Saint Joan · Chapter
The Maid in Literature explained
This chapter examines how Joan of Arc has been portrayed in literature over the centuries, from Shakespeare's Henry VI to Schiller's Die Jungfrau von Orleans, Voltaire's La Pucelle, and the more historically grounded works of Mark Twain and
What happens
This chapter examines how Joan of Arc has been portrayed in literature over the centuries, from Shakespeare's Henry VI to Schiller's Die Jungfrau von Orleans, Voltaire's La Pucelle, and the more historically grounded works of Mark Twain and Andrew Lang. It critiques these representations for their legendary or romanticized distortions, and highlights how the publication of Joan's trial records by Quicherat in 1841 shifted literary interest toward a more realistic understanding of her life and abilities.
Themes in this chapter
Historical Interpretation
The chapter explores how Joan of Arc has been reinterpreted across centuries by different authors—Shakespeare, Voltaire, Schiller, Mark Twain, Andrew Lang, and Anatole France—each shaping her story to fit their own literary, patriotic, or ideological agendas, highlighting the tension between legendary and historically grounded portrayals.
Nationalism and Patriotism
English patriotism is cited as a force that may have compelled Shakespeare to alter his portrayal of Joan from sympathetic to scurrilous, reflecting how nationalistic sentiment can distort historical representation in literature.
Gender and Power
The chapter critiques how Joan is often feminized or romanticized in literature—for instance, Mark Twain's 'skirted to the ground' and 'ladylike Victorian' Joan—while also noting Andrew Lang's recognition of her capacity for leadership, contrasting with Anatole France's skepticism about her abilities.
Characters to notice
- Joan of Arc
Discussed as the subject of various literary portrayals, from Shakespeare's sympathetic-then-scurrilous depiction to Schiller's romanticized and Voltaire's burlesque versions, and later as a figure of historical interest in works by Mark Twain and Andrew Lang.
- Agnes Sorel
Mentioned in the context of Voltaire's La Pucelle, where she is depicted as a woman with a consuming passion for chastity who repeatedly falls into the hands of licentious foes.
- Dunois
Referenced as 'the brave Dunois' in Voltaire's poem, and later in Anatole France's Life of Joan, where France attributes Joan's military success to Dunois's adroit use of her as a mascotte.
- Mark Twain
Noted as the author of a biography of Joan, converted to worship of her by Quicherat's documents, though his portrayal is criticized as an attempt to combine Bayard with Esther Summerson into an 'unimpeachable American school teacher in armor.'
- Andrew Lang
Mentioned as a biographer of Joan who reacted against Anatole France's skeptical Life, defending Joan's military and political ability as a straightforward fact, and writing a rival Life as a corrective.
- Voltaire
Author of La Pucelle, a mock epic that burlesques Homer and uses Joan to ridicule the institutions and fashions of his day, though he is said to have let Joan off relatively easily compared to other characters.
- Schiller
Author of Die Jungfrau von Orleans, which is criticized for having 'not a single point of contact with the real Joan' and for making her die on the battlefield, finding her burning unbearable.
- Shakespeare
Associated with the pseudo-Shakespearean trilogy Henry VI, where Joan is a leading character; the play is described as beginning with a sympathetic portrayal but ending in scurrility, possibly due to pressure from English patriotism.
Key passages
“The impression left by it is that the playwright, having begun by an attempt to make Joan a beautiful and romantic figure, was told by his scandalized company that English patriotism would never stand a sympathetic representation of a French conqueror of English troops, and that unless he at once introduced all the old charges against Joan of being a sorceress and a harlot, and assumed her to be guilty of all of them, his play could not be produced.”
The play's shift from a romantic portrayal of Joan to a scurrilous one likely happened because the theater company insisted that English audiences would not accept a sympathetic depiction of a French military leader who defeated English forces, so the playwright had to include accusations of sorcery and prostitution.
This passage explains the possible reason for the inconsistent characterization of Joan in Shakespeare's Henry VI.
“But the publication by Quicherat in 1841 of the reports of her trial and rehabilitation placed the subject on a new footing. These entirely realistic documents created a living interest in Joan which Voltaire’s mock Homerics and Schiller’s romantic nonsense missed.”
When Quicherat published the actual trial and rehabilitation records in 1841, it transformed how people understood Joan, sparking a genuine interest that the fictionalized works of Voltaire and Schiller had failed to achieve.
This highlights the pivotal role of historical documents in shifting literary and public perception of Joan from legend to reality.
“Mark Twain’s Joan, skirted to the ground, and with as many petticoats as Noah’s wife in a toy ark, is an attempt to combine Bayard with Esther Summerson from Bleak House into an unimpeachable American school teacher in armor.”
Mark Twain's portrayal of Joan is overly feminized and idealized, blending the chivalric knight Bayard with the virtuous character Esther Summerson to create a flawless, schoolmarmish figure in armor.
This critique points out the anachronistic and romanticized nature of Twain's depiction of Joan.
