How does Anouilh’s Antigone especially his heroine relate to these different portrayals of women in French culture? Why does he deliberately challenge the idea of quiet, obedient womanhood the government was advocating? Does this reveal something about Anouilh’s political and social views?

Changing Views of Women in France Joan of Arc (1412-1431) has long been a national heroine, even before she was officially declared a saint in 1920. For her fellow French countrymen, she’s long been associated with holiness, courage, and patriotism. During the French Revolution in the 1790’s, the new French Republic developed a key feminine … Read more