The Letters of George Henry Lewes, Vol. III, with New George Eliot Letters ed. by William Baker (review)

Abstract

with Chateaubriand was so intimate that when she published portions of it in her autobiography, it caused a sensation in the French literaryworld, provoking Barbey d'Aurevilly to attack her personally for revealing that the revered author ofLe Génie du christianisme had feet of clay. (Barbey's villification ofAllan led her son Marcus to challenge the latter to a duel, but readers will have to read Hansen's book to learn of the outcome of this bizarre affair.) Suffice it to say that Allan lived an exceedingly rich life, full ofcontroversy and adventure, and died well satisfied that it had been worthwhile. In a letter written late in life to Sainte-Beuve, she affirmed: "Sije rencontrais sur mon chemin unefilU délicate, spirituelle etforte, je lui dirais de faire commej'aifait, de suivre nobUment la nature" (261). Hansen's book convinces one that Hortense Allan was a significant figure in nineteenth-century French literary history. There can be no question that she deserves to be better known today, both as an early crusader for French women's rights, and as a writer and thinker who knew and interacted with some of the most important authors of her time. It is certainly to be hoped that more studies will be made of this remarkable woman.