Reviews
I was not expecting the format to be the way it was, and was just sadly disappointed by the writing.
"But even my father's cattle had more freedom. While my brothers went to war, I sewed and burned with rage. My dress was a red silence, a hemmed and homespun cage." (24) This book combines two things I really like--poetry, and the story of Joan of Arc. I keep writing in the former, and admired the latter's courage to go and liberate Orleans from the English and to get the dauphin crowned. I was also piqued by her martyrdom at the hands of the church; it almost gives credence to the phrase "the light which burns twice as brightly also burns for half as long". David Eliot does this by telling through the story of Joan through medieval-style poetry, ranging from ballades to the triolet. While stylizing it through, he adds the fire slowly consuming Joan with repeated "I burn I burn I burn, my darling...", and primary sources from both trials on Joan's personality. As I was already familiar with her life, I haven't learned much through Eliot's language. In terms of the poems that come out of it, I really enjoyed them and they tell their own points of view, and he works his way through the different forms. There's Saint Michael's ballade, in which he starts out with "They say I'm a saint. But are there such things?" (39), playing with the idea of being a saint and Joan's claims she heard his voice. Another standout is "The Crown", which starts with "That which is seen may not be true..." (44) While worn on the heads of others, it is also a hint of what power beckons. One of the major themes of the book was how Joan subverted the status quo of her time, and how her critics tried to use it against her. There's a substantial contrast between the Jacques d'Arc poem, who "sometimes saw a spark in her eye: the spark of ambition. It would ruin her life and the name and reputation of her father" (50), versus Joan who had her own desires and vowed to always remain a virgin. This is paramount with those who are in power, especially where we get closer to the end and her interrogators tell her to confess. It's also shown through two poems, "The Needle", and "The Sword". The former focuses on what Joan did as a child, and noted how she was a warrior even with it. Whereas the latter is more manly, claiming it is "Both tongue and phallus, I am a sword, an instrument of men, a blade conceived in fire and thrust in malice" (66). She yields both well, though we clearly can see which one aligns with her the most. One of the most intriguing poems is Saint Margaret, where she states, "I put my faith in fire." (165) A pretty strong statement, which aligns with what Joan would eventually meet. With "Flames are devoted. Once they start their urgent work...they won't depart until they've kept their word", I was startled, because of the handover to God Margaret acts upon. It's as if Joan cannot escape her fate, and that she should bear it with the best of her courage. I find it every intriguing, though I would just be as frightened. If you want to go in depth into Joan's world, I suggest you find a non-fiction book, because this only goes into the surface on what's going on her life. On the other hand, if you like going into the person's mind, this is an interesting book--especially for you poets out there! And those who believe in doing the right thing, no matter what.
It’s clear that David Elliott is a talented writer, but he was the wrong person to write this book. When will male authors realize that an uber-feminist approach is actually, anti-woman? What was the point in girlbossifying Joan of Arc? Did Elliott even do any research into WHO Joan was? Seems to me, he only knows of the events surrounding her life, not the truth of her. What possessed him to essentially omit, talk down on, and almost poke fun at Joan’s religiousness? Joan of Arc was incredibly devout. But Elliott seems to think that makes her less awe-worthy. Men, please stop projecting what you think it means to be a strong woman onto LITERAL REAL WOMEN WHO EXISTED AND THAT WE KNOW KINDA A LOT ABOUT. A woman should have written this book. This was a pretty bad reflection of who Joan was as a woman.
This was a quick but unique read!
