Even within her short lifetime, Joan of Arc was already becoming a legend. This book traces how her story has been continually retold—casting her at different times as hero, monster, and saint—and shows why, six centuries on, she remains a powerful icon, especially in France.
Excerpt:
This study explores the creation and influence of this unique legacy that began to take shape in her own lifetime, without ever forgetting that a real person lived behind the icon she became. To appreciate the long and intertwined history of the two, a chronological approach is adopted here, with the first chapters focusing on contemporary treatment of Joan of Arc, before turning to the multiple Johannic revivals that have kept her memory alive for centuries.
Who is this book for?
Joan of Arc remains a popular subject among history lovers, and while this is not the first study to examine her enduring legacy, it carries the story right up to the present day. An appendix includes a letter written during Joan’s lifetime, offering another glimpse of how powerful the aura of the Maid already was. Readers interested in Joan of Arc will want this book, as will anyone exploring medievalism more broadly.
Joan of Arc: The Life of a French Cultural Icon
By Deborah McGrady
The Boydell Press
ISBN: 978-1-78327-775-9
Even within her short lifetime, Joan of Arc was already becoming a legend. This book traces how her story has been continually retold—casting her at different times as hero, monster, and saint—and shows why, six centuries on, she remains a powerful icon, especially in France.
Excerpt:
This study explores the creation and influence of this unique legacy that began to take shape in her own lifetime, without ever forgetting that a real person lived behind the icon she became. To appreciate the long and intertwined history of the two, a chronological approach is adopted here, with the first chapters focusing on contemporary treatment of Joan of Arc, before turning to the multiple Johannic revivals that have kept her memory alive for centuries.
Who is this book for?
Joan of Arc remains a popular subject among history lovers, and while this is not the first study to examine her enduring legacy, it carries the story right up to the present day. An appendix includes a letter written during Joan’s lifetime, offering another glimpse of how powerful the aura of the Maid already was. Readers interested in Joan of Arc will want this book, as will anyone exploring medievalism more broadly.
The Author
Deborah McGrady is a Professor at the University of Virginia, where she researches late-medieval French literature and culture. Click here to listen to her interview on The Medieval Podcast.
You can learn more about this book from the publisher’s website.
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