Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc by Mark Twain

From the masterful story-teller Mark Twain comes his least known, but most well-written work, Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc. Twain spent twelve years researching the story and many months in France doing archival work, taking several attempts at writing the book before he felt he finally had the story he wanted to tell. In order to portray the history of the great Saint accurately, he studied in detail accounts written by both sides, the French and the English. In the words of the author himself: “I like Joan of Arc best of all my books; and it is the best; I know it perfectly well. And besides, it furnished me seven times the pleasure afforded me by any of the others; twelve years of preparation, and two years of writing. The others needed no preparation and got none.” The novel is presented as a translation (by “Jean Francois Alden”) of memoirs by Louis de Conte, a fictionalized version of Joan of Arc’s page, Louis de Contes, and divided into 3 sections according to Joan of Arc’s development: a youth in Domrémy, a commander of the army of Charles VII of France, and a defendant at trial in Rouen.

Not only is this work a story of St. Joan, but it is also a history of the politics and machinations of the English and the French, the plebeians and the Burgundians; it is a book about the controversy over religious beliefs. You will learn about the Hundred Years’ War, the political intrigues, and the religious and mystical beliefs prevalent of the times. Beyond the history, though, is the story of a girl, called by God to a mission to lead her country to victory. In spite of ridicule and extreme difficulties, she followed that call to the end. Twain’s Joan is kind, gentle, true, patriotic, devout, humble, compassionate, loyal, and courageous, a true heroine. One of the best portrayals of why she is named among the Saints.

15 Hours and 11 Minutes.

You can purchase Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc by Mark Twain here.