What is the title of Mark Twain's 1896 novel set in Joan of Arc's time?
Answer
Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc
Answer
Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc
Mark Twain's 1896 novel set in Joan of Arc's time is Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc.
The historical novel presents itself as the memoir of Sieur Louis de Conte, a fictionalized version of Joan's page and companion. It follows her childhood in Domrémy, her military leadership for Charles VII, and her trial and martyrdom in Rouen. Twain divided the story into three broad sections reflecting those stages.
The book was serialized anonymously in Harper's Magazine beginning in 1895. Twain feared that readers would expect his usual comedy and would not take a solemn historical subject seriously. Harper & Brothers published the book edition under his name in 1896. He researched Joan's life extensively and drew on historical studies and trial records, although the novel includes invented scenes and dialogue.
A common mix-up is treating this as a conventional biography. It is historical fiction, narrated through a fictional witness. Twain nevertheless regarded it as his finest book, despite its very different tone from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Aug. 2026