Reanimating Literary House Museums in France: The Homes and Haunts of George Sand and Honoré de Balzac
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2021
Journal / Book Title
Revisiting the Past in Museums and at Historic Sites
Abstract
Literary house museums occupy a complex position in the international heritage industry. Curators must strike a balance between commemorating the immaterial nature of individual writers’ work while preserving their material archives, thus “freezing” some aspects of history while “unfreezing” others. This chapter focuses on the creative techniques employed at the Maison de George Sand, located deep in central France (Nohant-Vic), by comparing its displays to those of the Paris-based Maison de Balzac and Musée de la vie romantique. At each site, stakeholders have developed different strategies for addressing the frequently incompatible mission of commemorating the past, celebrating an individual’s cultural accomplishments, preserving architectural elements, and making all three relevant to modern audiences no longer familiar with the literature whose excellence once prompted the preservation of these historic homes.
DOI
10.4324/9781003147695
Book Publisher
Routledge
Journal ISSN / Book ISBN
9780367707224
Book Editor(s)
Anca Lasca, Andrew McLellan, and Änne Söll
MSU Digital Commons Citation
Emery, Elizabeth, "Reanimating Literary House Museums in France: The Homes and Haunts of George Sand and Honoré de Balzac" (2021). Department of World Languages and Cultures Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works. 67.
https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/modernlang-literatures-facpubs/67