History

Over the years, the topics of history and culture have become typical subject matters in different genres of novels. This can be because of the perceived lacklustering of such concepts. A lot of authors could have though incorporating these topics to novels will put them in a more interesting light. One good example of a fiction work which delves on the subject matters of history and culture is Natalie Zemon Davis Th Return of Martin Guerre. In a lot of ways, this novel may appear interestingly different from other works that employ the themes of history and culture as it incorporates more reversals in the storyline and surprising twists of scene. By 1941, more contemporary approaches on the historic trial of Martin Guerre were not yet existent. Most people knew about such a tale as a simple account of history. However, when Janet Lewis finally published a novel about it which was entitled, the Wife of Martin Guerre, a lot of remakes and versions of the story was then produced. Natalie Zemon Davis adaptation is one of the best adaptations which came later on. And in 1982, after several attempts of reviving Guerres tale in stage plays, a film entitled, Le Retour de Martin Guerre (The Return of Martin Guerre) was finally produced under the direction of Daniel Vigne. Over the years, a lot of critics have communicated how praiseworthy these adaptations have been in terms of presenting the value of studying culture and history. Thus, the objective of this discussion shall then focus on analyzing and explicating the significance of the text and film adaptations of the tale of Martin Guerres return.

The Plot
The film and the text versions of the story basically revolved on the same plot. Martin Guerre is a considerably known personage in the town of Artigat in France. In the 1500s, he was married to a fair lady, Bertrande de Rols. Most of the arranged marriages during this period of French history were done in order to provide the family of the lady a better future. And as to Martin and Bertrandes marriage, this was also the case. After enriching his marriage to Bertrande for ten years, in 1548, Martin decides to depart the town. As he left, he also left behind his wife who was then doomed to shoulder the obligation of taking care of their child alone. He also left behind his family, his identity as a citizen of Artigat, and the past that he once has been part of. This is when the most interesting part of the story rises. By 1556, Martin Guerre finally returns to his town and to his family. Martin was welcomes with glee and open arms, and the town rejoiced for his comeback. However, it is revealed to the readers of the text and to the viewers of the film that indeed, this Martin Guerre was actually a fraud. Despite the intriguing fact that the new Martin seemed to remember everything about the real Martins past, some of the most identifying aspects of Martins individuality, like his physique and shoe size appeared different. However, the new Martin appeared to be better than the real Martin Guerre in a lot of ways. For one, the new Martin appeared to be a better father and a more caring husband to Bertrande. He also appeared more thoughtful towards his family and neighbors. However the greatest exposition in the story finally unfolds when the new Martin developed a conflict with the real Martins uncle, Pierre. Because of Pierres irritation, he accused Martin of being an impostor and he pushed through a court trial which can prove that the person who returned was actually a fraud. In this excerpt, Martins wife, Bertrande tries to contemplate on the situation and seek possible answers how the alleged impostor was able to steal her husbands identity.

Did the two runaways ever meet befor Arnaud du Tilh decided to impersonate Martien Guerre In her complaint to the judge of Rieux, Bertrande de Rols said that they might have known each other as fellow soldiers  and the said du Tilh, as is plausible, could have accompanied the said Marti to war, under pretext of friendship, heard from him numerous private and particular things about himself and his wife  a suggestion that led Coras to write an annotation of friendship and betrayal. 1
Martins trial starts and everybody in town became so intrigued and curious whether or not the person they were dealing with was actually an impostor. The court trial proceeds however, it caught the attention of the real Martin Guerre. This made the real Martin to go back to his hometown and face his impostor. At such an event, the new Martin who was then revealed as Arnaud de Tilh 1 confessed to his deed and he punished to death. Although this part of the story appears to be the greatest exposition, in both the text and film versions, this also appears to be the most dramatic part. Despite how well and warm the new Martin was welcomed by the real Martins family, they had to let him go and see him be hanged and burn in order to erase totally his memory from the records of Artigat.

Historical Analysis
Both versions followed the same flow of events. Aside from this, both versions were also able to present the historical bearing of the story. The trial of Arnaud du Tilh was one of the most interesting and intriguing in the history of the French court inquisition. A lot of people were intrigued by the fact that a man was able to come in a small town while carrying somebody elses identity. Soon after the court proceedings, Jean de Coras, one of the judges who hear the hearings decided to reveal an account of the trial. This account provided an extensive and detailed retelling of Martin Guerres feat. This was later on tagged as the Arrest Memorable. But as years passed a lot of other accounts were also revealed, such as Histoire Admirable dun Faux and Suppos Mary, which is a shorter version of the story of Martin Guerre. There have been several versions of the story aside from this, and all held a significant historical value. This historical value was eventually realized by the history-enthusiast, Natalie Zemon Davis. She collected the several pieces information and historic account about the trial of Arnaud du Tilh. Davis was doing this while the film, Le Retour de Martin Guerre was being produced. However, when the film was done, Davis realized that a better approach could have been employed. She realized that instead of looking merely on historic accounts, it would be best to look deep into the characters motives and intentions. Davis admits that the historical value of Martin Guerres tale is incontestably interesting however, she thought exploring deeper into the character thoughts and motives could create a better and stronger influence on the viewers emotions and thoughts. This line of reasoning appears to be very significant in studying history. As what can be observed in most renditions of historical tales, focusing on emotions, intents and motives was only typically done for the aristocrats. Considering that these people were usually the ones who had greater impacts to the society through scholarly works, arts and literature, subjects delving on their works and bibliographies were usually the only ones treated with deeper analysis and scrutiny. On the other hand, tales about ordinary people were usually treated plainly. Insufficient focus on the intents and motives of the character were done, and seldom are the depths of these characters emotions and thoughts explored. This was Davis main point in portraying the story of Martin Guerre. However it can be observed that both film and text addressed this issue. One thing which clearly sets this work apart from other historical accounts is the preference of the author and the director to feature the inner motives and thoughts of each character, which definitely added some sense of interest on the readers and viewers ends.

Effectiveness of the Mediums in Depicting A Historical Account
Although both stories followed the same flow of the story, it can clearly be observed that both mediums displayed certain limitation when it comes to depicting the historical value of the story.

Firstly, the text version will definitely appear more tiresome to deal with. Over the years, the general impression on historical tales and novels as tiresome materials has never changed. This can also be one of the primary reasons why a lot of people would not prefer learning about Martin Guerres history through the text version. However its advantage is on the extensiveness of discussion and exposition, especially from different characters perspectives. In the film version, the airtime or length of the film itself is the main limitation. Not all aspects of the case were presented considering the limited amount of time allotted for each scene. However, in the text version, it can be observed that the author had a considerable extent of liberty to extensively discuss and explicate the thoughts of each character involved in the case. Through this, readers are also allowed to read more about the real insights and thoughts of every concerned and involved individual in the case.  However, although more extensive information was presented through the text version of the story, it cannot be denied that the film version offers the more convincing depiction of Martin Guerres story. Some aspects of storytelling -- such as describing the town where Martin grew up, describing each characters personality and appearance, as well as describing the more intricate details such as the characters behavior, attitude, and emotions  were obviously ineffectively portrayed in the text version. In studying history and culture, these aspects of a story are significant elements to consider since they reveal a specific commonality among the characters which can also be a way to identify a certain kind of culture. As the text version of the story failed o depicts these elements clearly, the film version definitely succeeded in doing so. It is quite incontestable that human beings are naturally visual creatures. Understanding and learning become more achievable through the aid of visual materials. This is the basic reason why the film version appears to be more effective that the text version in terms of depicting the more detailed aspects of the story. Through the film version, the viewers were more easily stirred and moved by the actions, emotions and behavior by the characters as they are able to perceive them as if the historical scenes are actually happening again.

However, when studying and teaching the historical value of the tale of Martin Guerre, both mediums may serve different purposes. If the film version effectively presents the stirring and captivating quality of the story, it may fall short in presenting the more significant and valuable historical aspects, such as the significance of Arnaud du Tilhs case and the kind of justice system imposed during that time. It is possible that the film version would delve to much of the aesthetic and emotional appeal of the story rather than addressing the historical significance of the events. On the other hand, since the text version is limited to portray the story through written information only, the retelling becomes more factual and extensive in terms of data. Considering this, in the context of determining which medium to effectively use in teaching history, it can be inferred that the written medium must still be favored over film. Although it has been mentioned earlier that human beings learn better through visual aids, it can nonetheless be assumed that films have the tendency to focus on the more visual and emotional appeal of stories instead of the statistical and factual elements of history. Although the characters and their thoughts and motives are important elements in studying history as well, it is still important to note that the study of history still rests on facts and data. Visuals and special effects may be very helpful tools in enriching students interest in history however, when speaking about the amount of information and facts the need to be taught, it is incontestable that the written medium still serves the more effective function.

After having viewed the film version and read the written version of the film, it can be inferred that although both mediums were able to clearly present the interesting tale of Martin Guerre, the written version still appears more helpful in presenting the more historically academic aspects of the tale. Although the film media may appear very effective in communicating the visual aspects of the story, it must nonetheless be taken into consideration that history is still all about facts and information.