All these George Sand projects have come to life and flourished during the tenure
of Hofstra University's president, Dr. James M. Shuart, and to him we all owe our
deepest gratitude.

Our editorial tasks were made lighter by the special talents of Edwin L. Dunbaugh,
professor of History, and Alexej Ugrinsky, codirector of the Hofstra Cultural
Center and adjunct assistant professor of German.

It saddens us to announce that since our last George Sand publication ( 1982),
three of the Hofstra University founding members of the Friends of George Sand
have died: Joseph G. Astman, professor of Comparative Literature and Languages
and director of the Hofstra Cultural Center; Frank S. Lambasa, professor of
Comparative Literature and Languages; and William S. Shiver, associate professor
of French. Professor Joseph Astman was not only a charter member of the Friends
of George Sand but also the founder of the Hofstra Cultural Center. It is his vision
of interdisciplinary and intercultural inquiry that continues to inspire the programs
created by the Center. Professors Frank Lambasa and William Shiver were also
instrumental in the founding of the Friends of George Sand and were key figures
in shaping the scholarly and philosophical goals of our organization; they also
served as editors of previous conference proceedings. We cannot close without
recognizing the work and influence of the late Professor Henri Peyre, whom we
wish to honor as well. His contributions to Sand studies are too numerous to list
here, but we shall always be grateful that he so generously lent the prestige of his
international reputation to our undertaking. It is to these four distinguished scholars
that we dedicate this volume.

The publication of these proceedings has been made possible by
a generous grant from the French Cultural Services of the
French Embassy in the United States. We are deeply grateful for
the continuing support the French Cultural Services has shown
the Friends of George Sand since its inception in 1976.

The Editors
Natalie Datlof
David A. Powell
Jeanne Fuchs

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