Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc Mark Twain 9781494890148 Books
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Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc Mark Twain 9781494890148 Books
When I first picked up Twain’s Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc, I was somewhat daunted by its length; by the time I finished it, however, I wished that it were longer. In fact, I read slowly, taking care not to skip over phrases as I often do, so that I could savor it for as long as possible. This story is simply that lovely. Or, better said, the story itself is not lovely, recounting as it does the engineered fall of a young woman, but the writing, and the characters are so lush and lively and pathos-inspiring, that I wished I might keep reading about them.I spent the first several pages of Recollections expecting some sly asides and jokes by Twain himself, but he happily quiets his own biting wit in the service of the narrator, a minor noble called Sieur Louis de Conte. Soon enough after starting, I let down my guard and immersed myself in de Conte’s straightforward meticulousness as he describes people and places, and affectionately recounts Joan’s quotidian encounters that reveal her character, her manners and speech, and her absolute conviction. Twain’s probing research into the life of Joan of Arc makes his conceit, in which de Conte is himself a writer of no small talent, utterly convincing. As one court condemned her in a court case, de Conte vindicates her with his own case for the rightness and justice of her leadership. The narrative could easily slip into melodrama or hagiography, but de Conte includes enough comic relief (especially in the characters of the Paladin and Noel Rainguesson, and in a number of small vignettes along the way) and careful recountings of battles and trials that Recollections are neither. Instead, the picture of Joan that emerges is exactly what a Christian saint should be: true to her call in life, inspired by God, patient under duress, yet bold in spiritual and even physical battle. Saint Joan, given flesh by Twain’s pen, truly embodies the Pauline ideal of “cunning as a serpent, but gentle as a dove.”
The outcome, of course, is unchangeable, but the literary journey to Joan’s certain end is well worth the reader’s time, for whatever it may lack in suspense. Whatever the reader’s religious or political leanings (should a reader still be enmeshed in Anglo-Frankish history), the figure of Joan herself is inspiring, and Twain gives pink cheeks, brightly snapping eyes, and a clarion voice to a young woman who died hundreds of years ago. In this biography of an illiterate peasant who acted in faith and courage, Twain’s Recollections makes it easy to understand why grown men would, or would not!, submit themselves to the command of a girl. It’s enough to make even a modern reader a devotee of this humble and courageous saint himself.
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Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc Mark Twain 9781494890148 Books Reviews
Photo copied so that the image does not fill to the margins. The image only reaches about half the page. Not only is it displeasing to look at but the print is so small it is almost unreadable.
The writing itself is beautiful. It's been said that Mark Twain called this book the best he ever wrote. Being a cradle Catholic, I love Joan d'Arc. She's been my favorite saint since my childhood -- so you can imagine my disappointment when I got to the end of the book and realized that "Twain Press" didn't print the whole book!
This printing ends not long after Joan raises the siege of Orleans, which seems to be about a third of the complete novel. Not only is that unclear when you order it (maybe a "Volume I" label would have been helpful), but this edition ends in an awkward spot. The icing on the cake this is the only book "Twain Press" (I've never read a book by a legitimate press that has these errors) sells, so don't expect to purchase Vol. II or III.
Save yourself the hassle and the money for a second order so you can actually finish. Order from a different publisher.
Microscopic print
Looks like someone copied and pasted each page then printed it out with mile-wide margins.
Truly, the print is like the smallest ingredients list on a small sardine can! (#8 font?)
Wished I'd been aware before I hit the purchase button!
I am always puzzled and irritated when I realize how few people know that not only did Mark Twain write an ingenious, poetic book about Joan of Arc, but that it was his favorite. He's been quoted as saying such. I was flabbergasted upon seeing an extensive biography of him, that it wasn't even mentioned. An important thing to understand about this book, I think, is that it was NOT released under Mark Twain's name (already a pseudonym), but under the name Sieur Louis de Conte (her fictional, personal secretary and childhood friend). Twain even went further to say that it was "freely translated out of the Ancient French into Modern English from the Original Unpublished Manuscript in the National Archives of France by Jean Francois Alden" -- to give the book a chance to get out ahead of his name.
As for the book itself, my greatest tribute to Twain's great tribute to his favorite person in all of history is that, even though we all know how it ends, I cried my heart out. One reviewer said it was "empty and tortured account" - which I find nothing short of hilarious, as the story and the characters are painted so richly. Somebody else said, it loses it's steam midway through - not so; it just becomes more and more obvious that it ain't gonna end well for our hero, that's all. But it's one of the most amazing and shamefully undiscovered, underrated novels in American literary history.
Treat yourself, the writing is glorious.
When I first picked up Twain’s Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc, I was somewhat daunted by its length; by the time I finished it, however, I wished that it were longer. In fact, I read slowly, taking care not to skip over phrases as I often do, so that I could savor it for as long as possible. This story is simply that lovely. Or, better said, the story itself is not lovely, recounting as it does the engineered fall of a young woman, but the writing, and the characters are so lush and lively and pathos-inspiring, that I wished I might keep reading about them.
I spent the first several pages of Recollections expecting some sly asides and jokes by Twain himself, but he happily quiets his own biting wit in the service of the narrator, a minor noble called Sieur Louis de Conte. Soon enough after starting, I let down my guard and immersed myself in de Conte’s straightforward meticulousness as he describes people and places, and affectionately recounts Joan’s quotidian encounters that reveal her character, her manners and speech, and her absolute conviction. Twain’s probing research into the life of Joan of Arc makes his conceit, in which de Conte is himself a writer of no small talent, utterly convincing. As one court condemned her in a court case, de Conte vindicates her with his own case for the rightness and justice of her leadership. The narrative could easily slip into melodrama or hagiography, but de Conte includes enough comic relief (especially in the characters of the Paladin and Noel Rainguesson, and in a number of small vignettes along the way) and careful recountings of battles and trials that Recollections are neither. Instead, the picture of Joan that emerges is exactly what a Christian saint should be true to her call in life, inspired by God, patient under duress, yet bold in spiritual and even physical battle. Saint Joan, given flesh by Twain’s pen, truly embodies the Pauline ideal of “cunning as a serpent, but gentle as a dove.”
The outcome, of course, is unchangeable, but the literary journey to Joan’s certain end is well worth the reader’s time, for whatever it may lack in suspense. Whatever the reader’s religious or political leanings (should a reader still be enmeshed in Anglo-Frankish history), the figure of Joan herself is inspiring, and Twain gives pink cheeks, brightly snapping eyes, and a clarion voice to a young woman who died hundreds of years ago. In this biography of an illiterate peasant who acted in faith and courage, Twain’s Recollections makes it easy to understand why grown men would, or would not!, submit themselves to the command of a girl. It’s enough to make even a modern reader a devotee of this humble and courageous saint himself.
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