The Love Affair as a Work of Art

January 29, 1996
Many French literary figures of the 19th century thought of the love affair as an art form, yet as this deliciously gossipy study reveals, lovers' shared dreams often did not jibe with messy reality. George Sand agonized at being caught up in a triangle with poet-playwright Alfred de Musset, with whom she pursued a quest for erotic knowledge, and young Venetian physician Pietro Pagello. Madame Juliette Recamier, who ran a celebrated Parisian salon, harbored deep mistrust of her lover, Fran ois-Rene de Chateaubriand, a relentless climber who turned to her for help (when they were platonic friends) after he was expelled from his post as cabinet minister by Louis XVIII. Melancholy novelist Benjamin Constant argued to the point of mutual hatred with his mistress, Madame Germaine de Stael, who persuaded him to sign a document declaring his obligation to love her exclusively. Also discussed are Anatole France's stormy extramarital affair with salon-keeper Leontine Arman de Caillavet, and Marcel Proust's unrequited passion for Jeanne Pouquet, who served as the model for the character Gilberte Swann in Remembrance of Things Past. Quoting freely from lovers' letters, diaries and memoirs, Hofstadter's (Goldberg's Angel) irresistible, highly perceptive group portrait is a delight.