audiobook The Return of Martin Guerre by Natalie Zemon Davis in History

Review

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Identity Theft in 16th Century and Frailty of MemoryBy Ugur AkinciA fascinating story of deception; identity theft; and vagaries of memory.The time is 16th century. Place: Artigat; a small village in Languedoc; just south of modern-day Toulouse. Martin Guerre is the son of a peasant family who migrated to France from Spain's Basque region. Martin marries Bertrande. But after having a child; 24-year old Martin first steals grain from his own father (a vile act with serious consequences back then) and then runs away from his village for a life of adventure in Spain. His place is soon taken by Arnaud du Tilh; an audacious liar from nearby Sajas; who shows up at Artigat claiming he's the long-gone Martin Guerre.This is of course a story that cannot take place in the era of Facebook and Internet databases. But back then no villager has any photos taken or paintings made. No one actually has a firm description of the original Martin. Even though he is not as tall and thin as the Martin the Original; Martin's four sisters testify that the stocky Arnaud is indeed their lost brother. Go figure.That may be hard to believe but what to make of Bertrande who accepts the fake Martin as her real husband and admits him to her bed to give birth to his children? Can a woman's memory get that frail within such a short period of time? Or did she talk herself into that relationship thinking she can back out of it anytime she wanted by claiming she was deceived? We'll never know.What we know for sure is; Bertrande and the Fake Martin build for themselves a stable and almost exemplary marriage which lasts three years. The honeymoon ends when hubris rears its ugly head. The Fake Martin feels so confident in his new skin that he tries to sue Pierre Guerre (Martin's uncle) over property rights and inheritance. That's when Pierre; who is already suspicious of the Fake Martin's identity; sues Arnaud for identity and property theft; which can be punished by death.At the trial; the Fake Martin defends himself with remarkable vigor thanks to his prodigious memory. He quotes so many correct details about his past relationship with the Artigat residents that some judges start to think he might be the real Martin Guerre. That's when the real Martin; who has lost a leg in a battle while serving the Spanish King; shows up at the doorsteps of the courthouse in Toulouse and declares himself.At the end; Arnaud cannot maintain the facade to the bitter end and is forced to get down on his knees and admit his crime. After a public hanging; his body is burned to erase his memory for eternity.What's fascinating to me is the seriousness with which a 16th century French court approached the lawsuit. The judges listened to hundreds of witnesses and tried every method they could think of to trip the Fake Martin and force him to reveal himself. If you're one of those who think that modern monogamy is an invention of the Victorian era; it's instructive to read that in 16th century France; the punishment for adultery was death. The mad courage of an impostor to take on a whole village and the mental energy he brings to the job at hand at the risk of death is nothing short of fascinating. No wonder the story was made into a movie; starring the lantern-jawed Gerard Depardieu.As I was reading this story I was amazed at the professional discipline with which the lawyers and judges of the time have handled this case. Reputations were on the line since the French judges were already an autonomous body of professionals back then with careers to build and images to protect. They were in competition with one another for glory and cash. That much is certain. But they were also struggling with the technical details such as interrogating the suspects; recording testimonies; deciding on how to use one testimony against another; sifting out motivations and contributing factors; thinking and weighing all the different possibilities; etc.; all the while trying to stay within the bounds of the law. The author lifts the dusty covers of an opaque past and treats us to an illuminating look at what perhaps Max Weber would've called the "bureaucratization" of the judiciary process.Another reason why I was enamored by this book is the way it portrays in rich detail the unnerving frailty of human memory; the way our memories are bent out of shape for a long list of reasons. Memory is identity. If we can't trust our memories; how can we trust our identities? How can we trust a court testimony or a simple recollection when not one; not two; but FOUR sisters bear false testimony about the way their very own brother looked; walked; and spoke? Can such a thing happen in our own society today? I hesitate to say "no".A great and easy read. A page turner and a thriller that you can finish in a single day. Highly recommended.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A great snippet of 16th century French lifeBy ....Really good; informative book. As the summary notes; this is a non-fiction book detailing the disappearance of Martin Guerre in 16th centruy France; the assumption of Martin Guerre's identity by another man; and the subsequent trial. What made this book interesting was the discussion not only of the facts pertaining to the case but how the author delves into the customs; beliefs; and socio-economic systems that were in place during that time period in order to give a fuller picture of why and how this event happened. Also noted were how the story survived through the Ages and the variations those subsequent stories took compared to what we actually know happen based on records.Readers should make note that there are some French phrases sprinkled throughout that are not translated. I did not mind terribly since I speak it a little but others might find it annoying.The one thing I didn't like was the size of the book. It was bigger than your average-sized paper book which made it seem juvenile.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Return of Martin GuerreBy ZenDogsThis is a classic. If you don't know it; you should.