as those of janitresses and kept women.... The fact that there are men who could become enamoured of this slut is indeed a proof of the abasement of the men of this generation."

I can't say that I knew the word "slut" was used in the 19th Century. But the quote proved to me that Baudelaire is not a man I would have liked, and that Sand was a woman I could admire.

Thanks to my Goodreads friend, Celia, for bringing this one into my vision. I enjoyed it very much. It was sweet and quiet and beautifully written.

[Czarny Pies · Rating 2 out of 5]

The big question about George Sand has always been how could anyone so extravagant write such dull books.

[Peiman · Rating 3 out of 5]

برکه ی شیطان برعکس اسمش که به نظر میاد داستان ترسناک باشه داستان عاشقانه است. داستان خیلی ساده نوشته شده ولی جذابیت خودش رو از دست نمیده. داستان مرد جوانی که همسرش رو از دست داده و به اصرار پدر زنش برای دیدن زنی و صحبت در مورد ازدواج با اون راهی یک روستای دیگه میشه و در مسیر به دلایلی با یکی از دختران بسیار جوان روستای خودشون هم مسیر میشه و بقیه اتفاقات...ه

[Roxane · Rating 2 out of 5]

This read was for the 2011 French Female Writers Throughout the Ages reading challenge, 19th century novel.

This novel is one of the French classics you are meant to study in school so I am not quite sure how it happened that I had to wait for Céline's reading challenge before I got around to reading it!

La Mare au Diable can be acquired in pretty much any French bookstore from your tiny local one to the big Fnac and should not cost you over two Euros. Quite a nice change from the other books I had to track down for this challenge and it's also a nice proof (if any was needed) that Amantine Aurore Lucile Dupin, aka George Sand, is a writer that has left its impact on French readers and literature.

I think many foreigners have heard of George Sand, a woman ahead of her times, if perhaps not for her literary talent, at least for her unconventional lifestyle (namely cross-dressing and extramarital affairs). In fact, I think her life is as fascinating as her fiction but that would really be the topic of another post so let's get back on track.

La Mare au Diable is a short novel, part of a series that is referred to as George Sand's "champêtre" novels, set in the countryside of her native Berry region which was dear to the author. The novel is a criticism of certain simplistic and stereotypical perception of countryside folks and clearly aims at giving a more accurate and flattering portrayal of farmers and people raised and living in rural environments. Over the course of 130 pages, George Sand depicts these people as experiencing a wide range of complex emotions, emphasizing the notions of justice and morality. It's worth mentioning that this of course ties in perfectly with George Sand's socialist views as she had very liberal political views.

The novel opens on the depiction of an engraving by Holbein and the author's reflections on the land, the balance between nature and death. The narration then zooms in on a young farmer, Germain, widower, father of three, who works hard on his father-in-law's land. Germain is a handsome fellow in his late twenties who sincerely mourns his wife, Catherine, and has so far expressed no desire to remarry. However, his father-in-law, Father Maurine, who appears as the omnipresent, god-like father figure in the novel, is always ready to strike a good deal. Father Maurice has a lady in mind, and should Germain find her to his liking, the resulting union could bring some more than welcomed assets to the family. Since Germain has no financial wealth of his own and that his three children are being raised by their aging grandmother and Catherine's sisters and sisters-in-law, he accepts to go and meet this woman, who's also a widow and who lives several kilometers away. Germain is a good natured man, quite happy to surrender to his father-in-law's keen sense of business and profit, provided the lady pleases him. He also sees how remarrying would benefit his children and release his mother-in-law and sisters-in-law of the burden of raising them. On the day prior to his departure, it is decided that Germain will also travel with sixteen year old Marie who's to start working in a farm close to where Germain is heading, as her mother and herself desperately need the money.

As they set off, events take an unexpected turn. Germain and Marie are delayed by the appearance of little Pierre, German's eldest son who is about seven years old. Little Pierre disobeyed his grandfather and run off as he was too upset at the idea of being left behind by his father. The group's progression is slowed down by the presence of this uninvited fellow and because Little Pierre soon grows hungry they stop in a tavern, adding further delay to their journey. The travelers then come across a pond and decide to stop for a rest, again on Little Pierre's account as the child now grows tired. As the boy falls asleep, Marie and Germain start chatting and the reader can only presume that the characters have reached the pond that is referred to as the devil's pool. Indeed, the landscape's changed and acquired a nearly supernatural element (veiled moon, fog, etc.). Later, as the travelers try to set off again and walk for several hours before ending up right where they'd started, at the devil's pool. As it seems best to wait for daylight before setting off again, they decide to spend the night near the pond.

Germain spends a difficult night torn between his growing feelings for Marie, which has turned out to be very resourceful during this trip, taking care of Little Pierre, all the while putting together a decent meal when all is thought lost. Witty, clever and down-to-earth Marie appears as a nothing short of a good fairy. However, Germain's feelings appear to be one-sided as he confesses his love to the young girl. The novel takes drastic turn, while during its first half, Germain's quest seemed to be dominated by reason, the second half sees his feelings taking over.

As it is later revealed, Marie is also undergoing an inner transformation although she's trying very hard not to give in to her feelings. During this trip, Marie will grow from young girl to woman. This is perhaps pure speculation on my part as I have not read nearly enough titles published around that period to properly claim this, but it certainly feels like George Sand is somewhat feminizing the traditional quest by adding Marie's perspective and personal growth to the narrative.

By the time Germain reaches his destination (he's parted ways with Marie and left Little Pierre in her care for a few hours), his quest has clearly changed and we don't expect him to find anything where he's headed. And indeed, the widow Guérin is presented as a haughty and spoiled woman who already has quite a number of suitors. Seeing this, Germain lies about his presence there, claiming he's only in town to purchase a pair of bulls for his father-in-law. I admit that while I understand the reasons why the widow has to be depicted in a negative light so as to make the reader regret Mary, I grew slightly annoyed at what Germain's held against her. The widow Guérin is lucky enough to have a second chance at life, after the death of her husband and if we assume that her first marriage was not one of love, as it was often the case, one can certainly understand why she would be taking her time this time around, exploring all of her options. But all these reasons do not seem to make it in Germain's reflection as all his thoughts are bent towards Marie as he keeps opposing Marie's simple manners to the widow Guérin's fake sophistication.

Meanwhile, Marie is experiencing some trouble of her own. Still accompanied by Little Pierre, Marie soon flees her new employer, who clearly had other things on his mind when he hired her and who's portrayed as the devil himself. The little group is reunited again at the pond, although Marie's employer has followed them. If he is the devil, Marie appears as the Virgin and Germain as the figure of Saint George. His confrontation between the two men feels like the reenactment of the mythical between Saint George and the dragon. This marks the social elevation of Germain's character and also coincides with Marie's realization of her feelings for Germain which she'll admit at the end of the novel. At any rate, Saint George is a strong figure in rural folklore, especially for George Sand as she's taken on his name.

An old lady also makes an appearance, her description will inevitably remind the reader of that of a witch but she's the one to name the pond and explain that none will find their way away from it at night.

Once they find their way home safely, despite social obstacles, Marie and Germain find their way to one another. Thanks to Little Pierre's intervention (who on more than one occasion seems to stand for divine intervention with his angelic features) and thanks to Germain's father-in-law's kindness and understanding, their marriage is celebrated by the entire village.

La Mare au Diable includes a strange mix of pagan ideology (witches, fairies and supernatural setting) and Christian elements. In many ways, it's an idealized depiction of farmers but a very liberal one nevertheless considering the fact it was written in 1846. It's social aim is clear, so is its spiritual and mystical aim, with its strong focus on morality and pious values, and its romantic sensibility that implies that an individual can be at one with nature.

[P.E. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dans le Berry, autour de 1830, le jeune veuf Germain est enjoint par sa belle-famille à prendre femme pour s'occuper des enfants de sa première union et assurer la bonne tenue des affaires de la maisonnée. Accompagné de la petite voisine Marie, il se met en route pour faire sa cour à la candidate que lui désigne son beau-père : la Catherine, elle-même veuve, sans enfants, mais « qui a du bien »...

Pour mon compte, je n'ai pas été spécialement charmé par les descriptions du travail harassant des animaux, ni par les scènes de calculs et de roublardises paysannes, pas même par la peinture d'un passé berrichon idéal, peuplé d'habitants aux mœurs champêtres et authentiques à la façon de l'homme naturel de Rousseau. Par contre, je retiens un chapitre prenant, autour de la fameuse mare au Diable, où le fantastique s'en mêle, et un tableau cocasse lors duquel Germain, rendu chez la veuve, y découvre trois autres prétendants qu'elle fait languir et avec lesquels elle plastronne et se fait reluire par toute la ville :)


Une citation du chapitre d'ouverture :

« Nous croyons que la mission de l'art est une mission de sentiment et d'amour, que le roman d'aujourd'hui devrait remplacer la parabole et l'apologue des temps naïfs, et que l'artiste a une tâche plus large et plus poétique que celle de proposer quelques mesures de prudence et de conciliation pour atténuer l'effroi qu'inspirent ses peintures. Son but devrait être de faire aimer les objets de sa sollicitude, et au besoin, je ne lui ferais pas reproche de les embellir un peu. L'art n'est pas une étude de la réalité positive ; c'est une recherche de la vérité idéale, et Le Vicaire de Wakefield fut un livre plus utile et plus sain à l'âme que Le Paysan perverti et Les Liaisons dangereuses. »
- p.29

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strikes a slightly odd note between fairytale and a record of the poetic side of rural life. I didn't feel that any of the characters were really given a chance to come alive. There's a lot of expositional dialogue: "'Germaine ... you really must make up your mind about finding a new wife. You've been a widower for two years since you lost my daughter, and your son is seven. You're coming up to thirty, my lad, and you know that once you've passed that age, round these parts, a man is considered too old to start a new household. You have three lovely children, and up until now they've been no bother to us. My wife and my daughter-in-law have looked after them as best they could, and ..." blah, blah, blah. It all seemed to get in the way.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an easy read, and the story was interesting enough to keep me turning pages. But overall it was just OK. And I don't really understand how the title fits into the overall significance of the story.

[Celia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fell in love with this book immediately upon starting.

In her Introduction 'Author to the Reader', Sand describes a painting by Hans Holbein the Younger. I knew I was in for a treat when I thought that this story would be based on that picture. At the very least, I became familiar with the picture and the inscription beneath it:

"In toil and sorrow thou shalt eat The bitter bread of poverty. After the burden and the heat, Lo! it is Death who calls for thee."

As Sand continues to state:

"I have allowed myself to be drawn into this digression for the sake of a laborer; and it is the story of a laborer which I have been meaning to tell you, and which I shall now tell you at once."

The Story
Sand espies the skilled husbandman, Germain, as he plows a field. Germain is a widower with three children. His inlaws care for the children, but inform Germain they would wish him to find a wife to care for them because with their own responsibilities, they will no longer be able to do it. Germain is sad, but follows his father-in-laws wishes. He sets out to the home of a widow who is entertaining thoughts of re-marriage. Germain takes along with him, a young neighbor girl who will be taking on a new job as a shepherdess at a farm near the widow's. Need I say more? A conflict of emotions will surely enter into the picture.

The Appendix
Is a wealth of information on the cultural aspects of marriage in France during this time period.

Impressions
I had read Indiana by Sand and was not that impressed. This little story was a complete surprise. Very tenderly written, it describes love in its innocent stage. At 90 pages, a short read and very entertaining.

5 stars

[Elizabeth (Alaska) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick little read.

The book is divided into three parts: Introduction from the author; a story that is somewhat of a parable or fairy tale; appendices that provide information about rural life.

The introduction is a commentary on painting of a ploughman, in which a devil dances waiting for the ploughman's death. Using this, Sand complains that too much of literature is religious, and that it should be about love.

The story is a love story as can be expected and the outcome very predictable. I suspect Sand didn't think we couldn't see that predictable ending.

If you are interested in family history, and have family who lived in the provinces of France 200 or more years ago, the appendices are essential reading. They describe wedding traditions and I found them very interesting even though my family is not from that area.

[Alberony Martínez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aurora Dupin, quien tras bastidores era mejor conocida como George Sand, desde muy joven demostró su pedigrí, gracias a su educación. Una escritora inconforme, inteligente, creativa, conocedora de la música, la pintura y sobre todo, de la literatura dejo en su haber numerosas novelas y obras de teatros. Entre muchos de sus escritos esta novela dedicada a Chopin, La Charca del Diablo, La piscina del Diablo o El estanque del Diablo, haciendo referencia a un lugar en el cual las tinieblas hacia imposible seguir a los viajantes, pues en la noche era frecuente el extravío de estos.

Germain, que ha enviudado unos años atrás, y obligado por el padre Maurice, el padre de la esposa fallecida, Catherine Leonard, de Germain, se dispone a regañadientes a buscar una nueva esposa para cuidar de sus hijos, una mujer madura. Marie, en cuanto a ella, va a trabajar como pastora en la granja de los Ormeaux, lejos de su familia y la vez la cuida de los hijos de Germain. Ambos están tristes por el destino que les espera. Petit Pierre, el hijo mayor de Germain, es el único que se siente confiado y feliz de vivir. La charca del Diablo fue el justo lugar de la declaraciones de amor de Germain y de la negación absoluta de la joven Marie.

Una pequeña novela sin muchas complicaciones, donde el tema del matrimonio se pasea por todas sus páginas, donde los criterios apreciativos de una relación están marcado por la longitud de las edades, un personaje con veintiocho años pone sus ojos en la joven, y esto ya es motivo para ser juzgado por la sociedad. Recordemos que Germain se alista para buscar una esposa de acorde a su edad, pero el conocimiento de aquella esposa se desvanece tras ese largo viaje cambiando su objetivo por la compra de ganado, se dio cuenta que nada tenia que buscar donde había tantos jóvenes detrás de la misma mujer. También trata las costumbres se que se llevaban a cabo tras un casamiento como la ceremonia de la librea es el símbolo de la toma de posesión del corazón y del hogar de la novia, la ceremonia de la col es el símbolo de la fertilidad del himen, las funciones del jardinero y la jardinera en relación a la col.

[Floflyy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Je pensais que le récit se concentrerait principalement sur les scènes de mariage et que l'on serait dans un contexte un poil plus contemporain.

Une fois plongé dans ce voyage qui dure le temps d'un weekend, d'un village à un autre, les pages défilent. Nous suivons ce jeune veuf allant chercher une nouvelle épouse qu'il ne connait guère et pour laquelle il n'a pas d'avis.

Mais sur sa route se trouve une autre femme, et la Mare au Diable qui viendra tout bousculer le temps d'une nuit de campement presque mystique.

Cela se rapproche de ce que j'aime chez Giono: une ruralité magique, un folklore de nos régions a faire pâlir le JT de feu Jean Pierre Pernaut, un reportage du dimanche chez Mamie.

[Helynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

By the 1840s, George Sand's novel-writing career had progressed beyond her decade-long "anti-matriomonial" period, and she began to write (among many other projects) some more upbeat and happy love stories about the peasants of her native Berry region in central France. La Mare au Diable or The Devil's Pool is probably the best known of her popular trio of "pastoral novels" that includes La Petite Fadette and Francois le Champi.Again, Sand shows her respect for the working peasants of her area, and sees great dignity in the hard, agricultural work they were forced to do for day-to-day survival. The hero of this story is a hard-working widowed farmer, Germain, who is nearly 30, handsome, and in need of a wife to help out with his three motherless children. His late wife's parents encourage the reluctant Germain to travel to the next town to meet a rich widow, whom they hope he will court and marry. As he sets out, a neighbor asks Germain to take along her 16-year-old daughter Marie, who is headed for a new job at a nearby farm. Germain's nine-year-old son insists on going along as well. As one can guess, Marie begins to enchant Germain, especially as the trio becomes lost in the forest, and must stop for the night beside the "devil's pool," where local folklore kicks in, and the mist, fog, and local sprites appear to fill Germain's head with a love he hasn't known in a long time. Unfortunately, Marie believes her duty is to her mother, and Germain's to his presumed future wife, and . . . This is a sweet story with a happy ending, and Sand proves in this book that she is just as capable of telling happy love stories as she is of creating sad, cautionary tales about how her society portends misery for the married woman.

[Markus · Rating 4 out of 5]

La Mare au Diable
George Sand née Aurore Dupin (1804 – 1876)
Voilà un petit roman d’amour romantique, campagnard.
La mare ensorcelé ne joue qu’un petit rôle dans ce récit, par contre le mariage avec les nombreuses traditions anciens attachés est longuement développé, un peu trop peut-être.
Pour les amoureux des romans champêtres de George Sand.

[El Bibliófilo · Rating 4 out of 5]

My comments in video: https://youtu.be/emSKhosZMqI


Romantic rebellion.
I liked finding in this work some relationships with other readings. Especially all the exaltation of the bucolic, of the pastoral, of everything that is tenderly loving that the rural presents to us. I especially liked it for the initial digression that gives philosophical depth to the work; and for the life story of the author, where the rebellion that her story transmits is confirmed, since it highlights the good from the bad, the bad from the good, and all the nuances that reality offers, adorned in this case, of evocative landscapes and spontaneous poets that we can find in everyday life.
I invite you to let yourself be bathed in a luxurious space of reflection in the waters of the pond.
PS: I liked finding an example for the conjecture I launched regarding Lazarillo de Tormes.
I await your comments.

Rebeldía romántica.
Me gustó encontrar en esta obra unas relaciones con otras lecturas. Especialmente toda la exaltación de lo bucólico, de lo pastoril, de todo lo tiernamente amoroso que nos presenta lo rural. Me gustó especialmente por la digresión inicial que dota de profundidad filosófica a la obra; y por la historia de vida de la autora, donde se constata la rebeldía que transmite su historia, puesto que nos destaca lo bueno de lo malo, lo malo de lo bueno, y todos los matices que ofrece la realidad, adornado en este caso, de paisajes evocadores y poetas espontáneos que podemos encontrar en el día a día.
Los invito a dejarse bañar por un espacio de reflexión lujoso en las aguas de la charca.
PD: Me gustó encontrar un ejemplo para la conjetura que lancé con respecto al Lazarillo de Tormes.
Espero sus comentarios.

[Fabrice Del Dongo · Rating 4 out of 5]

l'écriture mmm un ptit bonbon j'ai eu l'impression de lire un tableau de Millet

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, it was short and that's something positive I can report. Read in English.

[Noah Goats · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella could not be more simple. It's about a young widower who travels to another town to meet a potential wife. A poor local woman asks him to bring her daughter with him on this trip, as the girl is hoping to find work. They get lost in the fog and spend the night by the titular "mare au diable" and the widower falls, of course, in love with the girl. Sand has written a lovely little story, sweet and innocent. Sand draws her peasant characters with affection and I liked them as much as she clearly did. By today's standards it feels a bit creepy that he's 28 while she's only 16, but if you make an allowance for the times, this is a good little story. If you want some big, twisty, complicated plot, you should read something else, but if you are in the mood for something simple and well done, this may hit the mark. Also, it is very easy to read in the original French even if you're a mediocre French speaker.

[Margarida Galante · Rating 3 out of 5]

George Sand é o pseudónimo da escritora francesa Amandine Aurore Lucile Dupin. Numa época em que a literatura era feita por e destinada a homens, para que fosse aceite e respeitada como escritora, viu-se forçada a publicar sob um pseudónimo masculino.

"O Chaco do Diabo" é um pequeno romance campestre e uma das obras mais conhecidas da autora. O enredo é simples, embora pouco empolgante, e a escrita muito acessível. A autora esclarece na introdução que um dos seus objectivos com esta história é dar a conhecer os usos e costumes do campo, que já se começavam a perder. É considerado um clássico mas pareceu-me pouco intemporal.

[morena trx · Rating 3 out of 5]

toujours une ambiance très champêtre et cottagecore and i stand by that. l'histoire était simple (trop peut-être) et prévisible mais, elle reste intéressante pour comprendre l'époque de Sand. à travers ses personnages, ses décors et ses circonstances, l'autrice nous donne régulièrement son point de vue sur sa société ainsi que sur les normes établies. elle critique "l'homme de loisir" (le riche propriétaire) et fait l'éloge de "l'homme de travail". les écrits de Sand sont les premiers à percevoir et décrire la sensibilité des campagnards, que l'époque voyait surtout comme des sauvages, ou au mieux, comme des enfants incultes. d'après elle, l'homme de travail, ici le laboureur, est l'homme le plus riche, car lui seul est au contact de la nature, mais n'a pas conscience de cette chance, le rendant encore riche.

en effet, malgré sa pauvreté originelle, ainsi que la perte de sa femme, Germain se plaît dans son travail, est entouré d'une (belle-) famille le soutenant, est aimé de ses enfants et voisins, et finit par se marier avec une femme plus jeune que lui.

chose qui m'a énervé tout le long du roman : son attitude envers elle. it's giving le pick me/nice boy et j'ai détesté. laisse la girl tranquille !

malgré tout, j'aime tant Sand que ses idées politiques et sociétales me font oublier ce personnage détestable d'après moi.

[MJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

With a title like “The Devil’s Pool,” I have to admit I was expecting a story that was a little, well, creepier. Especially when one summary stated, in substance, that Germain is seen as an old guy at nearly thirty, respectable, who would never! make a move on a 16 year old farm girl he is escorting to her place as a shepherdess.

Ah, well. That is what I get when I get caught up in expectations. George Sand was such a boundary pusher in her personal life, I thought maybe she would reveal this lecherous older dude as you know, inappropriate and creepy and rape-y. Ha!

The novella is roughly divided into three parts. The first is a bit of a framing story. Second is the substantive widower-falls-for-young-girl tale. Lastly, there is almost an anthropological examination of the wedding traditions of French peasants, as seen through the actions of our happy couple.

More on the blog: Wandering in the Stacks

[Richard Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this simple story about simple people, so in that sense I think that Sand achieved the goal that she states in the introduction. It certainly isn't fully realistic and there isn't much of a plot, but since the intent was to portray the simple beauty and charm of country life without dwelling on its hard side, I don't think that it is fair to criticize the story for simplicity or lack of realism. The central part of the story is a journey that the main characters take together, and where they become briefly lost in the woods. The description of the trip through the beautiful countryside and the increasing tension as the characters realize that they are lost was quite effective and made me feel that I was there with them. This was the first book that I have read by Sand, and I was drawn in enough to go back for more.

[Sara Jesus · Rating 4 out of 5]

É a segunda novela pastoral que leio de George Sand, e continuo rendida as suas descrições da natureza campestre e a vida simples dos camponeses. Apesar do enredo desta singela história ser bastante simples, a escritora nos cativa com a honestidade de Germain e a bondade de Maria. Assim como não se resiste a doçura do pequeno Pierre.
A novela inclui um capítulo á posteriori que narra os costumes de um casamento de casamento pastoral. Achei engraçados alguns costumes, como o dos vizinhos "defender" a casa dos noivos.

Estes livros homenageando a vida no campo são deliciosos de ler. Relembram os meus tempos de adolescente lendo os livros de Júlio Dinis, enquanto ouvia os passarinhos cantando. George Sand é uma escritora para continuar explorar, talvez para a próxima leia um dos seus livros que incidem mais na sua vida romântica.

[Kenneth Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like the work of the Brontes, Sand's work chronicles the social, geographical, and other transformations of life in peasant France, including the rapid destruction of local ways of life, due to the onset of early modernity and merchant capitalism. It is simultaneously a paen for lost worlds, a celebration of the freedom wrought by modernity, especially for women-- and a deep questioning, of the value of these changes.
As much as the Brontes are often misread and not read as serious thinkers, this little volume is a often overlooked major work.

[Skip · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great view of tiny village life in France. It is about what people do, feel think, what they daily cope with, in such a place. It is also a story of love's anguish. The best part of the book is the wedding and the culture surrounding weddings in France. I immensely enjoyed this book. One of the great things an outstanding fiction writer such as Sand can do, is to put you right at the scene, the place, the feeling, bringing the reader to a place otherwise never experienced.

[Rúben Santos · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.3 ⭐️
Uma obra simples e singela tal como a autora refere na introdução que seria esse o seu objectivo e o de dar a conhecer os costumes campestres daquela região. O enredo fraquito, a descrição dos costumes e escrita escorreita bons. Sofre o desgaste do tempo, com um carácter muito católico (tal como a autora), e presente a misoginia e machismo típicos do pensamento da época (e da autora como se pode ver pela introdução 🤦🏻). Não achei perda de tempo, mas para clássico é fraquinho.