ABSTRACT

Joan of Arc, the most celebrated woman in French history, provides a perfect emblem to enhance French patriotism that is still exploited today. Even during her lifetime, her courage and strength were subjects of praise. Christine de Pizan composed the first written account of Joan of Arc's deeds in 1429, in her final work the Ditie de Jehanne d'Arc. Christine de Pizan composed the first written account of Joan of Arcs deeds in 1429, in her final work the Ditie de Jehanne d'Arc. ' The poem commemorates the heroic victory of the French army and the defeat of the English at Orleans an d praises the crowning of the dauphinin Reims. Christine's struggle to find her own literary authority within a male profession is echoed in this sexual transformation. Christine's recognition that her gender represents an enormous obstacle in her career surfaces in her attempt to "man" an almost-capsized ship.