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Secondary sourceSpeechOctober 1913

The Story of Joan of Arc the Witch-Saint

M. M. Mangasarian · October 1913

A 1913 lecture by rationalist speaker M. M. Mangasarian, printed in The Rationalist, that presents Joan of Arc as a 'witch-saint'. It is a later, contested interpretation of her life.

Shows how a 1913 rationalist speaker reinterpreted Joan as a 'witch-saint', one of many later views of the figure.

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About this source

What it is

This is a lecture by M. M. Mangasarian, a lecturer of the Independent Religious Society, printed in the October 1913 issue of The Rationalist. Its title calls Joan of Arc the 'witch-saint'. It was written centuries after her lifetime, long after the Roman Catholic Church had made her a saint.

Why it matters

Mangasarian was a rationalist writer, so his account reflects his own critical view of religion and of Joan's saintly reputation. The curator marks it as a contested interpretation, so it should be read as one person's argument rather than a neutral record. Comparing it with earlier and later accounts shows how different groups have judged Joan over time.

Look closer

  • What does the word 'witch' in the title suggest about the author's view of Joan?
  • Who was this lecture written for, and what did its society want readers to believe?
  • What might an account from 1913 leave out about Joan's life and her own words?

This speech is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Joan of Arc on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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