• A Peasant Maid Against the World": Regine Pernoud and Marie Veronique Clin's
  Joan of Arc: Her Story

-Madeleine Glaser

Writing about Joan of Arc in the year 1429, the writer Alain Chartier said, "Behold her there, she who does not seem to have come from any place in the world, but to have been sent from heaven to raise up the head and the shoulders of a Gaul beaten down into the earth . . ." (71).

From a fresh historical perspective, Regine Pernoud and Marie Veronique Clin present a biography of Joan, one of the world's most famous Christian women saints. Beginning in media res, the story unfolds during the year of Joan of Arc's calling to lead the French to victory at Orleans and subsequently to escort Charles VII to Reims for his coronation as rightful king of France. Relying solely on extant records, such as letters and court testimonies and records, the writers narrate Joan's story without the customary myth and legend often attributed to those who die a martyr's death. This historical approach makes her story compelling. Her life as soldier for France, her arrest and trial, her execution, and the nullification trial of 30 years later, all attest to the remarkable life of this courageous young peasant woman.

Pernoud and Clin structure the story in three sections: the narrative of Joan's life, biographical sketches of her contemporaries, and current historical questions and disputes. The vision of Pernoud sets aside fiction and myth and tells the story based on historical documentation of primary data. Thus, this biography appeals to a wide audience. Students of history, followers of famous Christian women, and readers who love reading true stories about remarkable people will appreciate the compelling facts about Joan's short but dramatic life story.

The biography gains its strength from its documented sources, and the background of the historical data pulls the reader into the story. At the end, I felt that I knew Joan of Arc in a way that would not be possible through any other means. Set in the historical context of the Hundred Years War and the Great Schism of the Roman Catholic church, this is a story within a story. Joan's destiny unfolds during a time of political intrigue, war, and church politics all woven together within the circumstances and culture of the day. In that light, Joan became a victim of her times. She followed the directive of her God and never gave up her faith . Dying with the words of her savior on her lips, she left an indelible mark on Christian history.

Joan's story begins in the spring of 1429 at the age of 17, as she begins her campaign to see Charles crowned king. It ends two years later on May 30, 1431, as she is burned at the stake. It took another 478 years to beatify her and another 5 years to canonize. Such is the slow wheel of time after the fact. History moves on, times change, and those who are left must right the wrongs of previous generations.

Joan's allegiance to a higher moral order other than that imposed by kings and prelates makes her life unique. She maintained throughout the two years of her military campaign and trial that she answered only to God. Only a small percentage of the world's people possess the faith and courage to disobey earthly rulers and obey a higher spiritual order. For Joan, that order was God. Most people believe that to obey the law is what we must do because it stands in place of God's law and is based on God's law. Joan heard God's command issued through deceased saints who spoke to her alone, and for her, the voices represented God's will for her life and her country. For a young woman living in medieval France, her conviction testifies to a remarkable spiritual maturity. This book contains many surprising revelations while clarifying and dispelling many myths about Joan's life and death. Joan once said, "Better today than tomorrow, better tomorrow than later" (19). This is how she lived her vision for her country and her God. Joan's story in the 21st century remains an inspiring legacy for Christians who live in a world that continually challenges us to hold on to and maintain our faith against tremendous odds.

Pernoud, Regine and Marie Veronique Clin.   Joan of Arc: Her Story.   Trans.& Rev. Jeremy duQuesnay Adams.   Ed. Bonnie Wheeler.   New York: St. Martins Press, 1998.

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