It was a delight to read Jessie Childs’ review of Joan of Arc: a History by Helen Castor (Books, 25 October), infused with an understanding of the time in which Joan lived.Often forgotten is the remarkable effect she has had upon drama, literature and music in the modern age. Shakespeare, promoting the English imperium of the Elizabethan age, dismissed her as a witch. However, the Irishman George Bernard Shaw’s play of 1923 about her was his greatest box office success.In 1978 the remarkably versatile voice of Barbara Dickson accorded Joan a song on the successful album Sweet Oasis, reflecting the complexity of this saint. The author of Schindler’s List, the Australian Thomas Keneally, has crafted a powerful novel about her. This invokes the image of a girl developing fr