Passage Text -
Though he left us with numerous great works and, to be sure, is widely
regarded as America's first internationally renowned author, Washington
Irving's sometimes enigmatic tendencies and techniques have left literary
critiques and academics to ponder his motives more than 140 years after
his death. One such trait that raises the proverbial eyebrow of the
community of readers and critiques is Irving's repeated, and varied, use
of pseudonyms throughout his career.
One of the most well-known female writers to adopt a pen name was
George Sand, born Aurore Dupin in 1804, who became one of the most
prolific and admired French authors - female or male - during the
nineteenth century. The true identity of George Sand did not remain a
secret for long, for after 1830 the author used this name in her everydaylife,
and close friends commonly referred to her as "•George."–
Most portraits of the author as an adult are entitled simply George
Sand and make no reference to her given name. Her son, too, adopted
this new last name even though association with his famous authormother
did not bring him any obvious benefits, other than to indicate that
his relationship with his mother was closer than that of his sister. Given
that the name "•George Sand"– is radically different from Aurore Dupin's
birth name, many readers have wondered how the author formulated her
masculine pen name.
At least two possible answers spring to mind. The first, as indicated in
Curtis Cate's biography George Sand, is that the idea for this pseudonym
arose from a collaboration with her first lover, Jules Sandeau, with whom
she co-authored several articles as well as a full-length novel entitled
Rose et Blanche. Since her own literary output was a great success in the
1830s-1850s, she quickly became known by this name, and began to use
her pen-name on a daily basis.
By continuing to use the name initially assigned to collaborative
writings with her lover, perhaps Aurore hoped to maintain her connection
to Sandeau. Perhaps she fondly remembered their time together and
wished to have a permanent reminder of their relationship. Or perhaps
she simply realized that it would be much more expedient to continue to
write under a name which was already familiar to her audience thanks to
the joint works she and Sandeau had published.
Given that George Sand began writing under this masculine name at
around the same time as she began to roam around Paris in pants and a
jacket - typically male clothing - it is not hard to understand why she
chose a masculine pseudonym, since, like her choice of clothes, this male
identity gave her more freedom of expression, both literally and
figuratively. Writing under a false name allowed her to distance parts of
her character - her roles as wife, mother, and lover - from the creative
and literary parts that formed the basis for her role as an author. Using a
male name set her apart and added to her persona as an unusual and
fascinating woman. And in the end, the reason why she chose this
particular pen-name is not nearly as important as the vast quantity of
writing - articles, letters, novels, plays - that forms her legacy to the
field of French literature.
Que -
According to the passage, the following were all possible reasons for George
Sand to create a pseudonym EXCEPT:
A. she began publishing collaborative works with Jules Sandeau.
B. her new name reflected important parts of her life.
C. she was not able to publish any works under her own given name.
D. the works published under her pen name sold well.
E. the male identity gave her greater freedom of expression
[spoiler]OA is C. I failed to understand how answer choice B is one of the possible reasons for George Sand to create a pseudonym. How is answer choice B a valid reason? can someone please clarify it for me?[/spoiler]
Though he left us with numerous great works and, to be sure, is widely
regarded as America's first internationally renowned author, Washington
Irving's sometimes enigmatic tendencies and techniques have left literary
critiques and academics to ponder his motives more than 140 years after
his death. One such trait that raises the proverbial eyebrow of the
community of readers and critiques is Irving's repeated, and varied, use
of pseudonyms throughout his career.
One of the most well-known female writers to adopt a pen name was
George Sand, born Aurore Dupin in 1804, who became one of the most
prolific and admired French authors - female or male - during the
nineteenth century. The true identity of George Sand did not remain a
secret for long, for after 1830 the author used this name in her everydaylife,
and close friends commonly referred to her as "•George."–
Most portraits of the author as an adult are entitled simply George
Sand and make no reference to her given name. Her son, too, adopted
this new last name even though association with his famous authormother
did not bring him any obvious benefits, other than to indicate that
his relationship with his mother was closer than that of his sister. Given
that the name "•George Sand"– is radically different from Aurore Dupin's
birth name, many readers have wondered how the author formulated her
masculine pen name.
At least two possible answers spring to mind. The first, as indicated in
Curtis Cate's biography George Sand, is that the idea for this pseudonym
arose from a collaboration with her first lover, Jules Sandeau, with whom
she co-authored several articles as well as a full-length novel entitled
Rose et Blanche. Since her own literary output was a great success in the
1830s-1850s, she quickly became known by this name, and began to use
her pen-name on a daily basis.
By continuing to use the name initially assigned to collaborative
writings with her lover, perhaps Aurore hoped to maintain her connection
to Sandeau. Perhaps she fondly remembered their time together and
wished to have a permanent reminder of their relationship. Or perhaps
she simply realized that it would be much more expedient to continue to
write under a name which was already familiar to her audience thanks to
the joint works she and Sandeau had published.
Given that George Sand began writing under this masculine name at
around the same time as she began to roam around Paris in pants and a
jacket - typically male clothing - it is not hard to understand why she
chose a masculine pseudonym, since, like her choice of clothes, this male
identity gave her more freedom of expression, both literally and
figuratively. Writing under a false name allowed her to distance parts of
her character - her roles as wife, mother, and lover - from the creative
and literary parts that formed the basis for her role as an author. Using a
male name set her apart and added to her persona as an unusual and
fascinating woman. And in the end, the reason why she chose this
particular pen-name is not nearly as important as the vast quantity of
writing - articles, letters, novels, plays - that forms her legacy to the
field of French literature.
Que -
According to the passage, the following were all possible reasons for George
Sand to create a pseudonym EXCEPT:
A. she began publishing collaborative works with Jules Sandeau.
B. her new name reflected important parts of her life.
C. she was not able to publish any works under her own given name.
D. the works published under her pen name sold well.
E. the male identity gave her greater freedom of expression
[spoiler]OA is C. I failed to understand how answer choice B is one of the possible reasons for George Sand to create a pseudonym. How is answer choice B a valid reason? can someone please clarify it for me?[/spoiler]
