Joan of Arc: The Image of Female HeroismJoan has a unique role in Western imagination--she is one of the few true female heroes. Marina Warner uses her superb historical and literary skills to move beyond conventional biography and to capture the essence of Joan of Arc, both as she lived in her own time and as she has "grown" in the human imagination over the five centuries since her death. She has examined the court documents from Joan of Arc's 1431 Inquisition trial for heresy and woven the facts together with an analysis of the histories, biographies, plays, and paintings and sculptures that have appeared over time to honor this heroine and symbol of France's nationhood. Warner shows how the few facts that are known about the woman Joan have been shaped to suit the aims of those who have chosen her as their hero. The book places Joan in the context of the mythology of the female hero and takes note of her historical antecedents, both pagan and Christian and the role she has played up to the present as the embodiment of an ideal, whether as Amazon, saint, child of nature, or personification of virtue. |
Contents
PROLOGUE | 3 |
MAID OF FRANCE | 13 |
A DIVIDED REALM | 32 |
THE KING AND HIS CROWN | 53 |
PROPHET | 77 |
HARLOT OF THE ARMAGNACS | 96 |
HERETIC | 117 |
IDEAL ANDROGYNE | 139 |
KNIGHT | 159 |
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Common terms and phrases
22 February Action Française Amazon angel appears armour arms battle beautiful bishop Bourgeois Burgundian Cauchon century CHAPTER Charles VII Charles's chastity Chinon chivalry Christ Christian Christine de Pisan Church claim Compiègne contemporary court crown cult Dauphin death declared divine Domremy Douglas Murray duke of Burgundy Dunois enemies English evidence father female feminine France French gave girl God's Guillaume heard Henry Henry VI heroine holy Hordal Ibid innocence inspired Jean Jeanne d'Arc Jeanne d'Arc Paris Joan of Arc Joan's John the Fearless judges king knight later living London Lorraine Louis Maid male dress March Margaret Mary medieval never noble Orleans painted Penthesilea Pernoud Pierre poem political prison prophecy prophet Pucelle rehabilitation Retrial Rheims Rouen Saint Catherine seen sexual siege soldiers spirit story sword tells tion Tisset-Lanhers told tradition trans transvestism Valois Vaucouleurs victory village virgin virtue visions voices witch woman women wrote