Author: Scott Manning
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CFP–Performing Joan: Interpreting the Maid on Screen, on Stage, and in the Streets
Call for Papers sponsored by The International Joan of Arc Society/Société Internationale de l’étude de Jeanne d’Arc International Congress on Medieval Studies (ICMS 2020)May 7 to 10, 2020Western Michigan University Joan of Arc continues to captivate filmmakers, most recently Bruno Dumont, whose headbanging heroine mixes medieval and metal in Jeannette: The Childhood of Joan of…
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CFP–Globalizing Joan of Arc: Positioning the Maid in a Transnational Landscape
Call for Papers sponsored by The International Joan of Arc Society/Société Internationale de l’étude de Jeanne d’Arc International Congress on Medieval Studies (ICMS 2020)May 7 to 10, 2020Western Michigan University If Joan of Arc’s story has circulated well beyond its hexagonal borders of origin, it remains strangely entangled with euro-nationalism and white supremacy as indicated…
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Classical Reception: Killing Eve’s Villanelle as “The Dying Gaul”
The following has very minor spoilers about classical reception from Killing Eve season 2, episode 7 entitled “Wide Awake,” that aired on May 19, 2019. The show stars Sandra Oh as the titular character and her counterpart, Villanelle, played by Jodie Comer. If you haven’t seen it, check it out. It’s a satisfyingly unique series.…
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Jon Snow’s Piss-poor Defense of Winterfell during “The Long Night”
Removing all shadow of a doubt that Jon Snow indeed Forest Gump’d his way through the Battle of the Bastards, the defense of Winterfell during “The Long Night” episode of Game of Thrones was one of the saddest wastes of resources recorded in medieval or fantasy history. First of all, it’s long been a principle…
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Two books make the case for the greatness of Philly’s Benjamin Rush
Buried in Christ Church Cemetery is Philadelphia’s homegrown Dr. Benjamin Rush (1745-1813), a figure whose credentials will baffle anyone unfamiliar with his legacy. A short resumé would include signer of the Declaration of Independence, founder of Dickinson College, and treasurer of the U.S. Mint. He was a proponent of abolitionism, voting rights for women and…
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Joan of Arc on Screen: An Annotated Bibliography
Robin Blaetz said it best: “As one of history’s few noted heroines, Joan of Arc’s cinematic incarnations provide a fascinating record of manipulation according to differing historical and cultural demands.” There are far too many Joan of Arc movies to list here, but the most common ones in these papers and books are Joan the Woman…
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Alien 3’s Ripley as Joan of Arc
Anat Zanger identifies Alien 3’s Ellen Ripley as a cinematic Joan of Arc in disguise. After re-watching the film for umpteenth time, I’m not only convinced, but I would like to highlight and humbly augment Zanger’s analysis, as it might explain why I have loved this film for years while so many have derided it.…
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Arthurian Legend on Screen: An Annotated Bibliography
As John Aberth pointed out, “There are more books about Arthurian films than perhaps about any other medieval film genre.” This still holds true today and the same goes for articles. This is arguably where the field of cinematic medievalism go its start. While there are some Arthurian aspects mentioned in the larger Medievalism on…
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Unworthy Knights in The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
Zelda games are full of medievalisms, typically of the Arthurian variety. The basics of tedious side quests, pontificating hermits, damsels in distress, and a sword in the stone are all there. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds for the Nintendo 3DS is no exception.
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Book Review: Joan of Arc: La Pucelle
In Joan of Arc: La Pucelle, Craig Taylor tells us that the trial against Joan of Arc “is perhaps the best recorded heresy trial of the middle ages.” This only scratches the surface, as there is so much more in this volume of English translations of documents, transcripts, journal entries, and chronicles related to her…
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A Historical Look at Frank Miller’s Xerxes #2
Frank Miller’s second issue of Xerxes: The Fall of the House of Darius and the Rise of Alexander hit shelves this week and here is the historical hottake (see review of Xerxes #1). The story picks up after the Greek victory at Marathon (490 BC), following the famous runner to deliver the news to a…
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Paul B. Sturtevant’s ‘Middle Ages’: Learning a little history from popular culture
Paul B. Sturtevant is tired of quantitative studies that aim to broadcast the public’s ignorance of history. To him, they reduce history to memorizing facts and dates while taking “an explicitly negative position when framing the results,” typically focusing on the small minority of people who failed the test. Sturtevant, an American with a Ph.D.…