Valentine Author:George Sand VALENTINE combines the naturalistic charm of Sand's pastoral novels with the intricate plotting and romantic idealism of her most fanciful dramas. The hero of the tale is a peasant, the heroine is an aristocrat; both are suitably engaged to people who embody the worst qualities of their respective classes. Valentine's and Benedict's secret, unwi... more »lling love, on the other hand, represents lawless purity and freedom in relations between the sexes - a natural union that can only be intolerable to the interests of family, class and property.« less