The Song at the Scaffold

by Gertrud von le Fort

Book Overview

"The point of departure for my creation was not primarily the destiny of the sixteen Carmelites of Compi?gne but the figure of the young Blanche. . . . Born in the profound horror of a time darkened by the signs of destiny, this figure arose before me in some way as the embodiment of the mortal agony of an era going totally to its ruin."
-Gertrud von le Fort

Set during the French Revolution, this classic novella is based on the...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1586175254
• ISBN13: 9781586175252
• Release Date: October 2011
• Publisher: Ignatius Press
• Length: 104 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.2" x 7.9"
• Age Range: 5 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 7

Customer Reviews

To Quench the Terror

I purchased this slender volume on a whim, when I read a scant aside from Saint Edith Stein (Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross) that it had helped to make the Carmelite Order better known. I really cannot recommend it highly enough. Based on a true story of a convent of Carmelite nuns who faced the persecution of all religious orders during the Reign of Terror in 18th Century France, it is a wonderfully written, brief, to the point, contemplation of what it means to make a deep sacrifice for one's faith. In addition to this little novel, the same story has been treated as an opera by Poulenc, titled "The Dialogue of the Carmelites".

An inspiring novel

This novel is set in the French Revolution. Blanche, the main character, is fictional, but the basic story is true. Some Carmelite nuns were guillotined during Robespierre's Reign of Terror, and shortly after that Robespierre was overthrown and executed. The relatively moderate five man Directory came to power, and the Reign of Terror ended.

Romantic and spiritual review of the story of Compiègne nuns

Probably the best book never created about the Compiègne nuns. Far above from the Bernanos interpretation.

A book about the nature of courage and fear

The true story of the Carmelite nuns beheaded during the last few days of the French Revolution. The heroine, Blanche, is the only fictional member of the history. The story questions the nature of extreme sensitivity and morbid fear in the face of the French Revolution and questions whether such fear is a matter of shame or a gift from God.