The Wife Of Martin Guerre [Paperback]

Janet Lewis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1967

This compelling story of Bertrande de Rols is a rich novella with the timeless power of a fable. It was based on a famous story of a court case in mid-16th century France. Janet Lewis depicts a distant time and a traditional, rural culture based on a highly ordered patriarchal structure. When "Martin Guerre" returns from a quest after eight years, the family embraces him, and Bertrande is swept up in the relief at the apparent return to the security of the old order. But Martin has changed, and Bertrande threatens the established order with her defiant quest for the truth. Once the accusation of false identity is laid formally and the trial process begins. Many witnesses are called. Bertrande is pressured to withdraw, and she herself is reluctant to see "Martin" executed. Finally, the real, battle-weary Martin stumbles into the courtroom and is instantly recognized. He shows no mercy to Bertrande for allowing herself to be deceived. The real facts emerge, but the fate of Bertrande and Martin remains open-ended.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Janet Lewis wrote many books of poetry and historical fiction, including The Wife of Martin Guerre. She was married to the poet and critic Yvor Winters. Janet Lewis died in 1998 at the age of 99.

Product Details

• Paperback: 109 pages
• Publisher: Swallow Press; 1 edition (July 1, 1967)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804003211
• ISBN-13: 978-0804003216
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #438,493 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Meaning and Conviction, March 15, 2000

By 

Ben Kilpela - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wife Of Martin Guerre (Paperback)

One of our finest modern short novels, Lewis's "Wife" is a mostly unrecognized classic. Noted by many top authors for her incisive, spare, sparkling style, Lewis tackles some of the greatest moral and spiritual issues of mankind in this little piece. The prose is impeccable (you could learn how to write by imitating it), the story haunting, and the "message" deeply profound, moving, as well as important to the modern age. At heart, this novel is about the decision of a young woman of petty nobility in 16th century Languedoc to deny her happiness in behalf of her moral and spiritual convictions. It presents a seemingly small dilemma that will bother you and keep you thinking about the meaning of life and the foundations of your convictions for years to come. I won't say more, because there is a touch of the mystery novel in this work. Lewis is a minor master of prose fiction, probably mostly ignored because she was the wife of the great and highly controversial poet and critic Yvor Winters, who is one splendid writer himself. Her other novels are just as fine, with "The Trial of Soren Qvist" probably being one of the greatest modern novels. Evan O'Connell and Larry McMurtry are two of Lewis's chief admirers, by the way, though that might not say much depending on your view of those fellows.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truth vs. Expediency, February 24, 2004

By 

Valerie Hall (Narre Warren, Victoria Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wife Of Martin Guerre (Paperback)

Janet Lewis has written a fine modern novella. This is a haunting story and its message is deeply profound and moving, as well as important to our modern age. Bertrande as the `Wife' is a classic representation of the dominated female in a patriarchal society. Lewis tackles some of the greatest moral and spiritual issues of mankind in this little piece.

The novella explores the theme of Truth vs. Expediency (doing what's convenient) and tells the true story of a young woman's struggle in 16th century France, to deny her happiness in behalf of her moral and spiritual convictions, or to deny the truth. It presents a controversial dilemma that will bother the reader and yet keep us thinking about the meaning of life and the foundations of our convictions long after we have finished reading it.

"Madame, I would have you still deceived"...

I studied this text for my year 12 and I wish it were more widely recognised.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Special Story Well Worth Reading, April 9, 2006

By 

Quiet Traveller (Alaska) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wife Of Martin Guerre (Paperback)

I discovered this book in the 60's, as an out-of-print original, and remember it vividly, it being one of those stories that has an impact on your moral and ethical development. The heart-tugging crux of the tale is one woman's battle between the ethics of the time (which she embraced) and personal happiness. When these two conflicted, she chose the prevailing "moral" attitude that set in motion the events leading to the vivid ending.
I was young when I first read it, and admired the heroine greatly for her largeness of conscience, and felt sharply the sting of her husband's cruel unforgiveness, even in the face of her doing the "right thing". I wanted to be like her, following my convictions even in the face of public censure. But I look at it differently now.
While I still feel the husband showed a hardness of heart cruel even for the day in applying the letter of the law towards his wife, I now feel the wife too sacrificed the imposter she loved to that same moral/ethical law. She hoped to be saved by the system of moral expungement of the time, but was instead destroyed by it. Of course, when the karmic balance is made, hers was the higher moral ground, as she wished to be saved by the moral codes of the day, while the husband merely used them.
What is valuable about this story is that it is able to hook you so well you emotionally participate in the agonizing choices and ending, so you actually feel the repercussions of those choices, and are able to learn the lessons from this little tale. The fact it is based on truth gave it an extra potency. It really is a story that resonates within you for a long time. You are forced to consider what you would do in the same situation, and what for you is the purest "right" thing to do.
I would recommend this for anyone, and is a good introduction for younger people to the power, consequences and higher consciousness of moral/ethical convictions. Plus, it's very easy to read.