Justine's Story

"Justine's Story" was the tale of a Hauserkinder in late 18th century Somerset. It was recorded by Foucault in his book Madness and Civilisation.

The multiple eyewitness accounts of her life differed regarding her name and age, so Foucault simply called her "Justine". She was adopted by a family in a small farming village near Taunton, but she spoke in tongues, and she frequently tried escaping by bewitching her adopted family with "heresy" and a "pagan spirit". Nonetheless, they forced her to attend church.

Foucalt suggested that, had she been born a century earlier, Justine would have certainly been burned as a witch. At one instance she was even displayed as entertainment to a gullible businessman from Bristol. Observers described guiltlessly how, despite the frequent sexual assaults on Justine by her owners, they always kept her virginity intact, as if it were a holy obligation.

Justine began carving strange symbols into her forearm, which Foucault explained as an attempt at a Creole alphabet. Perhaps summoned by the symbols, a mysterious visitor arrived in the town. She was described by a local schoolmaster as a "fine lady of noble birth", though the town drunk noticed that she had "the head of a skeleton". The next morning, Justine had disappeared. (PROSE: The Book of the War)