Teasing Marina Warner's 'Joan of Arc: the Image of Female Heroism'

I am a major Marina Warner fan and have still not quite accepted the fact I saw her do a reading earlier this autumn! She just seems so wise and intelligent and she basically gives me major life envy. However, she is also one of my favourite academic writers. My love affair with her started with From the Beast to the Blonde and continued on from there. Now I decided to give you my latest read by her: Joan of Arc: the Image of Female Heroism.

Joan 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.

Tuesday Intros and Teaser Tuesday are hosted by Diane over at Bibliophile by the Sea and MizB over at A Daily Rhythm.

Intro:

'A story lives in relation to its tellers and its receivers; it continues because people want to hear it again, and it changes according to their tastes and needs. Joan of Arc is the centre of a story so famous that it transcends the media or the forms that have transmitted it: she is a heroine of history. Unlike a fictional character, she does not belong to the mind of a writer or the imagination of a painter. She has objective reality; and in her solid and material existence, she bears the mark Carlyle considered the primary stuff of heroes, "sincerity, a deep, great, genuine sincerity".' p.3

I love the way Warner speaks about stories and story-telling. I always judge academics by how personable their writing is, to which extent they're trying to make their own opinions sound more intelligent by using impressive words.

Teaser:

'Visions, by their very nature, cannot usually be verified by someone else, although Joan in her uniqueness thought they could be.' p.77

I love the slight sarcasm here while she also stays quite sweet. Joan of Arc is a fascinating historical character and my sister always loved her as well!


So, that's me done for today! What are you teasing this week?