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A review by oatcappuccino
Joan of Arc by Mark Twain
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
💬 'i wished i had been brave enough to be a coward.'
💫 found the final ⅓ way more engaging that the rest of the book because twain was forced to stick to the trial itself. when persecuted, joan was enigmatic and headstrong but the lead up felt so patriachal and condescending in its obsession with characterising her (leader of armies!) as unendingly meek and gentle and docile. even as a warrior she was just a woman taking orders (from god). it makes for a boring character. a shame because i thought the premise of a fictionalised autobiography could be very fun; and joan is such a compelling figure as someone whose execution was not just for heresy or violence but ultimately for the crime of being transmasculine.
💫 i would like to direct your attention to jaonni by kate bush (which i discovered while reading this)
💫 found the final ⅓ way more engaging that the rest of the book because twain was forced to stick to the trial itself. when persecuted, joan was enigmatic and headstrong but the lead up felt so patriachal and condescending in its obsession with characterising her (leader of armies!) as unendingly meek and gentle and docile. even as a warrior she was just a woman taking orders (from god). it makes for a boring character. a shame because i thought the premise of a fictionalised autobiography could be very fun; and joan is such a compelling figure as someone whose execution was not just for heresy or violence but ultimately for the crime of being transmasculine.
💫 i would like to direct your attention to jaonni by kate bush (which i discovered while reading this)