Mark Twain’s novel “Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc” , the masterpiece of American literature that most people have never heard of, opens on a scene of Paris at the turn of the 15th century which is frightening but perhaps familiar. It is a time of lawlessness, social unrest, and plague. It is a time when wolves roam freely through the streets, consuming the victims of mob violence and disease, and funerals are held under cover of night to prevent spreading panic. In a word, it is a time when Paris—and indeed, all of France—is in crisis.
Enchantment in a Time of Crisis
Enchantment in a Time of Crisis
Enchantment in a Time of Crisis
Mark Twain’s novel “Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc” , the masterpiece of American literature that most people have never heard of, opens on a scene of Paris at the turn of the 15th century which is frightening but perhaps familiar. It is a time of lawlessness, social unrest, and plague. It is a time when wolves roam freely through the streets, consuming the victims of mob violence and disease, and funerals are held under cover of night to prevent spreading panic. In a word, it is a time when Paris—and indeed, all of France—is in crisis.