Joan of Arc in Many Forms: Background information when reading The Book of Joan

Joan of Arc in Many Forms

This article relates to The Book of Joan

In Yuknavitch's near-future vision, a character inspired by Joan of Arc seems poised to be the savior of an all-but-doomed Earth. Yuknavitch is far from the first writer and artist to be inspired by the fifteenth-century French heroine. Images of Joan of Arc have appeared in opera, film, literature, art, and even video games and comics over the past six centuries. The following are just a few examples of Joan's influence on culture - both traditional and popular - over the years:

Dramatic Art
In 1801, German playwright Friedrich Schiller imagined Joan as a romantic heroine in his play Die Jungfrau von Orleans. Schiller's play inspired more than eighty other Joan-related plays in the nineteenth century, as well as operas by Verdi and Tchaikovsky, among others. And from the twentieth century, George Bernard Shaw's 1923 play Saint Joan is widely regarded as his masterpiece.

Visual Art
Joan's combination of religious devotion, bravery, and femininity has made her a popular subject for visual artists. In Rouen's Bibliothèque Municipale alone, a gallery once held more than five hundred works of art depicting Joan. Joan was, in particular, a favorite subject of the Pre-Raphaelites; Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Millais, John William Waterhouse, and Annie Swynnerton all painted representations of Joan.

Pop Culture
Joan has had plenty of exposure in popular culture as well. She makes an appearance alongside other historical figures in the 1989 film Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and in a 2002 episode of The Simpsons. Joan's story was the basis for Terry Pratchett's Discworld novel Monstrous Regiment. The popular teen drama show Joan of Arcadia was directly inspired by Joan of Arc, featuring a title character whose conversations with God inspired her to do good in the world. Finally, singers from Leonard Cohen to Madonna have recorded songs about Joan of Arc.

George Bernard Shaw's Joan of Arc, courtesy of Jewel Theatre
Annie Swynnerton's Joan of Arc
Joan of Arcadia

Filed under People, Eras & Events

This "beyond the book article" relates to The Book of Joan. It originally ran in May 2017 and has been updated for the February 2018 paperback edition. Go to magazine.