JOAN OF ARC

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Joan of Arc has been a Roman Catholic figure analysed and studied for hundreds of years. Her short life is discussed in numerous religious and political texts not only because of her involvement and guidance of the French troops in the Hundred Years’ War but because of the spiritual guidance to lead the troops that she claimed to receive in her visions. Whether Joan is considered a hero, a saint or a visionary woman, her life continues to be of controversy among scholars who still immortalize her with their studies. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the various perceptions that attempt to portray Joan of Arc as a venerated and outstanding figure. Part of the analysis will focus on her role as an inspirational woman, the iconography and symbols and the role within religion and political involvement that Joan of Arc continues to influence.
Her life and death
According to Kevin J. Harty’s article “Joan of Arc’s life may well be the most-documented of anyone who lived before the twentieth-century but as Professor Heimann’s ground-breaking and fascinating study suggests there is still much to be learned about the Maid of Orléans” (Harty 104). Her very short life (1412-31) had a series of events that would be remembered for hundreds of years to follow. At the age of 12, she started seeing visions of saints who would guide her way leading the French troops to end the siege of Orléans. Her visions can be contrasted with the annunciation experienced by the Virgin Mary. In the annunciation, the Holy Spirit told Mary that she would give birth to Jesus, in the case of Joan; her annunciation was to lead the French troops to victory. Another similarity to Mary’s life is Joan’s virginity. In Neil Warren’s article, he mentions that “Joan's English captors put Joan through yet another ladies' medical exam. If her menses were noted as missing, no one mentioned it. And once again her virginity was proven” (Warren 25). This is not to say that Joan’s life is as great as the life of the Virgin Mary. The two had different, yet meaningful lives but the correlation of the events that are compared is simply to accentuate why Joan is also an inspiration of power for women as was Mary and why people are devoted to Joan and consider her a saviour. “Joan’s virginity was an object of fetish in her own lifetime by both her supporters and her captors, and Joan’s virginity was essential to her role as saviour” (Harty 104).
The voices that Joan heard, guided her for the rest of her life until she was captured by the English, who then handed her over to de prosecuted at trial that resulted in her being burned at the stake in Rouen’s public square. After her death, Joan was canonized by the Roman Catholic Church.
Joan as an inspiration to women and her masculine power
In Anne Barstow’s article, research shows that “she was a charismatic of a very different type: her visions led her into the central places of masculine power, where she performed as an active mystic, serving as both catalyst and instigator in the political life of her era” (Barstow 29). Joan of Arc was considered a charismatic leader and a female prophet who wore male clothing and entered the world of men to guide them to victory. Her role of female prophet quickly lead to the accusations that she was practicing witchcraft. This accusations tell us that many women who portrayed any bit of power where associated with witchcraft and “The condemnation of Joan as heretic and witch offers much evidence on the late-medieval fear of power in women” (Barstow 41).
French and English people were never indifferent to Joan; she was considered a strong woman who succeeded in the male world. Her only connection to power was her spiritualism. Anne Barstow explains Joan’s masculine power and inspiration to women by saying “[t]here is thus a double message in Joan's story. On one hand, Joan's trial is an important document in women's history because it warns how harsh the penalty for an aggressive woman can be. But the other side of her story is the example she gave of a woman using inner experience to establish her authority in the world of men (Barstow 42).
As a soldier, Joan inspired women around the world. Gabriella Silang was one of them; she took over the role of her murdered husband as a leader of the rebellion against Spain during 1763. During her leadership, she was captured and assassinated but still earned the title of “Philippine Joan of Arc” from Philippine patriots. Joan within religion
The voices that Joan heard throughout her life, where those of the saints Catherine and Margaret and the Archangel Michael. She could not only hear them, but they also appeared to her in several times during her lifetime. Her prophetic experience came when she received the message that she was to lead the French troops to victory. James Freeman article reveals that “the [m]essage similarly links Joan’s life to Old Testament Worthies. Like them, she acted to bring about general, not personal, growth; like them, she obeyed god, not human beings; like them, Joan was the instrument to link past, present, and future” (Freeman 619).
When Joan was sentenced her faith was manifested when she begged her judges, “Let all my words and deeds be sent to Rome, to our Holy Father the Pope, to whom, after God, I will refer myself” (Moloney 28). Despite her request she was burned 6 days later at the age of 19. By the year 1455 Joan had gained recognition as a saint by many people across Europe, the Church then re opened the Rouen proceedings and one year later a different set of judges voided her conviction. Plainly described in Patricia Warren’s article, the new conviction of Joan “was one of the few times in history that the Roman Catholic Church ate crow” (Warren 28). Joan quickly became more recognized in the French culture over the years and “[f]our hundred forty-eight years later, in 1904, Joan was declared Venerable by the Roman Catholic Church; in 1909 she was advanced to the rank of Blessed; and in 1920, nearly five hundred years after her trial, excommunication, and execution, Pope Benedict XV canonized her a saint. Today Joan, energetically venerated by many, remains a provocative figure among the French and a continuing magnet of controversy for scholars” (Moloney 28).
Iconography and Symbolism
During wartime Joan of Arc was illustrated draped in flags and with a sword and horse, for the French this was a reminder that she was the saviour of France. For almost 150 years some ships carried Joan of Arc’s name. Although it took a little time for Joan to be recognized, Kevin Harty’s article mentions how Joan began to be evident in iconography for her role in the Hundred Year’s War and her devotion to her faith that lead her to be burnt.
“Although the process of refashioning Joan’s iconography to reflect Restoration sentiments took some time, that iconography soon became evident not only in literary works about Joan but also in works devoted to her exhibited at the Salon des Beaux-Arts. Indeed, the widespread popularity of Joan’s image is attested to by the numbers of paintings, plays, books, and poems produced about Joan by 1820. Of the paintings, none was more popular or successful than Paul Delaroche’s Joan of Arc, Sick, Interrogated in Prison by the Cardinal of Winchester, which was exhibited in the Salon of 1824” (Harty 105).
According to Cleo Kearns, “for many centuries, [n]umerous are the texts, arts, and artifacts devoted to the girl who burned at the stake for refusal to recant the guidance of her angelic voices” (Kearns 248). The figure of Joan was featured in Western imagery. “Certainly, a majority of portraits displayed reverence. Her life was universally thought to be worthy of imitation” (Freeman 602). There are many texts devoted to her and her devotion to the angelical voices. Films of Joan of arc illustrate her in silver armour, a white horse and carrying a banner or drawing a sword, “This costume began in fifteenth-century manuscripts and spawned innumerable copies” (Freeman 624).
As a symbol, according to Martha Hanna “she represented the righteous rebellion intent on the restoration of monarchical authority” (Hannah 223). Joan was a popular national hero who also has a national holiday in her honour. She was an inspiration to national unity and order “Postwar France should see in Joan of Arc a symbol of victory, order and vitality” (Hannah 227). In the analysis of Mark Twain book by Albert E. Stone JR’s, he describes how the archangel appears to Joan under the branches of a The Fairy Tree. This tree “is the comprehensive symbol thorough which Joan’s life approximates for Twain the pattern of myth” (Stone 17).
According to Francoise Meltzer, “[we] can safely say that Joan is bound up in the French national imaginary. But she is a powerful icon, who can extend beyond French patriotism to slip (surprisingly easy) into other nationalist myths” (Meltzer 93).
Social Location
Joan of Arc’s primary social location was evidently Rouen France, her life and death had a significant impact to this location as it acts as a reminiscent place for those who venerate her. “The public square in Rouen where she died is just that, a space not notably imprinted with her personality” (Freeman 621).
Joan of Arc’s Political Influence Joan’s ability to convince the Dauphin to supply her with the troops and free the cities clearly stated her political status during the war. Her brave placement of herself in the combat enabled her to be recognized in French war councils where she was viewed as a person that wanted immediate action. She dominated the rise of the siege of Orléans and secured Charles VII’s coronation even though she did not live to see this victory. Joan is often portrayed as a military leader; Albert McJoynt’s article mentions that “[t]he evidence is convincing that Joan possessed a tactical leader’s awareness to promote aggressive action in combat, and that her credibility required her sharing the risks with her soldier companions. However, it remains questionable that she grasped the need to adapt tactical schemes to varied operational challenges, or had the patience for logistical preparation, thus hindering the author’s thrust to define Joan as a military genius” (McJoynt 219). Her life and death inspired Frenchmen to come together and establish political order in 1431. Today, her death and the deaths of others who defended France is an inspiration for men and women. Martha Hanna describes that “Joan had achieved sanctity by political action. Her vocation had been political salvation of France. Which she had accomplished by political ministry and heroic sacrifice” (Hanna 234). Whether Joan is considered a hero, a saint or a visionary woman, her life continues to be of disagreement among scholars who still dedicate their time to her studies. When analyzing Joan of Arc, we can conclude that for many she is considered an outstanding life that has great influence not only in the French culture but in many other places among the world. Similarly to the Virgin Mary, Joan has been studied over the centuries by many scholars who portray her as a heroine and saviour. She is also an inspiration to many women that view her as powerful and strong but yet charismatic. The social history plays a significant role in why she is considered to be an outstanding figure in the French culture since leading the troops to victory in the war. The point of view of this analysis provides a positive recognition of Joan of Arc’s action that led to her canonization. The similarities of events in her life and the life of the Virgin Mary, such as the apparition of saints that guided them to fulfill their actions is what helps Joan of Arc’s recognition as a venerated figure . Although there are some who challenge her status as a virgin, just like some deny Mary’s virginity, for many Joan is arc is still successfully perceived as a magnificent woman.

Works Cited
Barstow, Anne Llewellyn. "Joan of Arc and female mysticism." Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion 1.2 (1985): 29-42. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials. EBSCO. Web. 21 Nov. 2010.
Freeman, James A. "Joan of Arc: Soldier, Saint, Symbol—of What?." Journal of Popular Culture 41.4 (2008): 601-634. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 21Nov. 2010.
Hanna, Martha. "Iconology and Ideology: Images of Joan of Arc in the Idiom of the Action française, 1908-1931." French Historical Studies 14.2 (1985): 215. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 21 Nov. 2010.
Harty, Kevin. "Joan of Arc in French Art and Culture (1700-1855), From Satire to Sanctity." Arthuriana 16.2 (2006): 104-105. Humanities International Complete. EBSCO. Web. 21 Nov. 2010.
Kearns, Cleo. "For Fear of the Fire: Joan of Arc and the Limits of Subjectivity (book)." History of Religions 43.3 (2004): 248-251. Humanities International Complete. EBSCO. Web. 22 Nov. 2010.
McJoynt, Albert D., and Bruce Vandervort. "Joan of Arc: The Warrior Saint." Journal of Military History 69.1 (2005): 218-220. Humanities International Complete. EBSCO. Web. 21 Nov. 2010
Meltzer, Francoise. "Joan of Arc in America." Substance: A Review of Theory & Literary Criticism 32.1 (2003): 90-99. Humanities International Complete. EBSCO. Web. 26 Nov. 2010.
Moloney, Karen Marguerite. "Saints for all seasons: Lavina Fielding Anderson and Bernard Shaw's Joan of Arc." Dialogue 36.3 (2003): 27-39. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials. EBSCO. Web. 26 Nov. 2010.
Stone Jr., Albert E. "Mark Twain's JOAN OF ARC: The Child as Goddess." American Literature 31.1 (1959): 1-20. Humanities International Complete. EBSCO. Web. 26 Nov. 2010
Warren, Patricia Nell. "Was Joan of Arc Genetically Male?." 24-28. 2009. Humanities International Complete. EBSCO. Web. 20 Nov. 2010.