The prefaces are far better than the plays themselves. ( )

Shaw takes up the tale of "Joan of Arc, a village girl from the Vosges,...born about 1412, burnt for heresy, Witchcraft, and sorcery in 1431; rehabilitated after a fashion in 1456; designated venerable in 1904; declared Blessed in 1908; and finally canonized in 1920. She is the most notable Warrior Saint in the Christian Calendar, and the queerest fish among the eccentric worthies of the Middle Ages." Shaw was a protestant Irish Socialist and, thus his version is greatly freer in concept and interpretation than can be found in either French, or Catholic writers. While not a completely objective portrait, it is engaging, and highlights Joan's anti-clerical and feminist sides. Well worth the reading. I did not read this reprint but it probably has an interesting introduction as well as Shaw's origina; preface to this work. ( )

A Chronicle Play in Six Scenes and an Epilogue, George Bernard Shaw Saint Joan is a play by George Bernard Shaw about 15th century French military figure Joan of Arc. Premiering in 1923, three years after her canonization by the Roman Catholic Church, the play dramatises what is known of her life based on the substantial records of her trial.

Like many others have posted. I am not a big fan of reading plays, but this one had me from the start. ( )

Saint Joan dates from the mid 1920s and is still performed. It makes good holiday season theater. I listened to the 1966 Caedmon recording starring Irish actress Siobhán McKenna in her signature role. It's pretty good though strange to hear a French peasant girl talking like a wee lassie. Shaw does a good job showing the power she held over powerful men, something the histories struggle to convey. The charisma and conviction are heady stuff. Elizabeth Holmes and Therenoes comes to mind, an anti-Saint dressed as Steve Jobs. Well this is not a difficult play it is entertaining and very well performed by McKenna and there are dozens of other notable Joans to choose from. ( )