Classic Books Store
Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc (Dover Thrift Editions)
RRP: $5.00
Our Price: $5.00
You Save: $ ( % )
Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
Author: Mark Twain
Publisher: Dover Publications
Average Customer Rating:
Our Price: $5.00
You Save: $ ( % )
Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
Author: Mark Twain
Publisher: Dover Publications
Average Customer Rating:
Experimental feature: Order Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc (Dover Thrift Editions) from the UK, Canada, Germany or France by clicking an appropriate flag below.
Some items available at Amazon.com are not available in all countries.
Some items available at Amazon.com are not available in all countries.
Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc (Dover Thrift Editions) Description
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.4
EAN: 9780486424590
ISBN: 0486424596
Label: Dover Publications
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 352
Publication Date: 2002-11-07
Publisher: Dover Publications
Studio: Dover Publications
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.4
EAN: 9780486424590
ISBN: 0486424596
Label: Dover Publications
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 352
Publication Date: 2002-11-07
Publisher: Dover Publications
Studio: Dover Publications
Editorial Review of Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc (Dover Thrift Editions)
Regarded by many as the most luminous example of Twain's work, this historical novel chronicles the French heroine's life, as purportedly told by her longtime friend — Sieur Louis de Conté. A panorama of stirring scenes recount Joan's childhood in Domremy, the story of her voices, the fight for Orleans, the splendid march to Rheims, and much more.
Customer Reviews of Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc (Dover Thrift Editions)
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: A marvellous telling of the story.
Review: I have read two biographies of Joan of Arc; one was so dense and academic as to be virtually unreadable, and the other was a passable, workmanlike telling of the bones of the story. This book, while not officially a "biography", but rather a historical novel, nonetheless succeeds, so far as I can see, in telling the tale accurately in that it differs in no important point from the official bios, while nonetheless telling the tale with all the verve and style that one expects from Twain.
I do not share Twain's conviction in the divinity of Joan's voices; while she is clearly an innocent who believed implicitly in them, I judge her voices by the results of their interference: the French monarchy was saved (the King she crowned was insufficiently honorable and decent to even make an attempt to ransom her from her captivity, and subsequent French kings were so vile, cruel, dissolute and clueless as to provide the seed for the bloodbath following the French Revolution), many soldiers on both sides died and were maimed who probably wouldn't have been, had the war been allowed to continue to die out from lack of French will to continue the fight, and Joan herself, innocent that she was, died a horrible death after suffering a terrible imprisonment. These are NOT results that I associate with divine intervention. Still, her story is a moving one, and Twain tells it well.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Inspiring
Review: I enjoyed reading about Joan of Arc very much. Her accomplishments and faith were inspiring. Twain's obvious respect and admiration of her character were apparent and promoted his reader's to feel the same. I highly recommend this work.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Mark Twain brings Saint Joan to life!
Review: The master storyteller, Mark Twain, used his immense talent to create this fictionalized account of Saint Joan's life. Even though it is fiction, it is still very historically accurate and stays true to the story of Saint Joan of Arc. Because it is fiction, Twain is able to bring out Saint Joan's personality in a way that reminds us that she was a beautiful, vibrant, passionate young woman who sacrificed everything to serve God and save her country
I think the very fact that Twain would even choose to write a biography about Saint Joan is a further testament to her greatness. Twain was personal friends with U.S. Grant and could much more easily have written a biography about him. He also lived at a time when some of the greatest military leaders ever lived like Lee, Jackson, etc., so if all he had been looking for was a famous military leader he could have also chosen one of them. Obviously, he was looking for someone even greater to write about. I think his own words probably explain why he chose Saint Joan when he said that: "She was perhaps the only entirely unselfish person whose name has a place in profane history."
Whether you are a Saint Joan devotee or not I think you will enjoy reading this book. It is well written and easy to read and covers one of the greatest stories in world history. If you already know about the life of Saint Joan, I also think you will end up loving this account because of the way Twain brings her to life. Definitely one of the best of all the biographies written about Saint Joan of Arc and considered by Twain himself to be his greatest work. Five stars are probably not enough.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: "She was Patriotism embodied, concreted, made flesh, and palpable to the touch."
Review: A paean to the bravery and spirit of Joan of Arc, this novel by Mark Twain is also his most scholarly, having taken twelve years to write. Clearly fascinated by Joan's "voices" and her sense of mission, Twain delves into her religious passion and her belief that God has chosen her to free France from England and restore the Dauphin to the throne. Often focusing on the arguments and trials in which Joan participates throughout her life, Twain shows her childhood attempt to "save the fairies," her struggle to become general of France, and ultimately, her defense against heresy and sorcery. Through these, Twain attempts to reconcile her spiritual commitment with the tumultuous temporal world in which she is engaged.
Born in Domremy in 1412, seventy-five years after the beginning of the Hundred Years War, Joan, an Armagnac, supports the isolated Dauphin, son of Charles VI; another faction supports the Duke of Burgundy, allied with the British. When Joan is fifteen, her angelic voices tell her she will lead God's armies, win back France, and restore the Dauphin. By the time she is seventeen she is General-in-Chief of France. After lifting the siege of Orleans, achieving many victories, and finally, standing beside the Dauphin at his coronation, she is, however, captured by the Burgundians. Sold to the English, she is later surrendered to an Inquisition in Rouen for trial as a heretic and sorceress. The Dauphin fails to intervene, and at age nineteen she is burned at the stake.
Twain creates a fast-paced story about this tumultuous period, creating a series of repeating characters who anchor Joan's story from the time of childhood until her death. One of these characters is Sieur Louis de Conte, a childhood friend, supporter during battle, and mourner at her execution, who narrates Joan's story many years later. Rare comic scenes provide occasional changes of mood, and the last section of the novel--Joan's trial and execution--is dramatic and moving. With the focus on Joan and the arguments she promotes to advance her cause and facilitate her actions, Twain explores the phenomenon of religious passion and the lengths to which a "chosen" person will go to fulfill divine will.
As interesting as this book is, historically and thematically, it lacks the unity of some of Twain's other novels. Joan of Arc is so heroic in stature that one feels little emotional connection to her, and Twain's dialogue is so wooden that the other characters fail to come alive, except as mouthpieces for background or philosophy. On several occasions, Twain explains the historical background (how the war began, and later the Five Great Deeds of Joan of Arc) though these delay the action. A serious attempt by Twain to depict a character with whom he was obviously fascinated, this novel is full of biographical and historical detail, but Joan remains an enigma. n Mary Whipple
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: An Outstanding Fictional Presentation Makes This a Great Introduction to The Life of Joan
Review: Mark Twain wasn't the only pseudonym used my Samuel Clemens. When this book was first serialized in Harper's Magazine in 1895, it was presented as "Freely Translated out of the Ancient French into Modern English from the Original Unpublished Manuscript in the National Archives of France" - a found manuscript with no connection to the famous author. The book presents itself as a memoir by a fictional companion of Joan's written for his family in the final years of life. The narrator claims to be a childhood friend of hers who, being one of the few people of her village that can write, accompanies her and becomes her secretary during her military career. After her capture and imprisonment, he sneaks into Rouen, where she is to be tried, and becomes an assistant to the official recorder of the the events. Thus, the author has established a single voice that can tell the complete history of the brief, miraculous life of the Maid of Orleans.
The events of the book have been simply summed up in a paragraph in WIKIPEDIA's entry on the Hundred Years War as follows:
By 1428, the English were ready to pursue the war again, laying siege to OrleansTheir
force was insufficient to fully invest the city, but larger French forces remained passive.
In 1429, Joan of Arc convinced the Dauphin to send her to the siege, saying she had received
visions from God telling her to drive out the English. She raised the morale of the local
troops and they attacked the English redoubts, forcing the English to lift the siege.
Inspired by Joan the French took several English strongpoints on the Loire. Shortly
afterwards a French army some 8000 strong broke through English archers at Patay with heavy
cavalry, defeating a 3000 strong army commanded by Falstaff and John Talbot, 1st Earl of
Shrewsbury. The first major French land victory of the wars, this opened the way for the
Dauphin to march to Reims for his coronation as Charles VII. After Joan was captured by the
Burgundians in 1430 and later sold to the English and executed, the French advance stalled
in negotiations.
Clemens presents, through this memoir form, a story of a small group of Joan's friends from her village of Domremy who are caught up in her vision and quest and follow her into battle. They see how this poor, unschooled girl has the wisdom to convince the learned men of the Catholic Church and the French government of her mission, how she was able to raise an army and bring it success in battle despite the reservations of her generals, and how she was able to inspire the people of France to believe in their collective selves, the country of France, in spite of their foreign occupation and poor leadership. Through this approach, we the readers get a wonderful insight into the miraculous influence that Joan had on France at the time.
One might expect the irreverent Mark Twain, who wrote many scandalous pieces to be somewhat satirical in presenting this biography, but that is not the case. While his writing in this book is critical of church and state, his approach to the personal character of Joan puts her above reproach. He could find nothing in her life that was suspect, and he studied the records for 12 years. While he seems unsure about the nature of her voices, he shows Joan as firmly believing that they were real and of divine origin.
This is a mature Clemens who is married with a daughter Joan's age, and he seems happy to have found a human hero who didn't have ulterior motives when closely examined. He liked this best of all his work, yet the critics didn't share his feelings. The original Harper edition ran to almost 600 pages and was issued in two volumes. The story moves slowly with lots of asides about the infighting and rivalries of those around Joan. This may bother some readers since these are obviously fictional characters and not part of the historic record. Also, Clemens was not a scholar of the 15th century and his characters sometimes act more like 19th century Americans than French peasants. Yet these are minor flaws in a story that is an incredible introduction to the life and accomplishments of a truly remarkable person. I, personally, was disappointed that he didn't get closer to his subject Joan of Arc. He gives us the viewpoint of someone who was there and saw everything, but he never gets you inside the mind of Joan. Maybe that is the best we can hope for when reading about such an extraordinary person.
Review Summary: A marvellous telling of the story.
Review: I have read two biographies of Joan of Arc; one was so dense and academic as to be virtually unreadable, and the other was a passable, workmanlike telling of the bones of the story. This book, while not officially a "biography", but rather a historical novel, nonetheless succeeds, so far as I can see, in telling the tale accurately in that it differs in no important point from the official bios, while nonetheless telling the tale with all the verve and style that one expects from Twain.
I do not share Twain's conviction in the divinity of Joan's voices; while she is clearly an innocent who believed implicitly in them, I judge her voices by the results of their interference: the French monarchy was saved (the King she crowned was insufficiently honorable and decent to even make an attempt to ransom her from her captivity, and subsequent French kings were so vile, cruel, dissolute and clueless as to provide the seed for the bloodbath following the French Revolution), many soldiers on both sides died and were maimed who probably wouldn't have been, had the war been allowed to continue to die out from lack of French will to continue the fight, and Joan herself, innocent that she was, died a horrible death after suffering a terrible imprisonment. These are NOT results that I associate with divine intervention. Still, her story is a moving one, and Twain tells it well.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Inspiring
Review: I enjoyed reading about Joan of Arc very much. Her accomplishments and faith were inspiring. Twain's obvious respect and admiration of her character were apparent and promoted his reader's to feel the same. I highly recommend this work.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Mark Twain brings Saint Joan to life!
Review: The master storyteller, Mark Twain, used his immense talent to create this fictionalized account of Saint Joan's life. Even though it is fiction, it is still very historically accurate and stays true to the story of Saint Joan of Arc. Because it is fiction, Twain is able to bring out Saint Joan's personality in a way that reminds us that she was a beautiful, vibrant, passionate young woman who sacrificed everything to serve God and save her country
I think the very fact that Twain would even choose to write a biography about Saint Joan is a further testament to her greatness. Twain was personal friends with U.S. Grant and could much more easily have written a biography about him. He also lived at a time when some of the greatest military leaders ever lived like Lee, Jackson, etc., so if all he had been looking for was a famous military leader he could have also chosen one of them. Obviously, he was looking for someone even greater to write about. I think his own words probably explain why he chose Saint Joan when he said that: "She was perhaps the only entirely unselfish person whose name has a place in profane history."
Whether you are a Saint Joan devotee or not I think you will enjoy reading this book. It is well written and easy to read and covers one of the greatest stories in world history. If you already know about the life of Saint Joan, I also think you will end up loving this account because of the way Twain brings her to life. Definitely one of the best of all the biographies written about Saint Joan of Arc and considered by Twain himself to be his greatest work. Five stars are probably not enough.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: "She was Patriotism embodied, concreted, made flesh, and palpable to the touch."
Review: A paean to the bravery and spirit of Joan of Arc, this novel by Mark Twain is also his most scholarly, having taken twelve years to write. Clearly fascinated by Joan's "voices" and her sense of mission, Twain delves into her religious passion and her belief that God has chosen her to free France from England and restore the Dauphin to the throne. Often focusing on the arguments and trials in which Joan participates throughout her life, Twain shows her childhood attempt to "save the fairies," her struggle to become general of France, and ultimately, her defense against heresy and sorcery. Through these, Twain attempts to reconcile her spiritual commitment with the tumultuous temporal world in which she is engaged.
Born in Domremy in 1412, seventy-five years after the beginning of the Hundred Years War, Joan, an Armagnac, supports the isolated Dauphin, son of Charles VI; another faction supports the Duke of Burgundy, allied with the British. When Joan is fifteen, her angelic voices tell her she will lead God's armies, win back France, and restore the Dauphin. By the time she is seventeen she is General-in-Chief of France. After lifting the siege of Orleans, achieving many victories, and finally, standing beside the Dauphin at his coronation, she is, however, captured by the Burgundians. Sold to the English, she is later surrendered to an Inquisition in Rouen for trial as a heretic and sorceress. The Dauphin fails to intervene, and at age nineteen she is burned at the stake.
Twain creates a fast-paced story about this tumultuous period, creating a series of repeating characters who anchor Joan's story from the time of childhood until her death. One of these characters is Sieur Louis de Conte, a childhood friend, supporter during battle, and mourner at her execution, who narrates Joan's story many years later. Rare comic scenes provide occasional changes of mood, and the last section of the novel--Joan's trial and execution--is dramatic and moving. With the focus on Joan and the arguments she promotes to advance her cause and facilitate her actions, Twain explores the phenomenon of religious passion and the lengths to which a "chosen" person will go to fulfill divine will.
As interesting as this book is, historically and thematically, it lacks the unity of some of Twain's other novels. Joan of Arc is so heroic in stature that one feels little emotional connection to her, and Twain's dialogue is so wooden that the other characters fail to come alive, except as mouthpieces for background or philosophy. On several occasions, Twain explains the historical background (how the war began, and later the Five Great Deeds of Joan of Arc) though these delay the action. A serious attempt by Twain to depict a character with whom he was obviously fascinated, this novel is full of biographical and historical detail, but Joan remains an enigma. n Mary Whipple
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: An Outstanding Fictional Presentation Makes This a Great Introduction to The Life of Joan
Review: Mark Twain wasn't the only pseudonym used my Samuel Clemens. When this book was first serialized in Harper's Magazine in 1895, it was presented as "Freely Translated out of the Ancient French into Modern English from the Original Unpublished Manuscript in the National Archives of France" - a found manuscript with no connection to the famous author. The book presents itself as a memoir by a fictional companion of Joan's written for his family in the final years of life. The narrator claims to be a childhood friend of hers who, being one of the few people of her village that can write, accompanies her and becomes her secretary during her military career. After her capture and imprisonment, he sneaks into Rouen, where she is to be tried, and becomes an assistant to the official recorder of the the events. Thus, the author has established a single voice that can tell the complete history of the brief, miraculous life of the Maid of Orleans.
The events of the book have been simply summed up in a paragraph in WIKIPEDIA's entry on the Hundred Years War as follows:
By 1428, the English were ready to pursue the war again, laying siege to OrleansTheir
force was insufficient to fully invest the city, but larger French forces remained passive.
In 1429, Joan of Arc convinced the Dauphin to send her to the siege, saying she had received
visions from God telling her to drive out the English. She raised the morale of the local
troops and they attacked the English redoubts, forcing the English to lift the siege.
Inspired by Joan the French took several English strongpoints on the Loire. Shortly
afterwards a French army some 8000 strong broke through English archers at Patay with heavy
cavalry, defeating a 3000 strong army commanded by Falstaff and John Talbot, 1st Earl of
Shrewsbury. The first major French land victory of the wars, this opened the way for the
Dauphin to march to Reims for his coronation as Charles VII. After Joan was captured by the
Burgundians in 1430 and later sold to the English and executed, the French advance stalled
in negotiations.
Clemens presents, through this memoir form, a story of a small group of Joan's friends from her village of Domremy who are caught up in her vision and quest and follow her into battle. They see how this poor, unschooled girl has the wisdom to convince the learned men of the Catholic Church and the French government of her mission, how she was able to raise an army and bring it success in battle despite the reservations of her generals, and how she was able to inspire the people of France to believe in their collective selves, the country of France, in spite of their foreign occupation and poor leadership. Through this approach, we the readers get a wonderful insight into the miraculous influence that Joan had on France at the time.
One might expect the irreverent Mark Twain, who wrote many scandalous pieces to be somewhat satirical in presenting this biography, but that is not the case. While his writing in this book is critical of church and state, his approach to the personal character of Joan puts her above reproach. He could find nothing in her life that was suspect, and he studied the records for 12 years. While he seems unsure about the nature of her voices, he shows Joan as firmly believing that they were real and of divine origin.
This is a mature Clemens who is married with a daughter Joan's age, and he seems happy to have found a human hero who didn't have ulterior motives when closely examined. He liked this best of all his work, yet the critics didn't share his feelings. The original Harper edition ran to almost 600 pages and was issued in two volumes. The story moves slowly with lots of asides about the infighting and rivalries of those around Joan. This may bother some readers since these are obviously fictional characters and not part of the historic record. Also, Clemens was not a scholar of the 15th century and his characters sometimes act more like 19th century Americans than French peasants. Yet these are minor flaws in a story that is an incredible introduction to the life and accomplishments of a truly remarkable person. I, personally, was disappointed that he didn't get closer to his subject Joan of Arc. He gives us the viewpoint of someone who was there and saw everything, but he never gets you inside the mind of Joan. Maybe that is the best we can hope for when reading about such an extraordinary person.