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 JoanÕs 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 CharlesÕ 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 authorÕs narrative method is to present JoanÕs 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 JoanÕs 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 JoanÕs 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 JoanÕs 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 manÕs 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 HyamsÕ 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 authorÕs point of view and the material selected necessarily influence how readers perceive the subject, PernoudÕs 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 GinzburgÕs _The Cheese and the Worms; The Cosmos of a Sixteenth-Century Miller_ (1992) and Jonathan SpenceÕs _GodÕs 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.

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.

I love this book. Regine Pernoud is my new favorite historian. Ms. Pernoud writes about the Middle Ages when men were men and women were--well if not in charge pretty darn close to being so. Ms. Pernoud's premise contradicts much of what I have read elsewhere, but she goes to the primary sources and produces much material to support her thesis.

First of all, Pernoud says a number of women living in the Middle Ages were queens in their own right. She names these rulers--and some better known than others largely owing to the writing of male historians who seemed to have concentrated on queens married to illustrious men. Of course, there was Eleanor of Aquataine--the grandmother of Europe--who was the wife of both a French and an English king (in succession). She went on a Crusade with her French King. Later, she married Henry II and became the mother of Richard I and poor John of the Magna Carta fame. But Eleanor had some pretty well situated daughters also, and Pernoud tells the reader about them. Also, Eleanor's mother-in-law was the famous Matilda, who sparred with her usurper cousin Stephen for the English throne, which she finally secured for her son Henry II. Another, lesser known queen was a Matilda who along with Agnes of Poitou played a major role in the reforms of the church in the 11th Century by siding with the Pope against the Holy Roman Emperor. "Matilda Dei gratia si quid est" -- Matilda by the grace of God if she is anything.

Hildegard von Bingen has become known in our age because of her beautiful music, and of course many other women were powerful Abbesses in their own right--or Saints like Joan of Arc. I found interesting Pernoud's assertion that the Celtic and Germanic tribes welcomed Christianity because it reinforced their notions of equality of the sexes and the hearth and home as the center of life. So, not only were women queens of countries and lords of fiefdoms, they were "queens" of households. Pernoud points out what any archeologist will tell you--family wealth is centered in the hearth and home--combs, copper pots, and gold crosses.

And Charing Cross? That's named for Eleanor of Castile, granddaughter of Eleanor of Aquataine. When she died, her husband had a gold cross mounted everywhere they had lived. One site can be found at the Charing Cross station in London. Charing Cross is a corruption of "Chere reine" -- beloved queen.

I think all women, particularly Catholic women, should read this. Studying primary sources, Ms. Pernoud shows that during the feudal era in the Middle Ages, around 1100-1300 AD, women were intelligent, capable, and highly influential citizens, involved in all areas of life, including medical, professional, education, political and administration. Never again have women had such influential roles in their society. As the Renaissance began to grip Europe, and the University of Paris barring women and the resurgence of classical Roman law, the role of women completely diminished.

This book was an eye-opener--I've always enjoyed studying the middle ages, but I thought the women saints from that era (like St. Clotilda) were only exceptions to the rule, not the norm. This book proves the opposite. And as a woman, I deeply appreciate the influential roles these women played during that time. I also can see that I have the gifts to influence my husband, family and society in a truly unique feminine way, something that is forgotten in this day, where equality in a feminist's eyes merely means becoming like a man.

The authors have apparently exhaustively researched the life of Joan of Arc and given that she was literally "on the scene" for a short two years, the story should have been compelling and highly emotional. Unfortunately, they have split the book into three separate sections and if you want more in-depth information about aspects of Joan's life, the politics of that era, a clear understanding of the bewildering array of factions and intricate royal geneaology, the meaning and significance of certain religious images or expressions, the authors force you to turn to another section to obtain it. It was disruptive and rather maddening and seriously interrupted the flow of the book, a narrative which would otherwise have been dramatic, tragic, and truly remarkable.

Seems that some people can churn out biographies with the speed of an A&E documentary: with all the spark of a bag of hammers. I can't think of a word that means super-duper-mega-whumpa-exhaustive to describe all the background information that is included in this book, so I won't even try. All you need to know is that this was written by the foremost scholars of Joan of Arc. Even better is that it is not just Joan's story, but the appendices give full portraits of ALL the players in her drama.. and these people are shown in the context of their place in that time of history. This is not an easy read, but it is a gratifying read, even for those (like me) who are unaccustomed to scholarly works. TAKE THIS HINT: Keep notes of the players as you go along (name, allegiance..), otherwise it will take a lot longer, as you'll keep getting sidetracked flipping to the back to read & reread.

This is an eloquent and detailed book, full of scholarly facts and based upon extensive research. Mlle. Pernoud, "'la grande dame' of French historical writing", was probably the foremost expert on Joan of Arc, and she is famous both for her scholarship and her engaging writing style. Better yet, she stands aside and lets Joan do the talking.

While "Joan of Arc, By Herself and Her Witnesses" makes for easier reading, this one covers a lot of information not found in the above book. Both would be good choices for anyone studying the subject.

I was delighted that Ms. Pernoud's wonderful volume 'Pour en finir avec le moyen age' was finally brought into English, and utterly dismayed at the misrendering that has resulted. I am not sure whether to address myself to Ms. Nash or to the editor responsible for this disaster. Was Ms. Pernoud allowed to review the manuscript?

The edition is aesthetically beautiful and thus beguiling; upon first glance the reader expects a translation as precise and legible as the typeset. But within only a few pages we encounter such glaring errors in rendering that we cannot but wonder if Ms. Nash has translated before (or should ever again). The most wonderful of these, Ms. Nash's translation of Romanesque (a period of architecture before Early Gothic) as *Roman*, is so often employed that one has to laugh (or be utterly confused). And then later in the book, when Ms. Pernoud refers to the Roman Empire, it doesn't seem to have bothered Ms. Nash that the exact same rendering, *Roman*, is used. This is the most dramatic example; there are many other mangled expressions littered about. In a work that so expressly deals with the history of art should not a translator at least moderately versed in this subject have been selected? An undergraduate art history survey course should have been a prerequisite for Ms. Nash. Does she leave "chevet plat" in French because she lacked the means to properly render it? Did her dictionary not have that particular entry?

One wonders about Ms. Nash's command of the English language in general. More than once does she use the word "whence" when she means "hence". Such repeated errors do not inspire confidence. Her prose cannot hope to do justice to that of Ms. Pernoud, which is alive, expressive, and clear.

I would hope, in deference to Ms. Pernoud and her wonderful book, that this translation could be re-addressed. I can understand why only reviews of the original work are reproduced on the back cover. English readers would not be so kind.

I found Regine Pernoud's views on what we call the Middle Ages exceptionally good to read. This is not because I know that she is always "right", but rather because I was continually getting glimpses of another world where so many of the cultural forces that we take for granted today were either not there or working very differently. For example, no one in the "Middle Ages" could have produced an appreciation of a woman's work in the home based on its money value, like one attempt to do so that I heard on the radio the other day, and we would do well to sit up and take notice.

When I listen closely to Pernoud, I come to realize that even those things we are taught are unchangeable--how things are--about this world (things like the preeminence of money and power, of highly centralized governments and nations) are not unchangeable at all.

I find hope in that.

Whether you use the original French version or this translation, the book is well worth the effort and time! She addresses her subject without apology and with humor. It is definitely a book for the layman who has had only public school history and thus warped in historical thought. She gives a clear link to Celtic law that almost all historians miss and modern day Roman law advocates would prefer you miss.

Blanche of Castile was NOT the mother of the "Sun King", she was the mother of Louis IX, "St. Louis". The Sun King lived from 1638 to 1715, so obviously he was not the son of Blanche.