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- All Subjects: French
- Creators: Minardi, Enrico
Description
George Sand (née Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin, 1804 – 1876) was one of the most celebrated French authors of her time and remains to this day a central figure in French literary history. She produced throughout her lifetime an extraordinarily broad body of literary works, including short stories, novels, periodicals, newspaper articles, political commentaries, and even plays. One of her most well-known works, and her first novel published under her male pseudonym, was Indiana, which recounts the rise and fall of a young bourgeoise trapped in a loveless marriage, while also touching on the political climate of the age. Indiana was remarkably successful and popular when it was published and catapulted Sand to fame as she became a full-time writer who supported her family and lifestyle purely from sales of her works. The success of Indiana and many other of her works prompted a re-release of her body of works in nine volumes, titled Les Œuvres illustrées de George Sand. The volume studied in this thesis contains seventy-seven engraved illustrations of various scenes from each text. The engravings were produced by the very famous French artist and illustrator Tony Johannot with the help of Sand’s own son, Maurice Sand. Johannot was very well-known during his career and produced engravings for the biggest names in European literature such as Molière, Lord Byron, Cervantes, Goethe, Balzac, and others, including Sand.
In these books, illustrations were distributed throughout the text so the reader could visualize many of the storyline’s scenes. The authors themselves, however, did not oversee or produce these images, so it was at the discretion of the illustrator as to how each character, setting, facial expression, motif, etc. would be drawn. Sand was well-known for being avant-garde, progressive, independent, and, notably, female. Her opinions understandably clashed with many of the stereotypical views of the 19th century on many topics, particularly when it came to the treatment of women. By contrast, Johannot was a very well-respected and successful male artist with solid connections with influential publishers, who catered to a specific audience of well-off and well-educated buyers. The buyers of his works, particularly of his illustrated texts, were often parents of the upper middle class who wanted books to be used as gifts providing not only entertainment but also instruction and moral life lessons to their children. Johannot’s interpretations of Sand’s Indiana, which was considered scandalous and controversial upon its release, could therefore shift some of the most controversial aspects of the novel from what Sand originally intended. There are many reasons as to why Johannot might make certain interpretations of the text. He likely wanted to maintain his status as a successful author and please his audience, typically middle and upper middle-class, wealthy, and bourgeois literate patrons who educated themselves and their children by exposing themselves to books and works of art, as was traditional at the time. Additionally, his fundamental personal opinions as a successful business man might differ from Sand’s opinions as a female author, as traditional gendered roles and stereotypes often prevented the financial and societal independence of women.
This thesis will compare Johannot’s images created for Indiana with Sand’s original French text. In doing so, the reader can gain an understanding of how social status and personal interpretations can affect the way an artist represents a scene. Many of Johannot’s images agree with Sand, while others do not; some of the main similarities and differences will be analyzed to understand how and why such artistic differences occur.
In these books, illustrations were distributed throughout the text so the reader could visualize many of the storyline’s scenes. The authors themselves, however, did not oversee or produce these images, so it was at the discretion of the illustrator as to how each character, setting, facial expression, motif, etc. would be drawn. Sand was well-known for being avant-garde, progressive, independent, and, notably, female. Her opinions understandably clashed with many of the stereotypical views of the 19th century on many topics, particularly when it came to the treatment of women. By contrast, Johannot was a very well-respected and successful male artist with solid connections with influential publishers, who catered to a specific audience of well-off and well-educated buyers. The buyers of his works, particularly of his illustrated texts, were often parents of the upper middle class who wanted books to be used as gifts providing not only entertainment but also instruction and moral life lessons to their children. Johannot’s interpretations of Sand’s Indiana, which was considered scandalous and controversial upon its release, could therefore shift some of the most controversial aspects of the novel from what Sand originally intended. There are many reasons as to why Johannot might make certain interpretations of the text. He likely wanted to maintain his status as a successful author and please his audience, typically middle and upper middle-class, wealthy, and bourgeois literate patrons who educated themselves and their children by exposing themselves to books and works of art, as was traditional at the time. Additionally, his fundamental personal opinions as a successful business man might differ from Sand’s opinions as a female author, as traditional gendered roles and stereotypes often prevented the financial and societal independence of women.
This thesis will compare Johannot’s images created for Indiana with Sand’s original French text. In doing so, the reader can gain an understanding of how social status and personal interpretations can affect the way an artist represents a scene. Many of Johannot’s images agree with Sand, while others do not; some of the main similarities and differences will be analyzed to understand how and why such artistic differences occur.
ContributorsDebeurre, Marielle Prescott (Author) / Canovas, Frédéric (Thesis director) / Fleming, Barbara (Committee member) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor, Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette’s novel La Vagabonde about struggling 33-year-old divorcée Renée Néré has only had a handful of translations into English since its original publication in 1910. It was picked up for its first translation in the late 1950s as a result of its sensitive nature concerning female sexuality and patriarchal oppression of the physical and mental female sphere. Due to the bowdlerized and outdated language of previous English interpretations of the novel, I set forth to create a new translation that would convey the complex simplicity of Colette’s words and the ever-relevant themes of the novel that may have been overlooked in the past. Although Colette’s diction is simple, her poetic use of grammar, focused rhetoric, and poignant insights into the female experience are deceptively intricate.
In this introduction, I discuss the methodology used while translating the novel and a few of the linguistic, semantic, and cultural problems I encountered while working on this new annotated translation. I also explain the cultural and literary context of popular novels during the fin-de-siècle that helped create motifs and themes that Colette later inverses in the novel. Colette reverses the narrative of the male spectator sitting in the dark theatre, eyes fixed on the desirable form of the female performer. Instead, Renée observes those in her life reversing the male gaze in onto itself.
Despite the meticulousness of the translator, each translation remains only an interpretation of the original text. From hunting motifs to the socio-economic role of diction in class structure during La Belle Époque, I discuss the specific diction Colette uses to show Renée’s dissociation of self and internalized misogyny in her stream-of-consciousness narration.
Following the introduction is seventy-nine pages of the new translation with annotations on certain cultural and linguistic peculiarities unique to French culture and language.
In this introduction, I discuss the methodology used while translating the novel and a few of the linguistic, semantic, and cultural problems I encountered while working on this new annotated translation. I also explain the cultural and literary context of popular novels during the fin-de-siècle that helped create motifs and themes that Colette later inverses in the novel. Colette reverses the narrative of the male spectator sitting in the dark theatre, eyes fixed on the desirable form of the female performer. Instead, Renée observes those in her life reversing the male gaze in onto itself.
Despite the meticulousness of the translator, each translation remains only an interpretation of the original text. From hunting motifs to the socio-economic role of diction in class structure during La Belle Époque, I discuss the specific diction Colette uses to show Renée’s dissociation of self and internalized misogyny in her stream-of-consciousness narration.
Following the introduction is seventy-nine pages of the new translation with annotations on certain cultural and linguistic peculiarities unique to French culture and language.
ContributorsDitto, Shannon Jule Campbell (Author) / Canovas, Frédéric (Thesis director) / Minardi, Enrico (Committee member) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-12
Description
I have created a website for the Arizona State University French department. This website is designed to market the French program with the ultimate goal of increasing enrollment.
ContributorsDepp, Marielle (Author) / Bahtchevanova, Mariana (Thesis director) / Minardi, Enrico (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor)
Created2023-05