12.09.08

Joan of Arc by Mark Twain

Posted in Sights in Paris at 9:38 pm by Paris Ambiance Blogger

Joan of Arc was the truest of French heroines. Though the French word héros is very similar to our English word, we seem to have no similar hero in our culture. Joan of Arc has throughout history been a reflection of the soul of France.

The media’s portrayal of her in recent years has not served Joan well. Often only seeming like strange girl crazed by mystical voices, one is more struck by her oddity than by the desperateness of her time and the significance of her cause. Over a century ago, one unexpected American particularly felt compelled to plead her case.

Mark Twain dedicated twelve years researching the life of Joan of Arc with sincerity and detail. Already famous for Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, Twain’s audience had come to expect and enjoy his humorous style. But Mark Twain was determined if this literary venture did not sell, he would write it for his love and passion for Joan of Arc alone. He considered it the finest and best of all of his books.

For holiday reading, you might join the narrator, the Sieur Louis de Conte, and hear Mark Twain’s version of the story that needed to be told - Joan of Arc.

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