The Maid of Orleans
7 hrs. 47 min.
Description
One of Voltaire’s highest literary achievements, the satirical poem “The Maid of Orleans” is devoted to the events of the Hundred Years’ War and the figure of Joan of Arc. Voltaire dismantles the sweet and hypocritical legend of the Orléans girl as a chosen one of the heavens, creating a devastating satire aimed at the Church, religion, and the clergy. Parodically playing with the motif of miraculous power allegedly arising from Joan’s purity and innocence—which supposedly became the guarantee of her victory over the English—Voltaire pushes this idea to the absurd: the plot is built on the fact that Joan’s maiden honor becomes the object of attacks and cunning plots by France’s enemies. The author brings onto the pages of the poem a whole gallery of corrupt, lying, self-serving clergymen of various ranks—from archbishops down to a simple monk. In his poem, Joan is a rosy-cheeked tavern serving girl with powerful fists—capable of defending her honor and sending enemies fleeing on the battlefield.
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