The Return of Martin Guerre
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The Return of Martin Guerre
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Narrated by:
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Sarah Mollo-Christensen
About this listen
The Inventive Peasant Arnaud du Tilh had almost persuaded the learned judges at the Parlement of Toulouse, when on a summer's day in 1560 a man swaggered into the court on a wooden leg, denounced Arnaud, and reestablished his claim to the identity, property, and wife of Martin Guerre.
The astonishing case captured the imagination of the Continent. Natalie Zemon Davis reconstructs the lives of ordinary people, in a sparkling way that reveals the hidden attachments and sensibilities of nonliterate 16th-century villagers.
We learn what happens when common people get involved in the workings of the criminal courts in the ancient regime, and how judges struggle to decide who a man was in the days before fingerprints and photographs. We sense the secret affinity between the eloquent men of law and the honey-tongued village impostor, a rare identification across class lines.
Deftly written to please both the general public and specialists, The Return of Martin Guerre will interest those who want to know more about ordinary families and especially women of the past, and about the creation of literary legends. It is a remarkable psychological narrative about where self-fashioning stops and lying begins.
©1983 The President and Fellows of Harvard College (P)2018 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about The Return of Martin Guerre
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Roly
- 09-11-24
Absorbing
This is an historical and academic account of the return of MG. Not a surprise that this unusual event, generated a movie – which I need to see again - and that it was recognized at the time by the lawyers and judges as being sufficiently remarkable to be recorded in detail. Description of the social structure, cultural values and justice system in 16thC France was incredibly interesting.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Karen
- 01-02-24
Extraordinary
What a strange compelling story . All true and documented. I enjoyed the interpretations the author made.
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