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Joan of Arc: By Herself and Her Witnesses

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Joan of Arc by Herself and Her Witnesses

Regine PERNOUD, _Joan of Arc by Herself and Her Witnesses_. Translated by Edward Hyams. Lanham, MD: Scarborough House 1994 (reissue of 1964 original). 287 pp., with index and plates. ISBN: 0-8128-1260-3 (pb).

This book is a biographical monograph by French Joan of Arc specialist Regine Pernoud. She first published it in 1964 and it has remained in print since then. The book opens with a background-setting introduction describing the geopolitical realities of royal succession in France in the late 14th and early 15th centuries, national division through civil war, and the contending forces and their allies. Nine substantial chapters comprise the main text. They cover JoanŐs early years (chapter 1); her vision and quest (chapter 2); her meeting with Dauphin Charles VII and the aftermath (chapter 3); her military campaigns (beginning with the crucial battle that lifted the English/Burgundian siege of Orleans, and concluding with CharlesŐ coronation at Rheims, chapters 4-6); her politico-religious trial of condemnation (ch. 7), her execution by fire (ch. 8); and her posthumous trial of rehabilitation (ch. 9).

The authorŐs narrative method is to present JoanŐs life and the events she inspired and lived through using extracts of testimony from her trials of condemnation and rehabilitation and from other primary sources (examples are: letters, journals and account books). Pernoud proposes on page 8 to Ò...let the historic documents themselves make answerÓ to questions about Joan, what she did and what was done to her. By this method, Joan is made to speak directly to readers. Pernoud, however, does not simply assemble a catalogue of quotations, but adroitly interleaves direct speech with narrative that pairs what is said with cultural interpretation. She thus avoids the problem of leaving untutored readers without indices to the religious, political and military context that imbue JoanŐs story with its fascination. However, Pernoud chose wisely to minimize analysis and to allow the story to unfold primarily from the documents. She invites readers to judge Joan themselves.

Pernoud appends a brief but valuable commentary to each chapter. These commentaries provide more background about events and discuss contentious arguments in the study of JoanŐs life. For example, Pernoud disposes handily of the idea that Joan was an illegitimate daughter of royalty who had been spirited away to safe haven as a child, triumphantly emerging to rescue the nation (pp. 66-9 and thereafter). Pernoud also provides incisive remarks on the provenance, dating and validity of the documentary evidence in these commentaries.

A sample extract from JoanŐs trial of condemnation offers insights into her beliefs and personality (pp. 174-75). Joan responds to interrogator Jean de La Fontaine (March 17, 1431):

La Fontaine: Do you know whether Saints Catherine and Margaret hate the English?

Joan: They love that which God loves and hate that which God hates.

La Fontaine: Does God hate the English?

Joan: Of the love or hate which God has for the English and of what He does to their souls, I know nothing; but well I know that they will be driven out of France, excepting those who will die there, and that God will send victory to the French over the English.

La Fontaine: Was God for the English when their cause was prospering in France?

Joan: I know not if God hated the French, but I believe that it was His will to let them be stricken for their sins if there were sins among them.

La Fontaine: What guarantee and what succour do you expect from God for your wearing of manŐs clothes?

Joan: For the clothes as for the other things I have done, I expect no other recompense than the salvation of my soul.

I do not read French and so cannot comment on the accuracy of Edward HyamsŐ translation. But, he did receive the 1965 Scott-Moncrieff Translation Prize for this work. Hyams rendered the transcripts in a style that unmistakably is not modern English. Antique grammatical constructions abound. These aspects of the translation provide much of the savor in the text.

This book is well worth reading and thinking about. Its special value is that Pernoud presents a view of Joan that personalizes her without analyzing her. Although an authorŐs point of view and the material selected necessarily influence how readers perceive the subject, PernoudŐs method here is more transparent than others she could have chosen. A _Saturday Review_ article stated ÒOne feels closer to Joan in these pages than in any other of the modern biographies...Ó when the book was first published; this quote is from a cover blurb and does not overstate the case. One caveat about reading this volume is necessary. It is that readers untutored in the history of the period will need to consult other sources to understand the times and the importance of what Joan accomplished in life and death.

Last is an idea for two interesting projects. Reading this work together with Carlo GinzburgŐs _The Cheese and the Worms; The Cosmos of a Sixteenth-Century Miller_ (1992) and Jonathan SpenceŐs _GodŐs Chinese Son; The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan_ (1996) would provide superb material for cross-cultural comparisons of three religious visionaries. Second, these same books would provide material for comparing three anthropological approaches to history by scholars who have mastered their craft.

People who don't study history at the university level rarely get to glimpse how professional historians work. Regine Pernoud offers a superb example here.

Each chapter begins with a short essay describing the major debates about some aspect of Joan of Arc's life, followed by excerpts from original sources. Pernoud invites the reader to reach his or her own conclusions. The material is well chosen and Pernoud's overviews are balanced. The result is a truly challenging experience--about as close as the average person can come to meeting the real Joan of Arc.

Only those who demand a straightforward narrative will find this approach disappointing. The available material does place a few limitations on the work. Only topics with ample original sources get coverage here, so readers will learn much more about Joan of Arc's trial than about her military career. Pernoud also chooses to paraphrase later historical interpretations, so readers won't encounter these controversies directly. These drawbacks are minor and probably unavoidable in a short work intended for a popular audience.

This innovative little book may be the best single volume in history for the general reader.

Regine Pernoud is an expert on Joan of Arc, and makes you feel almost like YOU know her too. I laughed. I cried. The telling of the story from Joan's own words and the testimony of those who knew her puts this book on the top of my list.

I liked it better than Pernoud's book, "Joan of Arc: Her Story," but it's not quite as comprehensive. Both are excellent books, but I rate this title a little higher.

If you really want to feel like you walked with Joan, read Mark Twain's fictional diary, "Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc," told from the point of view of her childhood friend-later-scribe. One of the greatest reads of my life! A Book that really changed my perspective on a lot of things.

I found this book at a used store in hardback and since I did not know much about her other than the school lessons I decided to give it a try. I guess by nature I am a skeptic, but in reading this book I feel very sure that St. Joan was empowered from God. I think the author did a wonderful job of just staying out of it. The book was well put together and free of his opinions on the matter, he let St. Joan speak. I was lucky enough to find an early edition in excellent shape and this has become my favorite non-fiction book. Give this a book a chance it will reward you in many ways.

This book by St. Joan's most celebrated Biographer, is a much more linear retelling of her story than the previous, but brilliant book by the same Author (with others) JOAN OF ARC: HER STORY. That book, is where you can end your research since it contains all the historical references you will ever need. THIS book, on the other hand is a paring down of Joan's life and story, keeping it's retelling to Joan's own words and those of the people who knew her. Strangely, although there are so many legends about Joan, much more is known about her and her actions via documents and church records than is really known about Jesus Christ or even Julias Caesar. That is to say, what we have heard about Joan can be tested against Historical duments, what we know about Jesus and Caesar really cannot since no one in their lifetime actually wrote much down. Such is not the Case with Joan. Oddly, much of her short life was documented even though it would be almost three hundred years before Joan Disciples would even go looking for that information. Joan of Arc was not celebrated as a Great Heroine of France until then. This book will give you a good introduction to her marvelous life. However, if your interest runs deeper and you can handle a much heavier book, look for other works by this author and you won't be disappointed.

This book rocks. The author, Regine Pernoud intertwines the dialog of Joan's condemnation trial with parts of the rehabilitation trial, and offers background and discussion of the events as they happen, from the people who lived during that time, beginning from Joan's childhood until even after the rehabilitation trial. At the end of each chapter, Pernoud gives a commentary that takes certain questions about unclear aspects of Joan's life and discusses them by giving textual evidence and reasoning through them. The result is a very comprehensive, non-fiction biography of Joan that states only the facts, and any speculation is based on facts as well.

I think the way Pernoud arranged the book works very well, as I couldn't put the book down. I was amazed by this because I pretty much dislike most non-fiction books. This one is so comprehensive yet incredibly interesting as well. Even though it is non-fiction, you can tell the author was very passionate about what she was writing. As a result, the reader becomes excited as well. Anybody wants to learn about the true facts of Joan's life and the time she lived in should read this book. It'll definitely make you admire her even more.

This was my first book on Joan of Arc. I was searching for a book that was truthful yet more dramatic, almost a novel. What I found was a book that was trying to tell the story in the most factual accounts possible. There are witnesses that verify many things. For research, this is a fine book. If you just want to learn more about Joan of Arc and have a good time reading, I suggest you look on to other books. Sorry!

This is an excellent book, objective and not marred by psuedo psychological perspectives. Full of facts and impeccable research by the premier Joanine historian, it brings forward her own words and the relevant documents. On the other hand, I was disappointed not to see more changes from the earlier version. This looks like a different book, but is ,in reality, pretty much the same one.

This is one of my favorite biographies about Saint Joan of Arc because it relies so heavily upon the actual quotes of Saint Joan and her contemporaries. Instead of writing a traditional narrative, Régine Pernoud cleverly uses Joan's own words or those of the people around her to give us her history. Tracing Joan's life from beginning to end, Pernoud relies on Joan's quotes as much as she can. She does add just enough narrative to keep the biography coherent but by using Joan's own words, we are able to get a sense of what her personality was like. As the title proclaims, this biography is really written by Saint Joan and her witnesses.

Regine Pernoud provides a well selected and organized set of historical documents about Joan of Arc's life, much of which is absolutely incredible. I don't particularly care for the translation, though and would very much like to obtain a copy written in the French language. If anyone knows how I may go about purchasing the original French version, please let me know.