Joan of Arc and 'The Great Pity of the Land of France' - by Moya Longstaffe (Paperback)

About the Book

New B-format paperback edition - The extraordinary story of the Maid placed in the France of her time, presenting her and her contemporaries in all their humanity to the general reader. Who was this notorious and enigmatic country girl, on trial for her life?

Book Synopsis

Joan of Arc's life and death mark a turning point in the destiny both of France and England and the history of their monarchies. 'It is a great shame, ' wrote Étienne Pasquier in the late sixteenth century, 'for no one ever came to the help of France so opportunely and with such success as that girl, and never was the memory of a woman so torn to shreds.' Biographers have crossed swords furiously about her inspiration, each according to the personal conviction of the writer. As Moya Longstaffe points out: 'She has been claimed as an icon by zealous combatants of every shade of opinion, clericals, anticlericals, nationalists, republicans, socialists, conspiracy theorists, feminists, yesterday's communists, today's Front National, everyone with a need for a figurehead. As George Bernard Shaw said, in the prologue to his play, "The question raised by Joan's burning is a burning question still."' By returning to the original sources and employing her expertise in languages, the author brings La Pucelle alive and does not duck the most difficult question: was she deluded, unbalanced, fraudulent - or indeed a great visionary, to be compared to Catherine of Siena or Francis of Assisi?

Review Quotes

'This book will delight both professional historians and anyone who likes a great story. This compelling read brings to life not only Joan of Arc herself but also the people of her time, with all their foibles and virtues.'--Graham Gargett, Emeritus Professor of French Culture and Ideas, Honorary Senior Research Fellow, Voltaire Foundation (University of Oxford), RIA

About the Author

Moya Longstaffe is the author of The Fiction of Albert Camus: A Complex Simplicity. She has researched the life and trial of Joan of Arc from primary sources over several years.