Abstract

Joan of Arc is one of the most extraordianary people in the history of western civilization. Her life, times, and mythology have inspired millions of works. From France to Japan to Africa to the United States people have created biographies, novels, dramas, operas, children's stories and even satires on Joan of Arc. ;Joan of Arc had what Rollo May calls "the courage to create." Joan derived her courage from her mystical union with the divine in her life portrayed mainly in her relationship with the emissaries from God: the saints Catherine, Margaret, and Michael. ;The freshness of approach to this study stems from the usage of the I-Thou philosophy of Martin Buber. The first chapters explain the I-Thou and how it can be used in the study and creation of literature. A review of works already written on Joan of Arc is included. The works dealt with in this particular study are: one of the biographies on Joan written by Regine Pernoud; Bernard Shaw's Saint Joan; and Jean Anouilh's L'Alouette. In these works the I-Thou bonds between Joan and the author are explored as well as the I-Thou bonds between Joan and persons in her life. Ways are explored to relate the I-Thou in Joan's life to the creation of shalom in the twentieth century. ;The final part of the study shows the use of the I-Thou perspective in the writing of a novel in which Joan of Arc is a character: Francesca and the Lark. There, the medieval heroine inspires a teenager of today to bring about changes in her community with regard to social justice. ;A major goal of this study is to encourage readers to use the I-Thou framework in their reading and studying of a variety of genres in literature and in writing in those genres. Another goal is to create I-Thou bonds in our everyday lives and to strive for their perpetuation in life