Saint Joan · Chapter
The Real Joan Not Marvellous Enough for Us explained
Shaw defends the modern age against the charge of being less imaginative than the Middle Ages, arguing that contemporary credulity in science and marvels far exceeds medieval belief in miracles and witchcraft.
What happens
Shaw defends the modern age against the charge of being less imaginative than the Middle Ages, arguing that contemporary credulity in science and marvels far exceeds medieval belief in miracles and witchcraft. He suggests that the rejection of Joan as a witch is not because the explanation is too marvelous, but because it is not marvelous enough for a modern sensibility that demands even greater wonders.
Themes in this chapter
Faith and Reason
Explores the tension between medieval faith in miracles and modern faith in science, questioning which is more credulous.
Historical Interpretation
Examines how different eras interpret Joan's story based on their own frameworks of belief and skepticism.
Characters to notice
- Joan of Arc
Referenced as the subject of medieval and modern credulity; her fate serves as a warning against heresy.
Key passages
“The fate of Joan is a warning to me against such heresy.”
Shaw uses Joan's condemnation as a cautionary tale against dismissing modern scientific beliefs as heretical.
Highlights the parallel between medieval and modern dogmatism.
“If they refuse to believe, with the Rouen assessors of 1431, that Joan was a witch, it is not because that explanation is too marvellous, but because it is not marvellous enough.”
Modern disbelief in Joan being a witch stems not from a lack of wonder but from a demand for even greater marvels.
Central thesis of the chapter: modern credulity surpasses medieval credulity.