Deborah A. Fraioli - Joan of Arc: The Early Debate

Joan of Arc arrived at the French court claiming to be sent by God to come to the aid of the dauphin Charles. Most studies of Joan focus on her political expediency, but the starting point of this book is her assertion that she was sent by God: it is the first real exploration of the application of the Catholic doctrine of discretio spirituum(the discernment of spirits) to her case, and of her reception as a visionary woman. The author examines contemporary theological documents which show genuine debate about Joans mission and whether she was diabolically or divinely inspired, also taking into account the two major literary works dealing with her, Christine de Pizans Ditie de Jehanne dArc and Martin Le Francs Le champion des dames, as well as Joans own letter to the English. Appendices offer translations of pertinent Latin and French texts. Professor DEBORAH FRAIOLI teaches inthe Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at Simmons College, Boston.