"There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved…"

GEORGE SAND (1804–1876) was the pseudonym of the French novelist and feminist Amantine-Lucile-Aurore Dupin, later Baroness Dudevant. Born Amantine Lucile Aurore, Sand was a prolific author of plays, short stories, and romance novels. She was linked romantically with Alfred de Musset Franz Liszt and Frédéric Chopin whom she had met in Paris. Later in life, she corresponded with Gustave Flaubert; despite their obvious differences in temperament and aesthetic preference they eventually became close friends. The romance novel, as conceived by her is one in which love conquers all, overcoming all barriers, including those of social class. Two lovers face insurmountable obstacles which must be overcome in order to become one. The popularity of her romance novels in particular played a role in the development of "romantic love" as the basis for marriage in Western culture.