To George Sand: A Desire & Recognition Gender Dismissal

The highly controversial pieces by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, To George Sand: A Desire and To George Sand: A Recognition, are masterfully crafted works that pay homage to the bravery of one French female novelist. These works are Browning’s recognition and admiration for a female writer who was not afraid to go against the normal societal roles for women. Browning seems to marvel at the fact that George Sand assumed a man’s name, wrote the way she preferred to, and lived her life as she saw fit, and Sand’s technique encourages Browning to do the same.

To George Sand: A Desire begins with a clear contradictory statement concerning what society holds as traditional identifiers of the two gender roles. Browning made her odd statement with authority: “Thou large-brained woman and large-hearted man, / Self-called George Sand!” (Lines 1-2). This declaration is strategically placed at the beginning of the poem, in order to convey the anti-conformity, feel of her message. Browning uses this short piece to acknowledge the obvious, incredible strength it took for a woman to write according to her preference, and stand in the fire long enough to create great literature.

The second poem about George Sand serves as a call to liberation from things that are considered womanly or feminine. Browning admires Sand’s courage to be different: “And break away the gauds and armlets worn” (Line 3). Sand has refused to take on the traditional role of a wife and mother in domestic captivity, and Browning respects and appreciates her bravery for stepping out and being a good example of a bold and fearless woman. George Sand was fixated on destroying the old-fashioned roles, and she further proved this point by assuming a masculine name. Browning identifies the true wish that Sand has: “Till God unsex thee on the heavenly shore” (Line 13). Both women believe that if gender did not exist and everyone was the same sex, then the judgment passed on Sand’s lifestyle and writings would have been far less severe.

A Desire shows that Sand had the will power to be different in a traditional society, and A Recognition shows the strength Sand had in order rise from the ashes after the world tried to burn and disappear who she was as a writer. Both works displayed the resilient nature of George Sand, and they also revealed the beautiful gift that Browning has for interesting comparisons and contrasts.

In conclusion, both poems about George Sand are Browning’s way of paying tribute to a bold and daring female writer for her risky literary genius. A Desire conveys the dismissal of what we expect gender characteristics to be, and it recognizes Sand’s plight to continue writing in a less than customary way. A Recognition depicts the falling away of womanly things, and the unsexing of Sand in order to ensure her writing is judged on a fair playing field. These works are very empowering, and Browning did an excellent job accentuating the dynamic characteristics of this valiant, French novelist.