Twenty-eight Artists and Two Saints: Essays

Book Description

From one of our most admired cultural critics (“A marvelous, canny writer”––Terry Castle, London Review of Books), thirty-one essays on some of the most influential artists of our time––writers, dancers, choreographers, sculptors––and two saints of all time, Joan of Arc and Mary Magdalene. Among the people discussed: Italo Svevo, Stefan Zweig, Simone de Beauvoir, Marguerite Yourcenar, Joseph Roth, Vaslav Nijinsky, Lincoln Kirstein, Jerome Robbins, Martha Graham, Bob Fosse, H. L. Mencken, Dorothy Parker, Susan Sontag, and Philip Roth.

What unites the book is Acocella’s interest in the making of art and in the courage, perseverance, and, sometimes, dumb luck that it requires.

Here is Acocella on Primo Levi, a chemist who, after the Nazis failed to kill him, wrote Survival in Auschwitz, the noblest of the camp memoirs, and followed it with twelve more books . . . Hilary Mantel, the aspiring young lawyer stuck on a couch with a chronic and debilitating illness, who asked herself, “What can one do on a couch?” (well, one could write) and went on to become one of England’s premier novelists . . . M. F. K. Fisher, who, numb with grief over her husband’s suicide, dictated to her sister the witty and classic How to Cook a Wolf . . . Marguerite Yourcenar, the victim of a ten-year writer’s block, who found in an old trunk a draft of a forgotten novel and finished the book: Memoirs of Hadrian . . . George Balanchine, who, after losing his family at age nine, survived the Russian Revolution, escaped from the Soviet Union at twenty, was for five years house choreographer for Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, came to the United States with the promise that he could set up a ballet company, and had to wait another fifteen years before being able to establish his extraordinary New York City Ballet . . . And Acocella on Mary Magdalene and Joan of Arc reminds us that saints in the service of their visions–like artists in the creation of their art–draw power from the very blows of fortune that might be expected to defeat them.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful discovery.......2007-08-09

I have greatly enjoyed this selection of essays. Ms. Acocella brings forth what it takes to be an artist in this modern world. Not only that, but she rescues some obscure artists and makes the reader know more about them by providing a glimpse into their lives and work. Ms. Acocella's writing is fluent and makes for easy and entertaining reading as well.

Artistic Essays That Count.......2007-04-10

The essays on modern dance in America are particularly outstanding. Ms. Acocella writes with passion and knowledge. Many of her observations are succint yet sympathetic. They inform the book with a compassion for the individual artist's struggle to define his or her art; something not readily available in much of what passes for criticism these days. Her essay on Marguerite Yourcenar, the French writer who lived in Maine for much of her life, literally jumped off the page for me. No one who reads this book will be disappoited.

An inpiration to all creative people.......2007-03-22

Twenty-eight Artists and Two Saints: Essays.

This book is an inspiration to all creative people who have struggled with themselves and consequently their work. Better than any creative-self-help book, this brilliantly accomplished collection of essays, gives wonderful insights with amusing anecdotes into the live of artists. It is a study in problems that all artists face, whether they are writers, dancers, artists or saints.
About writing this book, the author says:" My concern is the pain that comes with the art-making, interfering with it, and how the artist deals with this......What allows the genius to flower is not neurosis, but its opposite, "ego strength", meaning amongst other things, ordinary Sunday- school virtues, such as tenacity, and above all the ability to survive disappointment."
Amongst the artists she discusses are; Stefan Zweig, Primo Levi, Vaslav Nijinsky, Bob Fosse, Susan Sontag, Louise Bourgeois, Philip Roth, and Joan of Arc -an eclectic selection of gifted and talented people, who through their work, and our contact with them, have contributed in some way, to inspiring our lives.

The creative life sympathetically examined .......2007-02-18

I have read a number of the essays in this collection and found them to be informative, insightful and at times, eye- opening. Acocella often chooses subjects who are not that well known , and who she feels have been neglected. Two of the novelists she writes about here, Joseph Roth and Hilary Mantel were little known to an American audience. But the essays I have read and very much enjoyed are those she has written on Stefan Zweig, and Saul Bellow. I also read with great interest her critical review of a biography on James Joyce's daughter, Lucia, one which Acocella feels makes exaggerated claims for Lucia's influence on her father's work. Another outstanding essay here is the one on Primo Levi who Acocella clearly believes is one of the great moral heroes of the century. Acocella has a real feeling for the struggles involved in the literary and artistic, the creative life. She often reveals a special kind of sympathy with her subject. And this is one of the things which makes her writing, to me anyway, so likeable. One feels the writer herself is a very understanding and considerate person, one whose own creative effort is diligent, caring, and intuitively wise.
I have not read all this collection but from what I have and know of the work of this writer I would recommend it strongly.

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Saint Joan on audio tape
Shaw never misses a chance to make a good point.
Drama Instead of History
Wisdom
Shaw's "Saint Joan"

Saint Joan (Penguin Classics)
George Bernard Shaw
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140437916

Amazon.com

Joan of Arc, born in 1412, was burned at the stake in 1431, canonized by the Catholic Church in 1920, and, like most saints, whitewashed by history. Canonization tends to strip a saint of supposedly un-Christian attributes such as rebelliousness, pride, and intolerance. And Joan, despite having been a stubborn, haughty, naive, even foolish girl, has for much of history been remembered only as a pious martyr. However, George Bernard Shaw's play, Saint Joan, completed in 1925, began the modern rehabilitation of the icon as a fully human, fallible character--not to mention a poster girl for teenage rebellion and feminism. Shaw's Joan, like the real Maid of Orleans, leads the fight to drive the English out of her native France, insists on direct communication with her God instead of submitting to the mediation of Catholic priests, and refuses to dress, speak, or act according to traditional notions of how women were expected to behave. Until the closing scene of Shaw's play, however, neither Joan nor her foes are cast in neatly heroic terms. Both are earnestly pursuing their partial visions of the truth. In the play's famous epilogue, Shaw suggests that even 400 years later, most of us are so limited by our own perspectives that we are unable to tell the difference between a saint and a heretic. "O God that madest this beautiful earth, when will it be ready to receive Thy saints?" Joan asks, preparing for her death. "How long, O Lord, how long?" --Michael Joseph Gross

Book Description

With Saint Joan, Shaw reached the height of his fame as a dramatist. Fascinated by the story of Joan of Arc (canonized in 1920), but unhappy with "the whitewash which disfigures her beyond recognition," he presents a realistic Joan: proud, intolerant, naïve, foolhardy, always brave-a rebel who challenged the conventions and values of her day.

Customer Reviews:

Saint Joan on audio tape.......2007-02-09

Audio recordings of plays are usually done with different actors reading the roles as in a radio play. This is the first time I have listened to a play being read by only one reader. It is not at all the same experience, but better than one might expect. The reader uses a neutral American accent for the French characters, but a slightly British one to differentiate the English characters. There was a recording on Caedmon of the play with Siobhan McKenna repeating her famous performance, but it is not available. (Some libraries still have it on vinyl, but that doesn't help me pass the time while commuting.)

Shaw's play is intriguing, coming as it did so soon after Joan's canonization and Ireland's war for independence ("France for the French"), but there is no denying that is rather untheatrical, save for the climactic scene. Joan confesses to her supposed sins to save her life, but then withdraws the confession, choosing execution and martydom. I had never realized how much Arthur Miller owed to Shaw; I was reminded of the scene in The Crucible when John Proctor confesses to a lie and then recants, preferring an honorable death. These scenes are both based on historical events, of course, but the resemblance in the way they are dramatized is striking nonetheless. Here's a potential trivia topic: How many plays and movies can you think of that use the device of a false confession followed by an even more dramatic retraction?

Shaw never misses a chance to make a good point........2006-02-23

I have seen this performed, I have read it and I have heard it on a tape from Books on Tape for the Blind and Disabled. I loved it every time. I agree fully with Shaw that the Catholic Church has gotten a bad rap over Joan. When you listen to her words she was espousing overt Protestant beliefs -- God can, should and will speak to one person, individually and doesn't require a mediator like the Pope or Mary or any of the saints.

I actually got the most out of this play by hearing it on a tape from Books on Tape for the Blind and Disabled. I was able to speed the tape up and suddenly the wimpy, silly voices of the court officials came out perfectly. The farce inside the tragedy revealed itself clearly.

Shaw is brilliant and astute -- but no one needs me to tell them that!

Drama Instead of History.......2005-12-11

This is George Bernard Shaw's most important work. A successful drama that has enjoyed continuous popularity for nearly eighty years is worth a read. Most audiences find it very satisfying. Shaw has a gift for lucid dialogue that brings a centuries old story to life. This is one of the most approachable of the great English language plays.

Why then does "Saint Joan" fall short of five stars?

Fictional accounts of Joan of Arc's life are numerous and seldom accurate. Shakespeare makes her a witch. Voltaire makes her an idiot. Schiller makes her admirable - and gives her a magical helmet that protects her from harm until she falls in love.

In a rare exception to his usual satirical style, Mark Twain spent months in France researching her life and published a fictional biography. Readers who enjoy accurate historical fiction would do well with Twain's "Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc." Twain considered this - not "Huckleberry Finn" - to be his finest work.

Shaw pays far more attention to accuracy than most fictionalizations. Several lines in the play are Shaw's own translations from her trial transcript. Shaw's long introductory essay aspires to be history as well as drama. Most scholars agree with his assessment of Joan of Arc's socioeconomic background. Shaw acknowledges a few dramatic economies: he combines the historical Jean d'Orleans and Duke Jean d'Alencon into a single character. What causes problems are Shaw's unacknowledged deviations from the factual record.

Shaw argues that Joan of Arc was a forerunner of Protestantism who got a fair trial. Among serious scholars this argument gains no credibility. A surviving letter from the English government that financed the trial guaranteed her execution even if the court found her not guilty. Joan of Arc never rejected the Roman Catholic Church: she rejected the authority of politically biased judges bent on discrediting her and, by inference, on discrediting the king she had crowned. Twenty-four years after her death the Pope reopened the case. The appeals court not only found her innocent but discovered such extensive violations of proper court procedure that it accused the late Bishop Cauchon of heresy.

Shaw's choice works as drama rather than as history yet he advocates it on historical grounds. He might be sincere but he is certainly not honest. To an academic scholar who has explained the facts to umpteen Shaw enthusiasts the difference can be infuriating. This is why "Saint Joan" collects a handful of scathing reviews.

A reader who understands this little shell game with history should have a lively time with the drama. If this is your first reading of "Saint Joan" then I envy you. Nothing quite equals the first encounter.

Wisdom.......2003-12-08

What has most stuck in my mind, many years after having read Shaw's book, is the fact that it's more logical to think of Joan as a protestant saint, instead of Catholic, when one considers how she rejected the Catholic Church's authority and was, naturally, rejected in turn.

He makes a very good point when he says that, right as that Church was to ban her on those grounds, nothing could give it the moral right (or any other right, for that matter) to condemn a woman who disagreed with it on matters of faith. In all fairness, they should have simply excommunicated her and said: "If you think you have a better idea, then you go ahead and create your own Church".

It may be a thoroughly idealistic point of view of course, too democratic for that age (perhaps any age), but nonetheless it strikes me as completely fair.
If you like a club but object to some of its rules, and that club isn't willing to change for your sake, they may have the right to throw you out, just as you may have the right to start a new one on your own - but they shouldn't be given the right to take away your life for having dared to challenge their concepts.

This lesson has stayed with me and I recommend this book for the wisdom it contains.

Shaw's "Saint Joan".......2002-07-02

In one surviving account, Joan of Arc was quoted as saying that her judges were merely putting her on trial because they were members of the pro-English faction and therefore her "capital enemies"; unfortunately, this play tries to claim otherwise. One of Shaw's primary themes is the notion that Pierre Cauchon and Joan's other judges were acting as "sincere" defenders of the Church in their prosecution of her, a view which is contradicted by document after document as well as the above quote from Joan herself. Cauchon and his cronies are well known to historians as having been long-term supporters of the English and Burgundian factions, and the eyewitnesses said repeatedly that they prosecuted Joan out of revenge for the defeats that their side had suffered at the hands of her army, rather than out of any genuine belief that she was guilty of heresy. Cauchon even allowed her to take final communion (which was never done in the case of heretics), indicating that even he didn't truly believe the charges against her. As Shaw was aware, these charges were soundly debunked when the case was appealed after the English were finally driven from Rouen in 1449; and the arguments put forward in this ruling have been confirmed as accurate by experts in medieval theology and canon law, whereas Cauchon's arguments can easily be refuted by consulting medieval theological works - his arguments are, at best, merely distortions of what the medieval Church actually taught. Here are some specific examples which factored prominently in Shaw's play:
- Shaw, like Cauchon, claimed that Joan was guilty of heresy for wearing male clothing allegedly as a personal preference, despite the fact that both of these men were aware of her own statements to the contrary. She was quoted as saying that she wore soldiers' clothing (of a type which had "laces and points" by which the pants and tunic could be securely tied together) primarily to protect herself, as her guards had tried to rape her on several occasions; this reason is also given in some of the 15th century chronicles, along with similar quotes from Joan herself on the need to protect her chastity while surrounded by the men in her army. The medieval Church allowed an exemption in such cases of necessity (read St. Thomas Aquinas' "Summa Theologica", or St. Hildegard's "Scivias", for example): the practice of so-called "cross-dressing" was only condemned if it was done as a preference. Shaw rejects all of the above based on the specious argument that the "other women" who accompanied armies in that era didn't wear such clothing, ignoring the fact that these "other women" were: 1) prostitutes, who wore provocative dresses because they were trying to encourage sexual encounters rather than the opposite; and 2) aristocratic women sometimes were given command of their family's armies in the absence of their husband or son, but these women did not bed down at night among the troops in the field, as Joan often did. Shaw chooses to ignore these circumstances.
- On a somewhat related subject, Shaw tries to portray her as a rebel against "gender norms", again ignoring her own statements and the circumstances of the era. She was quoted by one eyewitness as saying that, quote, "I would rather stay home with my poor mother and spin wool [rather than lead an army]", which hardly sounds like someone who is trying to reject traditional gender roles. When another woman, Catherine de la Rochelle, wanted to get involved, Joan told her to "go home to your husband and tend your household". At no point do we find her making any 'feminist' statements. She was given titular command of an army for the same reason other religious visionaries sometimes were given such a role in that era, not as part of a "feminist crusade".
- Shaw admits that Joan was a devout Catholic and yet claims her as "the first Protestant martyr" - in the same sentence. This seems to be a rather willful contradiction, and the claim of "Protestant tendencies" is merely based, once again, on the old business of accepting Cauchon's claims about her at face value while ignoring the circumstances. If you read the documents you will find that Joan never opposed the Church as a whole: she merely stated her objection to being tried by a panel of pro-English clergy, and repeatedly asked to be given a non-partisan group instead or to be brought before the Pope. It was a violation of Inquisitorial procedure to stack the panel of assessors with people who were pursuing a secular vendetta against the accused: what Cauchon and his cohorts were doing, as Inquisitor Brehal later pointed out during the appeal, was itself an act of heresy. The notion that the medieval Church viewed all Inquisitorial panels as "infallible" and therefore not open to question is just a stereotype, bluntly contradicted by actual medieval theological writings: St. Hildegard, in her 12th century book "Scivias", warns the clergy against judging someone in error or out of anger, as it would be the offending clergy who would be punished for it by God. Joan was perfectly within her rights, even under the rules of the medieval Church, to question her biased judges, and was declared a martyr for Catholicism by Inquisitor Brehal when her execution was declared invalid in 1456. Shaw ignores this. The claim that his play is somehow vindicated by the fact that it was "vetted" by one Catholic (out of the hundreds of millions of Catholics worldwide) is a pointless argument: there are "Catholics" who claim that Joan was having adulterous sex, and all sorts of defamatory allegations. The bottom line is: this play does little more than repeat the slander leveled at Joan by the men who cruelly put her to death, despite the work of generations of scholars to bring a more accurate picture of the issue to light.

Joan: The Mysterious Life of the Heretic Who Became a Saint

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Grace apparent through a teenaged girl
Good, balanced interesting read.
Ultimately Unknowable

Joan: The Mysterious Life of the Heretic Who Became a Saint
Donald Spoto
Manufacturer: HarperOne
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0060815175
Release Date: 2007-02-20

Book Description

During the tumultuous Hundred Years' War between England and France, a teenage peasant girl followed her heart and helped save a nation. A vision from God, received in her parents' garden, instructed her to take up arms and help restore the kingdom of France. Without consulting her family, Joan left home on one of the most remarkable personal quests in history. As a young girl in a world of men, she faced unimaginable odds, yet her belief in her mission propelled her forward. Within months Joan was directing soldiers and bravely fighting for her nation. Before long she had become a national hero and was the guest of honor at her king's coronation. Yet fame ultimately became her undoing. The English shrewdly realized that Joan's demise and defamation would disgrace France and provide a more direct route to victory. Captured in war, Joan became a pawn in one of the longest and bloodiest wars in history.

Since her death at the age of nineteen in 1431, Joan of Arc has maintained a remarkable hold on our collective imagination. She was a teenager of astonishing common sense and a national heroine who led men in battle as a courageous warrior. Yet she was also abandoned by the king whose coronation she secured, betrayed by her countrymen, and sold to the enemy. In this meticulously researched landmark biography, Donald Spoto expertly captures this astonishing life and the times in which she lived. Neither wife nor nun, neither queen nor noblewoman, neither philosopher nor stateswoman, Joan of Arc demonstrates that anyone who follows their heart has the power to change history.

Customer Reviews:

Grace apparent through a teenaged girl.......2007-09-21

Spoto's picture of Joan is of a brave, patriotic, spiritual girl who followed what she believed to be God's will.

His descriptions of her months of loneliness, terror and suffering -- chained in a dark dungeon and nearly starving -- and the disgraceful and dishonest onslaught from her tormentors will touch even a Joan skeptic.

Spoto's message: 1) God is against imperialism; and 2) He often sends the least likely person to do the job (in this case, defending the French nation and culture from English invasion).

Spoto's writing is lively, and he doesn't try to hide his admiration for this teenaged girl or his religious sensibilities. It is not a sermon, though, but an enthralling biography that makes a good introduction to Joan of Arc or adds to the understanding of those whom she continues to fascinate nearly six hundred years after her execution.

Good, balanced interesting read........2007-09-10

Having seen several films on her life, I wanted to know more.
The book explains the Englishes motivation to prosecute her, the wisdom of her responses, her belief in her life purpose/mission and expectation of an afterlife.

Ultimately Unknowable.......2007-08-02

This book disappointed me, but I think it was probably inevitable. I have a lot of respect for Spoto as a celebrity biographer, and as a professional theologian with a Ph.D. in religion, he's got the chops to write Joan's life. And, as he points out, due to the extensive contemporary historical records, including her long interrogation sessions, we probably know more about her life than we do about any of her contemporaries.

So why doesn't the book work for me? I think it is simply that Joan is ultimately unknowable. Much of how you regard her comes from what you think about the "voices" that guided her life -- were they legitimately divine, were they imaginary, were they the product of psychosis? Spoto knows this and spends a substantial amount of time on the voices, but in the end it's just impossible to come to any kind of opinion other than the one you held before you opened the book. And Joan in her testimony, straightforward and occasionally brilliant, is nonetheless opaque. When I finished the book, I felt I knew almost nothing more about her: she was an extraordinarily brave and clear-headed girl who heard voices, led military campaigns that essentially restored the king of France to his throne, and was abandoned by the monarch she returned to power and burned to death by the church that later sanctified her. But who was she, moment to moment? I'm not sure anyone will ever know.

Spoto subtitles the book "The Mysterious Life of the Heretic Who Became a Saint." I'm not certain the mystery is one that can be solved.

Wisdom Distilled from the Daily: Living the Rule of St. Benedict Today

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Life changing
Spirituality at its best
Not that good, there are better
Every once in a while, you find a gem.
An Amazing Amount of Wisdom and Enlightenment

Wisdom Distilled from the Daily: Living the Rule of St. Benedict Today
Joan Chittister
Manufacturer: HarperOne
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060613998

Book Description

Wise and enduring spiritual guidelines for everyday living –– as relevant today as when The Rule was originally conceived by St. Benedict in fifth century Rome.

Customer Reviews:

Life changing.......2007-05-06

I have read and revisited this wonderful book many times. It has changed my view of many subjects. Sr.Joan took me on an unexpected road to examine my life and my work and for that I am very grateful. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is seeking insight into their Christian spirituality.

Spirituality at its best.......2006-06-29

A must-read for those who are interested in living a life infused with spirituality. Readable, fascinating, and sound connections between The Rule of St. Benedict and life in the 21st century.

Not that good, there are better.......2006-05-01

This is not a very good book of Joan Chittister, the book feels dated and the thought patter is scattered. I thought for sure it was written in the early 1970s with the political bent and anti-traditionalist religious life feeling. The references to her young nun life in a community pre-molestation by experiments, is interesting as those are the very communities that are growing. "Sister" Joan has better books; Rule of St. Benedict Insights for the Ages is superior to this particular effort. Look for that book instead.

Every once in a while, you find a gem........2005-11-30

This is one of them. Every page is filled with peace and wisdom. I found this book, of course, "by accident" (that is, by the grace of God) just at the time my extraordinarily holy Catholic parish priest and spiritual director was discerning whether or not to become a Benedictine monk. This book will deepen my life, i'm sure of it. A good companion book, at least for me, is Jean-Pierre de Caussade's "Abandonment to Divine Providence."

An Amazing Amount of Wisdom and Enlightenment.......2005-01-23

The Catholic Church has a tradition of conferring the title of "doctor," upon people posthumorously, who have contributed much to others' learning of faith. The more I read from Joan Chittister, the greater the impression I have that I am reviewing the work of a living doctor.

In regards to one of the reviews that labeled some of the information in the book as slightly dated, I am at a loss for where such a shortcoming occurred. The books deals with the timeles issue of spirituality, and I felt that all of the refferences she made were pertinent to any time, including the present.

In regards for a comment made by a reviewer that referred to Chittister as "Sr. Issues," which implied that she bemoans the status of women, true she mentions situations in which women's lives have obstacles to spirituality, some of which are institutionally impsoed, but no less often than tshe mentions men, and the poor and the rich. And she would be religiously irresponsible if she neglected to cite examples of where people could implement gospel teachings to address some of the social ills or "issues" that our confronts our society today.

In short, this is a book for everyone, to inspire and uplift all readers and to provide guidance to everyone for how to develop a spiritual life. It is full of lucid observations such as her distinction between praying people and spiritual people "There is nothing easier than to lead people down the path of prayer forms without ever asking them what goes on inside them as a result. At the end, consequently it is possible to get a praying person; it is not alwyas possibel to get a spiritual person. Praying people get their prayers in and wait for God somehow miraculously to deliver them from their private deomns. Spiritual people expect the demons. What they look for is a way to find God even there."

The book is written in reference to a Christian document, but the guidelines are not exclusive for Christians. Chittister's view, based on her interpretation of the Rule of St. Benedict, is that spirituality can not be developed in a vacuum, only through prayer, or only through attending church, or only through working with people, but that needs to be honed through balancing all aspects of life.

Balance is the key. She elaborates on different facets of life that one should listen to and conduct attentively in order to realize enlightenment. She does not offer exact perscriptions for what dosage of each component a person needs, because the requirements depend on a person's individual situation and needs.

Among these components are daily spiritual reading ("lectio") with an attitude of seeking "not so much and attempt to know God in history or Jesus in Israel as much as it is an attempt to know God in my life and Jesus in me;" contemplation, as "not a vacation from life.Contemplation is the pursuit of meaning...Those who find the will of God every where and feel the presence of God any where are the real contemplatives;" spiritual prayer; applying the gospel to all decisions in life such as what you buy and how your work; developing a sense of community with your neighbors, your colleagues and your family(a key center piece of which is a family meal).

Benedictine spirituality focuses much on interactions of people with each other and their environemt; listening to God's voice and learning to recognize it in every one you meet, and every event that occurs. It is an ideal framework for people today who do not live as hermits because it is based on the idea of a members of a community receiving reinforcement from the group for their weeknesses and sharing their strengths with the group. A community can be found any where.

I found the book beautiful and inspiring and would recommend it to any one who is looking for a resource that will help them with spiritual growth and the art of discerning God's voice. The tone is easy and converstional, and provides a flexible blue print for the pursuit of spirituality in any type of life style.

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An Astounding Story
Mark Twain brings Saint Joan to life!
Beautiful and haunting
unexpected pleasure
What do you believe?

Joan of Arc
Mark Twain
Manufacturer: Ignatius Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0898702682

Book Description

Very few people know that Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) wrote a major work on Joan of Arc. Still fewer know that he considered it not only his most important but also his best work. He spent twelve years in research and many months in France doing archival work and then made several attempts until he felt he finally had the story he wanted to tell. He reached his conclusion about Joan's unique place in history only after studying in detail accounts written by both sides, the French and the English. Because of Mark Twain's antipathy to institutional religion, one might expect an anti-Catholic bias toward Joan or at least toward the bishops and theologians who condemned her. Instead one finds a remarkably accurate biography of the life and mission of Joan of Arc told by one of this country's greatest storytellers. The very fact that Mark Twain wrote this book and wrote it the way he did is a powerful testimony to the attractive power of the Catholic Church's saints. This is a book that really will inform and inspire.

Customer Reviews:

An Astounding Story.......2007-08-10

This is one of Mark Twain's best books, in my estimation. It was the last book he wrote. He also wrote it under an assumed name, for fear that his reputation as a humorist would detract from the seriousness with which he hoped his readers would approach the topic. Moreover, it is a highly spiritual book written by a self-described atheist.

The book is narrated by Joan's aide-de-camp, and childhood friend, as an old man telling a story to his grandchildren. And what a story he tells. Of the transformation of a poor village girl into the military savior of France from the English invasion, while hardly more than a child. A transformation which not only resulted in the military hero of the century, but which is at its center based on Joan's love for God and trust in his miracle. My book buddy Marcia Makepeace read Joan of Arc, as her 21st book, in this the 30th day of our 60 day readathon. I'm close behind with 18, reading furiously in San Francisco.

Mark Twain brings Saint Joan to life!.......2007-07-17

The master storyteller, Mark Twain, used his immense talent to create this fictionalized account of Saint Joan's life. Even though it is fiction, it is still very historically accurate and stays true to the story of Saint Joan of Arc. Because it is fiction, Twain is able to bring out Saint Joan's personality in a way that reminds us that she was a beautiful, vibrant, passionate young woman who sacrificed everything to serve God and save her country

I think the very fact that Twain would even choose to write a biography about Saint Joan is a further testament to her greatness. Twain was personal friends with U.S. Grant and could much more easily have written a biography about him. He also lived at a time when some of the greatest military leaders ever lived like Lee, Jackson, etc., so if all he had been looking for was a famous military leader he could have also chosen one of them. Obviously, he was looking for someone even greater to write about. I think his own words probably explain why he chose Saint Joan when he said that: "She was perhaps the only entirely unselfish person whose name has a place in profane history."

Whether you are a Saint Joan devotee or not I think you will enjoy reading this book. It is well written and easy to read and covers one of the greatest stories in world history. If you already know about the life of Saint Joan, I also think you will end up loving this account because of the way Twain brings her to life. Definitely one of the best of all the biographies written about Saint Joan of Arc and considered by Twain himself to be his greatest work. Five stars are probably not enough.

Beautiful and haunting.......2007-04-27

How amazing it is to find the usually sardonic, faithless Twain so moved to write a work as glorifying, uplifting and devoted as this novel! In fact, I read this book just to find out what Twain's angle might be. There is no angle, no slant to the story.

It is told in beautiful and moving prose, with Twain using his skills to their utmost, proving by eyewitness the sanctity and goodness of a peasant girl raised to the level of a saint by the blessing of God. Twain, inspired, is quite unmatched in his use of imagery and emotional appeal. The novel is quite stunning in places.

On a historical note, though the words Joan speaks and the events are true, Twain takes liberty with minor characters and their lives in order to follow Joan more closely and give some much-needed comic relief.

Also, on the flip side of the story of the beautifully pure maiden turned warrior, is an indictment against the church who allowed an archbishop to carry out an evil scheme in order to further his own career, and against the King of France who failed to save the girl who saved him.

I will never forget this story, or the faith and courage of Joan of Arc that shone so brightly against the corruption and sin of the church in that age. I am so glad I read this novel.

unexpected pleasure.......2007-02-21

Obviously the public didn't approve of this when it was released as it went against the grain of Twain's previous works. If you are a history maniac as I am, you will appreciate the effort Twain has taken to combine a novel with historical facts. The fact that this book is the first to use the actual transcript of the trial of Joan is a feat in and unto itself. Sit back and enjoy Twain's effort and learn about a fascinating personal history...

What do you believe?.......2007-01-13

Reviews of this work seem to split. Some call it a quite boring book, expecting perhaps something more akin to Twain's more famous writing. Others consider it excellent storytelling and a tribute to the famous saint and symbol. The 800 pound gorilla on the couch that no one seems to mention, however, is the religious nature of the narrative. Do you or do you not accept that Joan was visited and guided by angels? If you do, then the story holds together wonderfully as a tribute to the purity of spirit of Joan. If you don't accept the angelic visions and visitations, the story comes off as an unbelievable fawning over the young woman. In other words, what you make of the book may largely depend on what you bring to it. Twain's characteristic humor and irony come through in a few careful places, showing the unmistakeable skill and intelligence of the author. While wonderfully writtena and excellent storytelling, this is a very different read than most of Twain's other work.

The Rule of Benedict: Insights for the Ages (Crossroad Spiritual Legacy Series)

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St. Benedict For Today
INSIGHTFUL TRANSLATION AND INTERPRETATION BY ONE OF AMERICA'S MOST PROLIFIC BENEDICTINE WRITERS
Rule of Benedict: Insights for the Ages
The Best
A great book for...everyone

The Rule of Benedict: Insights for the Ages (Crossroad Spiritual Legacy Series)
Sister Joan Chittister OSB
Manufacturer: Crossroad Classic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0824525035

Book Description

The Benedictine way is the spirituality of the twenty-first century because it deals with issues facing us now--stewardship, relationships, authority, community, balance, work, simplicity, and prayer. --From the Introduction

Customer Reviews:

St. Benedict For Today.......2007-05-13

An excellent resource for anyone who wants to apply the Rule of St. Benedict, written in the 6th century, to today.

INSIGHTFUL TRANSLATION AND INTERPRETATION BY ONE OF AMERICA'S MOST PROLIFIC BENEDICTINE WRITERS.......2007-03-24

I am grateful this gentle text includes the traditional calendar of readings by which Benedictine houses around the world read our Rule through three times a year.

I am grateful Sister Joan presents so graciously her interpretation of each reading based upon her personal living and study of the rule for so long, an experience and wisdom which fills so much of her many courageous and brilliant Benedictine writings.

I am grateful for the great English translation of the immortal and ancient Rule which is included here, a translation which renders this simple rule comprehensible to us in our present situation of an alienated, individualized, selfish and secular nation where this holy and devoted and committed and avowed way of life seems so alien.

I am grateful each day to pray in this way with the strength and wisdom which ever flows from Sister Joan. For instance, this Sunday's reading of Chapter 45 included this commentary:

"Those who pray without knowing what they pray," Maimon Ben Joseph wrote, "do not pray." If anything, this chapter requires us to ask even to this day how it is that we can hear the Scripture but never study it, pray prayers but never contemplate the universal implications of them, go through rituals but never immerse ourselves in their meaning. How is it that we too pray without thinking, pray carelessly, pray poorly, or pray without thought? (p. 129)

Please join us in prayer in peace, that we may all together come home to the Kingdom, as Our Holy Father Saint Benedict writes in his Rule and desires for us all.

This Rule is welcome in any household. Read it at dinner with your own community this night, and each evening as the readings are ordered. We have so much to learn from this healing and holy Rule, of humility, holiness, submission, reading, work and prayer.

Rule of Benedict: Insights for the Ages.......2007-01-14

This an excellent book that has gem after gem of reflections about living a holy life. St. Benedict's words are quoted in original text (written more than a thousand years ago), and Joan Chittister's reflections give this text new insights and meaning relevant for today's world. We used it as a study book for a Christian Women's group. We started out highlighting words or phrases that "spoke" to us and ended up highlighting most of the Ms. Chittister's text!

The Best.......2005-10-12

By far one of the best and most honest writers we have today in the Catholic Church. If you are interested in becoming enlightened this is a writer to follow. Along with her books she also writes weekly for the Catholic Reporter.

A great book for...everyone.......2005-08-31

I was a sceptic of this book when a book store employee said he took issue with the authors translation. But after reading it and comparing with another translation of the rule, I found that Chittister is right on. She explains the rule as a relevent work and uses examples from other cultures to display the rule's universal appeal. I strongly recommend this book for everyone who wishes for direction and perspective in life.

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Not just a book for kids....
Joan of Arc
Diane Stanley does it again!
Wonderful for kids
A role model for girls

Joan of Arc

Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0064437485

Book Description

Against the fascinating tapestry of Frances history during the Hundred Years' War, Diane Stanley unfolds the story of the simple thirteen-year-old village girl who in Just a few years would lead France to independence from English rule, and thus become a symbol of France's national pride. It is a story of vision and bravery, fierce determination, and tragic martyrdom. Diane Stanley's extraordinary gift to present historical information in an accessible and child-friendly format has never been more impressive, nor her skillful, beautifully realized illustrations (here imitating medieval illuminated manuscripts) more exquisite.

Customer Reviews:

Not just a book for kids...........2006-05-09

Once again, Diane Stanley has brought intriguing facts and interesting tidbits to a book about a well known character, Joan of Arc, which makes the reader interested and excited about the subject, no matter what age he or she might be. Joan was born an illiterate, peasant daughter of a leader in a French village during the time of the Hundred Years War between France and England. She was highly disciplined in Catholicism, and was often teased about it by her friends. At the age of thirteen, Joan began having visions, while in the family garden, of various Catholic Saints giving her distressing messages and that she needed to act in order to save the French Kingdom. Joan was so convinced and moved by these visions that she took on a life long task of saving the French kingdom, although a woman doing this would have been unheard of at the time. She was eventually captured by the Burgundies that occupied Northern France and handed over to the English for a ransom. She was put on trial by the church for dressing in men's clothing and for acting on her voices and visitations which should have only been heard by members of the clergy. She was found guilty, although she gave clever testimony and was not easily disrupted by tricky questioning, and eventually burned at the stake. Charles, the ruler that Joan help restore to the crown, made it his personal mission to have Joan's trial declared a mistrial sixteen years after her death. This act fueled by his guilt for not negotiating for her release from prison helped her to be declared a saint five hundred years later.
This book helps the reader realize that although Joan my have appeared unstable with her visions in modern times, she brought hope and life to a battle that was hopeless leaving many French residents in despair. A note at the end of the book indicates that there have been three theories behind Joan's visions, depending on where one's personal beliefs lie.
Included within the book are pronunciations of French names and places and a map, so the reader can follow the path taken by Joan. This book provides interesting and understandable information for readers of all ages, including adults that want a short but informative look into Joan of Arc's life.

Joan of Arc.......2005-05-14

Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc should be recommended for teens 13-16. I thought it was kind of hard to understand because I got 60% on this Accelerated Reader test. I didn't understand the Crowning of the Kings and Princesses very well. I would rate this a 6/10 in a rating.
It taught me about how some people can get so sick of things that you would do anything to save your country. This book is cool because of the pictures of the war.

Diane Stanley does it again!.......2002-04-12

A beautiful book! Diane Stanley carefully traces the life of Joan from her humble beginnings to her tragic end. The book even comes with a pronunciation guide to help those of us who haven't been to France. Although the language is at 8+ year old range, my 5 year old daughter loves it anyway!

Wonderful for kids.......2001-06-04

Not only was this an accurate portrayal of Joan of Arc's story, it was wonderfully written and illustrated. I would recommend it for anyone who is starting out in learning of the saint. It is educational and enjoyable for a child.

A role model for girls.......2001-01-12

This is a beautiful book that I purchased for a seven year old girl. I am a medievalist and the depictions in this book of the clothing, etc. are true to fact. The next copy I buy will be for myself as I collect good children's books on medieval times. Every year I publish of list of children's book on this time period that I recommend in our group's newsletter and this book is high on the list.

The Incorruptibles: A Study of the Incorruption of the Bodies of Various Catholic Saints and Beati

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Absolutely Amazing and Inspiring
Fascinating
Heart-breaking!!!!!!
Even for the skeptic an interesting study
You Will Be Amazed.

The Incorruptibles: A Study of the Incorruption of the Bodies of Various Catholic Saints and Beati
Joan Carroll Cruz
Manufacturer: Tan Books & Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0895550660

Customer Reviews:

Absolutely Amazing and Inspiring.......2005-12-30

This is an incredible book! It is extremely well researched and very thorough. I was not at all familiar with this phenomenon until I bought this book, and I found it so fascinating.

The book goes through all the [surprisingly] many Saints whose bodies have remained incorrupt - it tells a bit about their lives and about their burials. It details the finding of their bodies incorrupt and the current state of the bodies. Mrs. Cruz goes into some detail on the science behind what makes this phenomenon so utterly amazing [and obviously of Supernatural origins], but she does it in a way that remains interesting and easy to understand.

This book is very faithful to the teachings of the Catholic faith and I found it incredibly faith strengthening. I think it would be difficult to maintain doubt when faced with such compelling evidence.

This book is almost 30 years old now. I would LOVE to see a revision with better photography and some information on how the incorruptibles may have been investigated with modern scientific measures.

Regardless, this is a fantastic book that I highly recommend to every Catholic and anyone else who is interested.

Fascinating.......2005-11-07

This is an excellent book. I have had the grace to see first hand two of the incorruptibles whose stories are detailed here by Joan Carrol Cruz (Saint Catherine Laboure and St. Bernadette Soubirous), and not even this wonderful book can prepare you for the experience.

While her research is sound, even first rate, Cruz has an easy to read prose that does not descend to the dry and academic. Although Cruz's style is reverent, at times even bordering on devotional, this is an excellent book for Catholic and non-Catholic alike, skeptic and believer.

Heart-breaking!!!!!!.......2005-07-30

If it does not break your heart, you need self-examination. Badly. To see proof of God and his love and promises to this degree, is such a gift of love. PLEASE get this book if you've EVER had doubts about eternal life or the resurrection of the dead on the last day. What a wonderful, quiet little gift from our father...that says "I keep my promises".

Even for the skeptic an interesting study.......2005-06-06

This is quite an amazing book and one of my favorites. I personally believe it is bad science to try prove or disprove religious truths and religion is still smarting from trying to use religion to dispute scientific truths. That being said this book in a way makes for an exception to that adage.

The book is about the saints and the beatified whose bodies have not decayed and whether you are a religious person or not I think you will find it a quite interesting phenomena.

The book starts by discussing the natural decay of buried flesh, mummification and certain natural conditions (such as in peat bogs) in which the bodies of the dead will be preserved.

After this discussion Cruz presents a case by case study of the bodies of the saints and the beatified who escaped corruption despite the conditions in which they were buried. With each case there is a brief biography of the individual.

The number of cases in which the bodies of saints escaped decay is actually very remarkable.
Included in the book are some astounding photographs.

A very thought provoking read.

Jim Connell "Hallstatt Prince"

You Will Be Amazed........2003-06-09

You Will Be Amazed.
"The Incorruptibles" by Joan Carroll Cruz, Tan Books and Publishers, Rockford, Illinois,

On the very first page of her introduction, Joan Cruz specifies that she understands that she is treating a very special case in the preservation of the bodies of saints. First, she notes that there are three classifications of preserved bodies: (1) deliberately preserved, (2) accidentally preserved and (3) the incorruptibles. Ancient Egyptian mummies are probably the most familiar examples of deliberately preserved bodies; many of us have seen them in various museums. In her introduction, Ms. Cruz presents more details than most of us want to know about the modern techniques of embalming and its impact on the body of the deceased.
(Pages 27 to 32).

Accidentally preserved bodies include the more or less well known cases of bodies found in peat bogs in Denmark, Ireland and Scotland (page 32). Ms. Cruz presents the interesting case of Bremen Cathedral, Germany, where the cellar burial place tends to mummify any body left there. Experiments were run using the bodies of animals or fowls, hung in the open-windowed cellar, and the bodies of these animals became mummified.

The incorruptibles, however, are those bodies which have been preserved only since Christian times and their preservation is ..."even more baffling..." since it "...seems to be neither dependent upon the manner of burial nor on the temperature or place of interment". Joan Cruz makes a case for the intervention of God as a sign of favor to His saints. The mystery is "...further compounded ... (with) ...the observance of blood and clear oils" which flow from these incorruptibles. (Page 27). Her introduction to the book is a clear and pressing statement as to why the 100+ cases she presents are different from mummifying the bodies or from accidental preservation.

After her excellent introduction, Joan Cruz then presents, in chronological order, slightly more than a hundred documented cases of individuals whose bodies had been preserved from corruption after their death. In many of the cases, she provides photographs of the dead bodies, with, perhaps, the most striking and the most beautiful being that of the nun and saint, St. Bernadette Soubirous, (1844-1879), whose body has been preserved intact, "...without embalming or other artificial means", since 1879. This is a wonderful book, which will make anyone think again on his mortality, if the book is read with an open mind.

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Good collection by a master of wit

a great collection

A fabulous collection of perhaps Twain's very best works!

Mark Twain : Historical Romances : The Prince and the Pauper / A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court / Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc (Library of America)
Mark Twain , and Samuel Clemens
Manufacturer: Library of America
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Mark Twain : Mississippi Writings : Tom Sawyer, Life on the Mississippi, Huckleberry Finn, Pudd'nhead Wilson (Library of America)

Twain: The Gilded Age and Later Novels: The Gilded Age / The American Claimant / Tom Sawyer Abroad / Tom Sawyer, Detective / No. 44, The Mysterious Stranger (Library of America)

Twain: Collected Tales, Sketches, Speeches, and Essays: Volume 2: 1891-1910 (Library of America)

The Innocents Abroad: or, The New Pilgrims' Progress (Modern Library Classics)

Herman Melville : Pierre, Israel Potter, The Piazza Tales, The Confidence-Man, Tales, Billy Budd (Library of America)

ASIN: 0940450828

Customer Reviews:

Good collection by a master of wit.......2002-05-10

Huck Finn, I could take or leave. Conn Yankee is among my favorit e classics. Joan of Arc---better than other interpretations of
warrior women. I recommend this collection and "Damsel in the Rough" by Ann M. Tempesta.

a great collection.......1999-06-23

for fans who wish there were another Huck Finn or Tom Sawyer, you will find Mark Twain's 'joan of arc' just as beautifully written as his more famous 'prince an the pauper' and 'connecticut yankee'. for catholics, 'joan of arc' is even more of a must read, a stunning proof how this great saint has captured the hearts of so many, regardless of their skepticism or creed. Library of America editions are beautifully bound, lightweight, and readable. here they contain the two most famous of his non-mississippi writings with a gem most of us never knew existed. a keepsake for the decades.

A fabulous collection of perhaps Twain's very best works!.......1999-02-20

This collection contains my 2 childhood and all-time Twain favorites - Prince & Pauper, and Connecticut Yankee - and added the magical ingredient of a historical romance I never knew Twain had written - Joan of Arc. Now that I have read this as well, I see that it may be even better than the other two!

The wry sense of humor characteristic of Twain definitely is most in evidence in CT Yankee. All 3 of these works deliver Twain's wide understanding of human nature in different times and sociological conditions, and his admiration of human nobility and greatness of heart in adversity. Joan of Arc unquestionably is the most inspiring of these tales, being the story of the greatest hero (or heroine). The Prince and the Pauper, however, remains a jewel of an adventure story, which any child can identify with, and learn from.

Book Description

This is the tale of the pleasures and challenges that Bill and Joan F. Harrington experienced as they followed their dream of retirement on the island of St. Kitts in the West Indies. Ignoring traditional retirement spots in the United States, they built their picture-book home on the cliffs overlooking the Caribbean.

The warmth, friendliness and humor of the islanders provided a wealth of stories to tell. They also found the history of the island especially intriguing, since they discovered closer ties to their own country than they realized. If you are considering retirement, you can learn from their experiences. Caribbean island life is an interesting option to explore.

Customer Reviews:

Live De Life: Caribbean Island Style.......2007-05-13

Book was boring!!!!!! Can't believe I finished it. Great idea for a book, but author spent too much time telling history or talking (on and on) about people from the island. Was expecting more adventures.

Don't Bother.......2005-07-25

There are a lot of good books out there on island life, island living, moving to and sailing around Caribbean islands. Unfortunately, this isn't one of them. I was variously angry and astonished at Harrington's attitude and seeming obliviousness to her own ignorance. An upper-middle-class American couple transplants its lifestyle and sensibilities to a Caribbean island? So what? I'm left wondering why they bothered, and why I bothered buying this book.

Live de life: Caribbean Island Style.......2005-07-15

Excellent book!!

My family is from St. Kitts and it brought back lots of memories.

Highly recommend it to anyone that is interested in buying a property in St. Kitts.

Adventurous and Inspiring.......2003-10-04

Highly recommended! This entertaining and educational read is like getting a private tour of the magical island of St. Kitts. It's full of personality, spirit and humor. Read and you'll be recommending it!

Discover St. Kitts.......2003-08-22

Anyone interested in the Caribbean will enjoy this book. Beautifully written, it explores the magnificence of St. Kitts and captures the spirit and soul of the island's people. Personal experiences and fascinating anecdotes provide colorful examples of "de life."

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