Books by Ann W. Astell

Calling into question the common assumption that the Middle Ages produced no secondary epics, Ann W. Astell here revises a key chapter in literary history. She examines the connections between the Book of Job and Boethius' s Consolation of Philosophy...

A host of modern authors have portrayed Joan of Arc as a heroine, telling her story as a way of commenting on their own situation in a world where the power of art has decreased. Astell argues that many authors have seen their own artistic vocation in the visions and voices that inspired Joan.