The image of Joan of Arc in the play “The Lark” by Jean Anouy

Abstract

The subject of the analysis in this article is the play “The Lark” by the French playwright Jean Anouilh. This play is one of the most striking attempts of the French writer to draw the ideal of a person. The object of the study is the originality of the presentation of the image of Joan of Arc. Techniques and ways of creating a positive character in a dramatic work are being clarified. The author shows the transformation of the image of the main character in world literature. The author analyzes the originality of artistic solutions and the role of tradition in the structure of this tragedy. The scientific novelty of this article consists in the fact that the play "The Lark" was practically not subjected to serious analysis. The author of the article comes to the conclusion that the originality of the image of the main character has put Jean Anouilh in front of a difficult problem of understanding the image not just as a national ideal, but also as a human ideal in general. The French playwright creates an original interpretation of the life and deeds of Joan of Arc. To do this, on the one hand, he turns to the tradition of the ancient Greek theater, essentially recreating the ancient choir on the stage, on the other hand, he actively uses discoveries in the field of literature of the twentieth century: violation of the chronotope, ambivalence of heroes, etc. A special contribution of the author to the study is the analysis of the image of Joan of Arc as a positive heroine of universal scale.