Joan is not a person admired by France "since ancient times". It wasn't until the narrative logic of modern nationality began to take shape in the 19th century that Joan gradually established her status as a national symbol and became a number of French citizens from different regions in history. "The emotional sustenance of the imagined community.
The rise of the image of Joan of Arc in the 19th century actually shows the process of France's move towards a modern nation-state.
Joan of Arc did not always have the fame it is today. In the 16-17 centuries after her death, although the legend of this girl of Lorraine has not been interrupted, at that time Joan was only one of many heroic stories in French history. , Has not reached the status of the national symbol we see today, and at that time the debate about Joan of Arc has already appeared. Some people think that the authenticity of the shepherdess is "bravery than any man in ancient Rome." Some people think that she is just "A tool created by the French court", however, in any case, the different views related to Joan at this time did not carry political implications.
Unlike many people’s imagination, after entering the enlightenment and era in the 18th century, Joan’s historical image has been greatly reduced . Voltaire even considered Joan to be just “an unfortunate female idiot” in the famous "Dictionary of Philosophy." This is because in the Age of Enlightenment, people’s understanding of the Middle Ages was full of disdain and contempt, and they regarded it as the "dark Middle Ages" (in fact, today’s people’s understanding of the Middle Ages is largely derived from this kind of enlightenment. Narrative). On the other hand, Joan's personal image not only has a distinctive supernatural color, but also is loyal to the Holy See and defended the monarchy. For the enlightened philosophers, criticizing Joan has also become important for criticizing the Catholic Church and even criticizing the old system. Way . This was also inherited by subsequent revolutionaries. May 8 is the anniversary of the rescue of Orleans. Orleans has commemorated Joan of Arc every year for 300 years. In 1793, the most intense revolution, the revolutionaries terminated this anniversary. It was not until Napoleon restored it in 1802, and it was from the time of Napoleon that Joan of Arc's status began to rise rapidly.
Throughout the 19th century, Joan of Arc had four different images: Catholic saints, daughters of the people, heroes who fought against aggression, and symbols of the French nation. Behind these different memories of Joan are the tears of the 19th century. France . What’s interesting is that perhaps because of the enlightenment philosophers’ hostility towards Joan, the Catholic Church who burned Joan to death took advantage of the image of Joan more actively . They assigned all guilt to the British bishop Kexiong, which meant that Profoundly pointed out that "Kechon is the pioneer of Voltaire, the most obvious and thorough desecrator of our national honor." In the centenary of Voltaire's death in 1878, this conflict was further amplified and the Catholics organized A large number of protests, Voltaire’s supporters also organized anti-protest marches, but at the same time they also presented a crown of flowers to Joan of Arc: "To the girl of Lorraine, to the heroine of France, to the clericalism The victim.” Another interesting fact is that Voltaire satirized Joan of Arc’s "Girl of Orleans" was repeatedly published 125 times between 1755 and 1835, but only 13 times between 1835 and 1881. This It all shows that the explanation of Joan of Arc belonging to Voltaire has been eliminated.
Of course, for the republicans, they would not hand over Joan to the church. They reinterpreted Joan’s miracle. Of course, this time it would not be as rude as Voltaire. They looked at Joan’s call. It is a kind of visual and auditory hallucinations in medicine, and more importantly, with Michelet's "History of France", the Republicans gave Joan of Arc a new historical image . In Michelet’s writings, the French people are the founders of the motherland and the creators of the national community, while Joan is the noble incarnation of the people. He is the daughter of the people . Therefore, although Joan still sings the old stories, she She already possesses the qualities of republicanism, and she belongs to the future. After entering the second half of the 19th century, socialism separated from the liberals into independent forces. They interpreted Joan more radically , thinking that the qualities of Joan came from the bottom. He sympathized with the peasant brothers and declared that "Jan is Ours, we don’t want anyone to touch her."
Unlike the radical left, the republicans who had been classified as centrist at that time hoped to adopt a more moderate interpretation of Joan and portray it as a symbol of national reconciliation that transcends partisanship , and his most important promotion This is the founder of the Third Republic, Gambit, and the two most important methods of this movement are to establish a national Joan of Arc and canonize Joan. For the Catholic Church, they are also willing to accept this. This kind of reconciliation , the Pope has long persuaded Catholics to join the Republic and spread the voice of God within the Republic, and the canonization of Joan of Arc just provided an opportunity for Rome to repair its relationship with the "eldest daughter of the church." These two goals were finally achieved in 1920. "On this day, all French people will be united in a warm and useful community. Joan of Arc does not belong to a certain party, he belongs to France."
Republicans who wanted to Joan of Arc as a symbol of the country and nation, but they forget that the 19th century has parted ways Republic and the nation in the era of the Revolution, on behalf of the national revolution, republican, representing freedom, equality, fraternity, but at 19 In the century, the French nation represented nationalism . An interesting fact is that in the first half of the 19th century, the number of visitors to the "House of Joan of Arc" in Joan's hometown often reflects the international situation. There was an increase in the number of their messages, such as "You must not let the British be strong in France!" This kind of nationalism increased sharply after the defeat in 1870-1871, and the Dreyfus case became nationalist. Climax, in this process, Joan was even portrayed as a tool of anti-Semitism . In the narrative of the nationalists, Joan is from the countryside and the Jews are wandering around; Joan is a symbol of purity, and the Jews "provide a powerful driving force for prostitution"; Joan is a symbol of the motherland, and the Jews are trying to divide France; Virtue is the flower of a higher race, while Jews are an inferior nation.
After entering the 20th century, the debate about Joan of Arc has not stopped. Pétain and de Gaulle have both used Joan to compare themselves with him. In the Algerian War, Joan was still a nationalist argument, but at this time some people began to argue: "If she After coming back, she will obviously stand on the side of the rebels." Even in the process of promoting European integration, the French actively promoted the image of Joan. "Jan of Arc once helped us unify France, and now she will help us build the future of Europe. "However, it is undeniable that from the initial conflict between the revolutionaries and the Catholic Church to the tearing of the left and the right, in the struggle and interpretation of different parties, the respect and love for Joan has been deeply integrated into the memory of this nation. , Joan of Arc began to become this torn France, one of the few consensus , Joan, became a symbol of the French nation. The rising process of Joan of Arc's image is synchronizing with the formation of the French nation-state.
So why is Joan of Arc? Perhaps it is because the beautiful character contained in her can satisfy the imagination of every Frenchman , as stated in the proposal for the establishment of Joan of Arc in 1920: “Every Frenchman, regardless of his religious, political and philosophical views, has an inner heart. There is no respect for Joan. If you are Catholics, then he is a martyr; if you are a monarch, then he is the heroine who crowned the descendants of Saint Louis; for the Republicans, he is the child of the people. ; For the socialists, she was sent to comfort the poor. All parties can invoke Joan, but he surpasses all parties, and no one can take her as his own."
Joan of Arc was forgotten and diminished in a long period of time, and suddenly turned into a national symbol, which actually embodies France's journey towards a modern nation-state. In the old system, France did not need symbols. His only symbols were the king and the royal family. Therefore, Joan of Arc, together with other heroes in French history, was chanted by bards. After the revolution, the new France The determination to completely break with the old system. In the process, the symbols of New France were quickly created. Some of them were creations of the revolutionary era, such as July 14th, such as the Marseilles, such as "freedom, equality, fraternity", and some were revolutionary. The transformation of the classical era, such as Hercules in ancient Greek mythology, such as the Senate in ancient Rome, but there are also some legends that are familiar to every French in the old system era, such as Joan of Arc.
Therefore, the reason why Joan of Arc was forgotten at the beginning was because France in the dynasty system did not need a symbol; the revolutionary age of Joan was hostile because he was a product of the old system; and the 19th century Joan was elevated to a nation. Symbol, because her image and legend can satisfy the French national imagination to the greatest extent . In the beginning, the different memories of Joan of Arc contained the conflict between republicans and Catholics. After the reconciliation of Catholicism and the Republic, socialism and nationalism tore France in both the left and right directions, but no matter what Everyone admits that the kind girl from Lorraine has become a symbol of the French nation. After the hustle and bustle of nationalism passed, Jeanne, and all the memories related to her, became part of the French nation.
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