Joan of Arc’s identification as both male and female throughout various aspects of her life further depicted her as gender fluid. Gender fluidity allows for conceptualization through “…gender freedom and the primacy of individual choice and as destabilizing categories and boundaries” (Davis 101). This grants the capability for an individual to have the anatomical body parts of one gender, but also be able to freely flow between different genders. Joan of Arc displayed this with her chosen identification and actions throughout her life. She had fluid movement back and forth between male and female genders. For instance, it was masculine that Joan of Arc entered war and dressed as a man. However, during this time, others called her by the feminine
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She moved back and forth between these two genders at her own free will without constraint of her biological sex, which allowed for her identification as a woman in certain parts of her life, while also the identification as a man in other sections of her life.
This fluidity was circumstantial, and Joan portrayed this in her letter to the English, 22 March 1429, through the way she referenced herself, and the titles she utilized when writing demands to the Duke of Bedford to leave France (Joan of Arc 182). When Joan of Arc wished to portray herself in a feminine way that aligned with traditional female expectations, she referred to her own self as “the Maid”. As discussed earlier, this title is feminine in meaning. An example of the use of this feminine title is when she was beginning to describe to the Duke what she wished to gain from him. “Return to the Maid…she has come here by God’s will…she is quite ready to make peace” (Joan of Arc 182). In this, she was offering peace if the Duke would succumb to her wishes. This offer of peace presented …show more content…
“How did you know it was St. Michael…but how did you know it was the language of the Angels?” (Murray). There was even speculation that these creatures were not just phony saints, but could have been the devil in a different form. "If the devil were to put himself in the form or likeness of an angel, how would you know if it were a good or an evil angel?" (Murray). This all put forth the notion that these three saints which Joan of Arc had been following for years had potential to be the devil, rather than divine creatures she had believed them to be. This further suggests that the sexual engagement of Joan of Arc with these ‘divine’ creatures, could have actually been sexual relations with ungodly and satanic creatures. This is transgressive in that these instances of sexuality do not allow for the confinement within traditional heterosexuality norms. Not only would these acts have involved different gendered creatures, but it opened the possibility that these creatures were actually demonic as well. Therefore, this revealed a satanic sexual component that does not conform to traditional heterosexuality in any way. As a result, Joan was Arc had the potential to have engaged in transgressive sexuality through her sexual relations with these creatures that could
She moved back and forth between these two genders at her own free will without constraint of her biological sex, which allowed for her identification as a woman in certain parts of her life, while also the identification as a man in other sections of her life.
This fluidity was circumstantial, and Joan portrayed this in her letter to the English, 22 March 1429, through the way she referenced herself, and the titles she utilized when writing demands to the Duke of Bedford to leave France (Joan of Arc 182). When Joan of Arc wished to portray herself in a feminine way that aligned with traditional female expectations, she referred to her own self as “the Maid”. As discussed earlier, this title is feminine in meaning. An example of the use of this feminine title is when she was beginning to describe to the Duke what she wished to gain from him. “Return to the Maid…she has come here by God’s will…she is quite ready to make peace” (Joan of Arc 182). In this, she was offering peace if the Duke would succumb to her wishes. This offer of peace presented …show more content…
“How did you know it was St. Michael…but how did you know it was the language of the Angels?” (Murray). There was even speculation that these creatures were not just phony saints, but could have been the devil in a different form. "If the devil were to put himself in the form or likeness of an angel, how would you know if it were a good or an evil angel?" (Murray). This all put forth the notion that these three saints which Joan of Arc had been following for years had potential to be the devil, rather than divine creatures she had believed them to be. This further suggests that the sexual engagement of Joan of Arc with these ‘divine’ creatures, could have actually been sexual relations with ungodly and satanic creatures. This is transgressive in that these instances of sexuality do not allow for the confinement within traditional heterosexuality norms. Not only would these acts have involved different gendered creatures, but it opened the possibility that these creatures were actually demonic as well. Therefore, this revealed a satanic sexual component that does not conform to traditional heterosexuality in any way. As a result, Joan was Arc had the potential to have engaged in transgressive sexuality through her sexual relations with these creatures that could