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Penguin Lives
Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc was born in 1412 and grew up during a time of invasion and civil war. At thirteen, she began to hear the voices of saints and followed their directives, believing they were sent to her by God. At seventeen, she rode into battle to rescue France from English domination in the Hundred Years War and in 1431, aged only nineteen, she was put on trial for heresy and sorcery by an ecclesiastical court of the Inquisition, and burned at the stake. Joan radiated with deep piety, self-assurance, decisiveness, and shrewd intelligence as her responses to hostile questioning preserved in the records of the rigged trial demonstrate. In this glittering portrait of the illiterate peasant girl who became the saviour of France, Joan of Arc’s energy, spirit and her heroism as the first to die for a Christian-inspired idea of nationalism, are beautifully portrayed.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2000
About the author
Mary Gordon
108 books149 followersMary Catherine Gordon is an American writer from Queens and Valley Stream, New York. She is the McIntosh Professor of English at Barnard College. She is best known for her novels, memoirs and literary criticism. In 2008, she was named Official State Author of New York.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
June 3, 2016
MARY GORDON IS A BIG FAT PHONY
Nothing is more depressing than reading the New York Times Book Review. It’s just so smug, so orthodox. And at the same time so phony. Take Mary Gordon, for example. Just the other day Mary Gordon wrote a front page review praising the new novel by Louise Erdrich, the famous Native American author. Now I’ve got nothing against Louise Erdrich, but I’ve been reading the novels and essays of Mary Gordon for over thirty years. And by the time I finished reading the review, I just wanted to throw up.
Right off the bat, Mary Gordon takes a tough-guy stance, bragging about how back in the day feminists stuck together, how they shook up the world, writing classic novels that totally changed the rules about who could and couldn’t write American literature. Never before the Eighties and Nineties were there books by and about women of color. Never before were there stories written in American celebrating the courage and resilience of blacks, Native Americans, Latinos, Koreans, Croatians, Martians, whatever. And these days it’s all over, thanks to the ubiquitous (but nameless) male pigs that put down “feminism” and “identity politics.” But Louise Erdrich is still around, and she’s the greatest.
It’s all about the sisterhood, see. It’s all about sticking together. Mary Gordon talks it up beautifully, just like William Holden in The Wild Bunch. “When you side with a man, you stay with him. And if you can’t do that, you’re like . . . some animal! You’re finished! We’re finished!”
It’s all very noble and inspiring. Who can resist (and who would dare question) Mary Gordon’s reverence for minority women, her touching loyalty to the ideals of sisterhood? Except that if you actually know who this woman is, if you’ve ever read her novels and essays and absorbed the real ugliness of her world view, the whole thing is just one big crock, a con job of monumental proportions. Watch Mary Gordon on YouTube, holding forth at some tedious Barnard function in Manhattan. In old age she’s decided to promote herself as a “Sixties Chick.” Clearly that goes over well with the aging white female alums who cough up donations to keep the ultra-exclusive private school afloat.
But in reality, Mary Gordon never really was a Sixties chick, any more than George Wallace was ever a Freedom Rider or Donald Trump was ever a Marine rifleman in Vietnam. Read her first two novels, Final Payments
and The Company of Women
and you see where Mary Gordon is really coming from.
Funnily enough, the most evil woman in Final Payments is a romance reader. Yes, I took it personally.
This is a woman who grew up Irish Catholic in Queens, at a time when Jewish kids passing through were routinely beaten and roughed up, and when any blacks of any age who tried to enter the Forbidden Zone would probably have been shot on sight by the police. The innocent, secluded, Irish Catholic world that Mary Gordon celebrates in her early novels is a world that was only made possible by systematic racial violence on a massive scale going back nearly a hundred years to the Draft Riots of 1863. But who cares! What counts is sisterhood!
Only those early novels of Mary Gordon’s don’t really celebrate sisterhood. Or brotherhood. Or the Sixties. The prim, Irish Catholic heroine pays lip service to Civil Rights -- but she never has any black friends. She opposes the Vietnam War -- but only to hammer home how superior she is to the neighborhood boys who do the real fighting and dying.
Worst of all, in a Mary Gordon novel the Prim Irish Heroine is always recoiling in disgust from noisy black kids dribbling basketballs, or loudmouthed black women arguing about sex, or coarse campus radicals bragging about wanting to be born Third World. The great symbol of shabbiness in The Company of Women is the poster of Jimi Hendrix in the squalid hippy crash pad that keeps falling down, over and over, no matter how often the long suffering heroine tapes it up again.
Evidently to a prim Irish Catholic girl who reveres Jane Austen, Jimi Hendrix is not a visionary musician, nor an artist, nor even a human being, but merely an ape making monkey sounds in the jungle.
But this is the woman believes in sisterhood. This is the tough, old-school feminist who loves Toni Morrison and Louise Erdrich. So it’s okay!
Think I’m reading too much into this? Think I’m working myself into a snit for nothing? Check out Mary Gordon’s truly astonishing biography of Joan of Arc.
Did you know that Joan of Arc never menstruated?
I don't know how Mary Gordon does her research, but she seems to think that's terribly important. She also volunteers the opinion (rendered in a delightfully dismissive way) that Joan was a truly worldwide figure of transcendent importance while Abraham Lincoln (a real lowlife who could not stop menstruating) was merely a “local god.”
Stop and think about that for a minute.
Joan of Arc matters to the whole world because she saved something truly eternal and important, like French civilization. Abraham Lincoln doesn’t really matter at all, because . . . well, presumably because the people he saved weren’t truly civilized. Maybe they weren’t truly human either. Maybe they would have been better off as slaves!
Oh, but Mary Gordon loves her colored sisters!
Mary Gordon reveres women who tell the stories of the forgotten, like Toni Morrison and Louise Erdrich. But check out her new review and you see how much that’s worth. Evidently in her newest novel Louise Erdrich tells the story of a Native American priest who falls for a female parishioner, but realizes their love can never be. Mary Gordon quotes the priest as saying something like, “you want her, but you can never have her. Suck it up and deal.” Seems authentic to me, but Gordon insists this moment is “beneath the author’s talent.” Why? Presumably because if you’re an Irish Catholic who grew up around real priests in a real Catholic neighborhood, you know (or must try to believe) that the priests never overcome desire . . . because they can’t feel desire in the first place!
I won’t even ask what the cost is when loyal Catholics cover for priests who aren’t really above desire.
Instead I’ll just wrap up with the point that Mary Gordon respects Louise Erdrich a whole lot . . . until Erdrich tells a truth she doesn’t want to hear. Then big, bad Mary Gordon covers her ears with her hands and starts going “la la la la la!” Just like on the playground.
Because that’s what sisters do.
July 7, 2024
An unbelievable read, story and biography. Joan of Arc set the stage for modern day feminism hundreds of years ago. This biography is beautifully written and succinct. A perfect read for those interested in this medieval female warrior who turned the tide of the Hundred Years War and saved France! A must read for those interested in badass women of the past, the heroines who saved us and made us.
December 15, 2023
My first review went and deleted itself. But. As I was saying. Joan of Arc is so many things. She is bold, courageous, cocky, intelligent, contradictory, and so many other things. She knows what she is meant to do, and does it, and won’t be held back. She boldly makes mistakes. But do not write her off as a side character in her own story! She is intelligent, and made multiple choices that were so impressive. This book, in my opinion, does a great job at describing Joan, and knowing that we will never know fully who she was. Every retelling of her story will include our own biases and angles of her. And even with this knowledge, I think the author a great job looking at Joan not as a saint, or something evil, but a person. A very important person, who did amazing things. But she must be looked at as a whole. She, as we all do, contains multitudes! AAH. Joan of Arc means so much to me, and I respect the authors way of telling her story. It’s not all an opinion piece, and not just a textbook. Well done! Kept me hooked, and I recommend. If you ever want to talk to me (or let me talk at you about Joan) let me know when you’re free.
June 23, 2014
Good introduction however there was a lot of commentary about femininity and attitudes towards virginity rather than the story of her life. This was still interesting in itself however in such a brief book I thought it was a bit unbalanced
September 10, 2010
I thought it would be more like a biography and it was not. I wanted a biography instead of this book.
December 20, 2022
In this short biography, Mary Gordon tries her best, as so many previous authors have, to unravel the enigma that is Joan of Arc. It’s really more of an investigation of the vague facts of her life as well as an analysis her motivations and many inconsistencies. Gordon’s book shouldn’t serve as an introduction to Joan of Arc as a historical figure to someone unfamiliar with her story, but as another point of view and a meditation on her tumultuous & tragic life. Gordon delves into the numerous theories about Joan’s “voices,” including possible schizophrenia. But she doesn’t dismiss the possibility of a spiritual source, using Joan’s trial testimony to review her description of them. The author surveys the theories on Joan’s cross-dressing, from its use as protection from rape to a tendency toward transvestism. No concrete answers are provided as any such conclusions are impossible almost 600 years later. The latter chapters, where Gordon discusses how Joan’s story was handled by various authors such as Shakespeare, Schiller and Shaw kind of seem like discordant add-ons, but since Gordon included them, she should have mentioned Twain. As a humorist, (though not aways, especially in his later years), his undertaking of the Joan of Arc story seems unlikely and antithetical, but one more Joan of Arc book I want to read.
August 26, 2024
���We would respond to a man with Joan's career in a way so different from the way in which we respond to her that it would be unrecognizable.”
I became interested in Joan of Arc as I prepared for an upcoming trip to France, and I was pleasantly surprised by how interesting Gordon’s account was. So many many books have been written about the heroine (and I can’t compare, as I’ve only read this one), but I appreciated the “full look” taken, including references to how Joan of Arc has been portrayed by others.
I became interested in Joan of Arc as I prepared for an upcoming trip to France, and I was pleasantly surprised by how interesting Gordon’s account was. So many many books have been written about the heroine (and I can’t compare, as I’ve only read this one), but I appreciated the “full look” taken, including references to how Joan of Arc has been portrayed by others.
September 12, 2013
Short, bittersweet, to the point; Mary Gordon delivered. Joan of Arc received the honor she deserved. Nothing was lost and much insight was gained reading this gem of a book. If not for having loved Chapters 1-6 and 8, Chapter 7 would had been pointless.
Mary Gordon reviews The Messenger and Joan of Arc in Chapter 7. Milla Jovovich starred in The Messenger and Leelee Sobieski in Joan of Arc. Mary Gordon said of Sobieski, "...looks the part, although she delivers her lines with the flatness of a depressed teenager...."; of Jovovich, "...she may be further off the mark than Shakespeare or Schiller." Shakespeare had demonized Joan of Arc's character. "Like Shakespeare, Schiller finds Joan's virginity...a problem..." Gordon says in Chapter 7.
I have seen The Messenger and Joan of Arc, both had shortcomings. Jovovich and Sobieski honored Joan, yet in their own way. Meld Jovovich and Sobieski together, one hell of a movie would be born. I disagree with Gordon, Jovovich looked the part, not Sobieski.
My understanding of Joan of Arc? She was misunderstood and ahead of her time. An apostate at heart, she refused to bow down to the authority of the church. For this, she was burned at the stake. Joan's virginity was her namesake and she died to protect it. Accused of being a transvestite, she continued until her death in men's clothing. Dressing Joan in women's clothing was an insult. Burning her at the stake was unacceptable.
A great find this book was...at a local library. If you cannot find this book, I recommend buying it via Amazon. Joan of Arc by Mary Gordon
Five quotes honoring Joan's life:
When I was thirteen years old, I had a Voice from God to help me govern my conduct. And the first time I was very fearful. And came this Voice, about the hour of noon, in the summer-time, in my father's garden; I had not fasted on the eve preceding that day. (Joan of Arc)
Joan of Arc leading her troops in battle: "In God's name, forward boldly!"
Joan's response to soldiers wanting to apply a charm to her wound: "I would rather die than do a thing which I know to be a sin or against the will of God."
Joan of Arc's response to the threat of torture: "Truly, if you were to tear me limb from limb and separate my soul from my body, I would not say anything more. If I did say anything, afterwards I would always declare that you made me say it by force!"
Joan of Arc's last words: "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!"
Mary Gordon reviews The Messenger and Joan of Arc in Chapter 7. Milla Jovovich starred in The Messenger and Leelee Sobieski in Joan of Arc. Mary Gordon said of Sobieski, "...looks the part, although she delivers her lines with the flatness of a depressed teenager...."; of Jovovich, "...she may be further off the mark than Shakespeare or Schiller." Shakespeare had demonized Joan of Arc's character. "Like Shakespeare, Schiller finds Joan's virginity...a problem..." Gordon says in Chapter 7.
I have seen The Messenger and Joan of Arc, both had shortcomings. Jovovich and Sobieski honored Joan, yet in their own way. Meld Jovovich and Sobieski together, one hell of a movie would be born. I disagree with Gordon, Jovovich looked the part, not Sobieski.
My understanding of Joan of Arc? She was misunderstood and ahead of her time. An apostate at heart, she refused to bow down to the authority of the church. For this, she was burned at the stake. Joan's virginity was her namesake and she died to protect it. Accused of being a transvestite, she continued until her death in men's clothing. Dressing Joan in women's clothing was an insult. Burning her at the stake was unacceptable.
A great find this book was...at a local library. If you cannot find this book, I recommend buying it via Amazon. Joan of Arc by Mary Gordon
Five quotes honoring Joan's life:
When I was thirteen years old, I had a Voice from God to help me govern my conduct. And the first time I was very fearful. And came this Voice, about the hour of noon, in the summer-time, in my father's garden; I had not fasted on the eve preceding that day. (Joan of Arc)
Joan of Arc leading her troops in battle: "In God's name, forward boldly!"
Joan's response to soldiers wanting to apply a charm to her wound: "I would rather die than do a thing which I know to be a sin or against the will of God."
Joan of Arc's response to the threat of torture: "Truly, if you were to tear me limb from limb and separate my soul from my body, I would not say anything more. If I did say anything, afterwards I would always declare that you made me say it by force!"
Joan of Arc's last words: "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!"
June 3, 2016
Joan of Arc
This was a quick, easy read. I found the text to be easily accessible to those not familiar with Joan, however, it is a very broad overview. It's a good starting text with some interesting analysis for those who don't want to jump into a heavier text. There were some points where I found myself disagreeing with the author, however, specifically:
"In our age, when the consequences of loss of virginity are slight ..."
This is simply not true. People with vaginas are still being ostracized and stoned to death for not being virgins. Despite this blatant lie, I did find the author brought up some interesting points:
"Charles and Joan illustrate a phenomenon that occurs when young women want to move from the realm of the symbolic, where male imagination has placed them, to the realm of the actual, where they want to be. A girl can be an ornament, but if she wants to act rather than be looked at, if she wants scope and autonomy rather than the static fate of the regarded, even the well-regarded, object, she becomes dangerous."
It's amazing how the author could recognize the latter, but fail to connect that thinking to views on virginity. I gave this book four stars.
This was a quick, easy read. I found the text to be easily accessible to those not familiar with Joan, however, it is a very broad overview. It's a good starting text with some interesting analysis for those who don't want to jump into a heavier text. There were some points where I found myself disagreeing with the author, however, specifically:
"In our age, when the consequences of loss of virginity are slight ..."
This is simply not true. People with vaginas are still being ostracized and stoned to death for not being virgins. Despite this blatant lie, I did find the author brought up some interesting points:
"Charles and Joan illustrate a phenomenon that occurs when young women want to move from the realm of the symbolic, where male imagination has placed them, to the realm of the actual, where they want to be. A girl can be an ornament, but if she wants to act rather than be looked at, if she wants scope and autonomy rather than the static fate of the regarded, even the well-regarded, object, she becomes dangerous."
It's amazing how the author could recognize the latter, but fail to connect that thinking to views on virginity. I gave this book four stars.
August 30, 2016
I would have given the book a higher rating if it hadn't been for the last chapter. I had no desire to read about all the things ever created using Joan of Arc as the protagonist. Boring. Gordon went a long way in establishing the context surrounding Joan; how Joan fit into society and how that society was created the myth, legend and icon that is Joan of Arc. It very intriguing how an uneducated, religious peasant girl is able to lead the army of France into battle to allow the dauphin Charles to be crowned King, establishing her place in the larger theatre that was 16th century French politics, religion and royalty is fascinating. Nowhere else could it have happened and had Joan not perished the way she did, she would not be the legend and icon she is. The books is not long, and it can be choppy in places, but it is a different kind of biography. Not one of names, dates and places but of the context and historical significance of an individual.
November 6, 2012
This is a good book, but ultimately it is not something spectacular. Mary Gordon does a good job of trying to relate Joan of Arc to a modern audience. But the biography is just too short to be considered anything but a topical look at the life of one of the Catholic Churches oddest saints. She did hear voices from God telling her what to do, but the book almost has you thinking "well, she was crazy, not religious". I don't think this is true, but the material presented is so brief that this image can't help but to be imparted. It does show Joan as a very human character who had strong convictions. Nevertheless, this is one of hte first times I've seen Joan's too human side divulged as she is described as caving into the pressures of her court-room opressors. I do feel I know more about Joan than before reading, but I wanted a little more...
December 19, 2009
Close your eyes and try to think back to when you were nineteen years-old. What did you accomplish in your life up until that point? Whatever it was, it probably doesn't compare to Joan of Arc, the young French girl who left home, became a soldier, led French troops to victory, and then eventually crowned the King of France. And if that wasn't enough, the Catholic Church made her a saint (but that was long after she had died). If your looking for a biography on a historical figure who inspires, then you'll have to read Joan of Arc.
June 17, 2024
What did she look like, anyway? Best guess is that she was a short stocky peasant-type, not the willowy pretty figure that any number of movies have made her out to be. Interesting fact: over 20,000 books about her in the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris - people read themselves into her, mainly that the most unlikely people have tremendous potential in themselves, and so she never goes out of date.
August 26, 2015
I enjoyed this book, but feel like it only skimmed the surface about Joan of Arc. She's still as enigmatic to me now as she was before I read the book. I wish the author had gone a little deeper and actually proposed some explanation as to what was motivating Joan. Or, some would say, what was wrong with Joan. There were theories, but they seemed very disorganized to me. Just a lot of "maybes." But, still, a good read for someone who is just being introduced to Joan of Arc.
October 4, 2017
Quite interesting to read about a young woman, in her teens, who willingly sacrifices her life to defend her Lord. Joan of Arc's desire to fight for her country and for her faith is an early story of a determined young woman who would not be turned back by any man.
Also, quite interesting to learn how entertainment paints very different perspectives of historical figures depending upon their own approach to life.
Also, quite interesting to learn how entertainment paints very different perspectives of historical figures depending upon their own approach to life.
November 26, 2011
More than a chronology of Joan's life, this is more in the form of essays commenting on different aspects of her life and legend. Gordon is an astute and absorbing writer, and this is very enjoyable to anyone who has an interest in the life of Joan of Arc.
April 30, 2014
This book was atypical of my reads, which might explain why I took a while to finish. It had some gems of insight into Joan's life - quotes about Joan that appealed to me. I appreciated the focus on her military experience rather than a drawn out narrative of her childhood.
July 7, 2015
with over twenty thousand works about Joan of Arc it was hard for Gordon to narrow down her focus, especially for such a small volume. I felt I only got a tip of the ice berg into who she really was.
March 28, 2008
Pretty dry and filled with factoids, but what better story is there than Joan of Arc.
August 8, 2022
This "biographical meditation" provides some interesting takes and contextual information regarding various aspects of Joan of Arc's life and subsequent canonization. I think it would be best read as a follow-up to a basic biography of Joan. I had only a vague idea of Joan as a middle-ages warrior in armor who "saved France" but did not really know much else, and I found it very difficult to piece it all together in my mind. There is a chronology, but it is such a detailed list of where Joan was on what date, that I did not find it particularly useful. More useful would have been a cast of major characters and their alliances. Some people, like de la Trémoille, were a little confusing to me - pro-Charles but anti-Joan. All in all, interesting, but not a first-read with regard to learning about Joan of Arc.
October 10, 2023
This was an interesting introduction to Joan of Arc for me, and the “biographical meditation” helped me visualize what Joan’s life may have been like. However, it was sometimes difficult to determine when the author was describing facts or adding her own reflection, especially because there were few historical citations. I appreciated the author‘s effort to include Joan’s virginity in the story because of how important it was to Joan and others in her time, regardless of how virginity is viewed in our current age. The author’s description Catholic Church’s canonization process in the last chapter, especially with respect to Joan, seemed to show either cynicism, or a lack of understanding, or a bit of both, which was not very helpful in my own understanding of this part of Joan’s life and her legacy.
August 15, 2022
This book not only sheds light on the timeline of Joan of Arc, but also explains her relevancy in the culture of the 14th and 21st century. I've always loved Joan of Arc and admired what little I knew of her story. This concise book covers her short life in depth, with interesting details. At times the book is a bit dry, personally I was only interested in Joan's life and her quotes. However it
included relevant information to her life.
The author has a very loud, dominant feminist perspective over Joan. We are certainly told the facts first, and then hear the author's interpretation of the events afterward. I appreciated this take on such an iconic woman in history. This book was a refreshing and interesting, and I felt like I walked away knowing her a little bit better than before.
included relevant information to her life.
The author has a very loud, dominant feminist perspective over Joan. We are certainly told the facts first, and then hear the author's interpretation of the events afterward. I appreciated this take on such an iconic woman in history. This book was a refreshing and interesting, and I felt like I walked away knowing her a little bit better than before.
July 6, 2022
This book is part of the Penguin Lives series. All are fairly short biographies, written by a an author that is not always an historian. Examples are Roy Blount on Robert E Lee and John Keegan on Churchill.
Given all the movies and books on Joan of Arc, I realized that I knew almost nothing about her so I decided this was a good way to get introduced. Surprisingly, I have never seen a movie about Joan of Arc nor read anything. I found the author to be enamored with the subject and found her judgement sometimes to be clouded by this attitude. The book seems to be well grounded in historical research, making frequent reference to the transcriptions of her two trials, the first that condemned her, and the second that posthumously acquitted her. Gordon is clear about how both trials served purposes of the state and church and how that shaped each event.
A good quick introduction, if one is needed.
Given all the movies and books on Joan of Arc, I realized that I knew almost nothing about her so I decided this was a good way to get introduced. Surprisingly, I have never seen a movie about Joan of Arc nor read anything. I found the author to be enamored with the subject and found her judgement sometimes to be clouded by this attitude. The book seems to be well grounded in historical research, making frequent reference to the transcriptions of her two trials, the first that condemned her, and the second that posthumously acquitted her. Gordon is clear about how both trials served purposes of the state and church and how that shaped each event.
A good quick introduction, if one is needed.
February 2, 2022
I found this to be a great, short, easy to read and understand biographical account of one of my favorite Catholic Saints. Many authors get bogged down on all the details, while Mary gives just enough detail to be informative, yet not so much that it takes a flow chart to track everything. It's perfect for a middle grade reader, which is good because I'm a middle school reading instructor and school librarian.
May 18, 2020
A succinct yet probing biography of a woman who definitely wasn't one for forbearance. Via an accessible structure and vivid prose, Gordon paints a striking portrait of Joan of Arc. Gordon's Joan is spiritual and impudent, yet complicated and human. This biography's no hagiography. Instead, it displays the unreal realness that this young French patriot was - warts and all.
July 18, 2019
This book was very well written & easy to read. It covers St. Joan of Arc's entire life, trial, re-trial & canonization. I learn new things about this wonderful, brave, courageous woman of God with every book I read about her & this was no different.
June 10, 2021
great introduction to a lot of the key facts of joan’s life! happy to have read a woman’s perspective first, tho i do agree with some of these other reviews that state that the content of the book, the facts of her life and gordon’s take on them, are unbalanced for such a short book
January 7, 2022
3.5, definitely peaked my interest in the story of Joan. Have my issues with how some of the information was presented and wish it could have been fleshed out more, but for such a small book it was a good introduction.
November 20, 2022
Really complicated book to follow on the life of St. Joan of Arc (Jeanne D'Arc). She is idolized now, but at the time she was only 19 when the British tried her for heresy and burned her. The book is written very complex, it was hard to follow at times. But overall she is a person to read about.
November 8, 2016
It was pretty nice and short, to the point. I liked that. There wasn't too much fluff. It was purely just the story of Joan of Arc. Who's like my hero, so that's cool
Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews