Happy November, friends. I hope you and your families are safe and well. Last month, I wrote an article for the Wall Street Journal on five of my favorite books about “unsung women.” By “unsung” I do not mean “forgotten.” “Forgotten” implies the women in question were once known, either celebrated or notorious, but have been lost to the mists of time. These books, however, feature women ordinary for their time and place, never famous (though they were sometimes linked to famous men). Most were not even known at all beyond their families — in the most painful and heartrending story, they were hardly known even to blood kin. And yet, historians have found ways to excavate their stories from the archives.
Natalie Zemon Davis's work was so fundamental to my increased love of history, especially of lesser-known and "everyday" women. I read The Return of Martin Guerre in my undergrad history program, then watched the movie, and I was so enraptured by Bertrande's life and choices -- and how, as you describe, Davis gently guides the reader to understand Bertrande as a person by the choices she made. When I heard of her passing I thought I should re-read the book (and watch the film) and this post reminded me I really should!
Natalie Zemon Davis's work was so fundamental to my increased love of history, especially of lesser-known and "everyday" women. I read The Return of Martin Guerre in my undergrad history program, then watched the movie, and I was so enraptured by Bertrande's life and choices -- and how, as you describe, Davis gently guides the reader to understand Bertrande as a person by the choices she made. When I heard of her passing I thought I should re-read the book (and watch the film) and this post reminded me I really should!
I too now want to return to NZD's works. Her immersive yet light prose style takes you gently by the hand to places that are hard to forget.