„The Fury of Realistic Common Sense“

Shaws Saint Joan und die Imagination der Differenz

Abstract

Focusing on the construction of Joan of Arc in Saint Joan, this article explores how George Bernard Shaw employs the position of an outsider to illustrate his gender political and aesthetic goals. In comparison with older representations of the French national hero the article delineates Shaw’s specific reception of the Jeanne-d’Arc-myth and shows how Shaw develops Joan’s gender difference as a continuation of his critique of gender norms. Based on this, Shaw also presents Joan as an exceptional case of mental strength, whose visions are used to campaign for a different concept of Realism, with which Shaw identifies his own work as a writer.