Force or Fragility? Simone Weil and Two Faces of Joan of Arc

“Pirruccello begins the chapter with a discussion of Weil’s search for “skillful models of spirituality.” Following a brief biographical sketch of Weil, she turns to a discussion of Weil’s reflections on Joan of Arc. She first considers Weil’s critical reflections on the view of Joan of Arc in popular culture in wartime France. She then turns to Weil’s comparison of the story of Joan of Arc to that of Arjuna in the Bhagavad-Gita and Weil’s identification of what she feels to be the critical difference between them. Pirruccello goes on to consider Weil’s alternative reading of the story of Joan of Arc and the positive aspects it could contribute to a model of skillful spirituality. In so doing, Pirrucello offers an interesting discussion of Weil’s historical methodology and its contribution to her reflections on France, especially in The Need for Roots.” (Source here).

in Ann W. Astell & Bonnie Wheeler, eds., Joan of Arc and Spirituality, Palgrave Macmillan (2004), pp. 267-281.

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