The Simpsons writer's over the years have written their own parodies of both classical literature and history. Joan of Arc was surely not left out. In 2002, The Simpsons aired their fourteenth episode of their thirteenth season titled, "Tales of the Public Domain". (1.) In this episode included three short tales including The Odyssey, Hamlet, and Joan of Arc.(1.) The whole premiss of the episode was Homer, the father, was notified of an old library book that was overdue by nearly ten years. He then proceeds to read the stories within that he planned to when his kids were young. (2.)
Being that the Joan of Arc segment was just under ten minutes long, the story does not stick to the known facts entirely and leaves out many parts of Joan's life. Despite any if the historical inaccuracies and France jokes, the writers did get some aspects right. They did set the time in France during the 100 Years War, or as the writers joked, operation speedy resolution. (2.) Joan was a peasant who does speak to God and receives her commands to lead the French army, but she directly tells her family. (2.) When crowning the king, Joan picks out the true king from the crowd and even refers to him as the dauphin. Also staying true to Joan's story, the writers show Joan's celibacy by rejecting any male advancements. (2.) After being capture, Joan is put to trial by her enemies due to claims of heresy, witchcraft, and jokingly for shoving one of her prison guards. (2.)
The end of The Simpsons' telling of Joan of Arc does conclude Joan about to
be burned the pillar, but Marge, the mother, sweeps in and censors it
for her kids. (2.) Despite receiving mixed reviews from the critics, this version of Joan of Arc does highlight some factual information within comedic themes. (1.) This retelling is worth ten minutes of your time.Works Cited:
- "The Simpsons on FOX – Official Site." The Simpsons. 20th Century Fox, 17 Mar. 2002. Web. 13 Sept. 2014. <http://www.thesimpsons.com/#/recaps/season-13_episode-14>.
- "Tales of the Public Domain." Groening, Matt. The Simpsons. FOX. 17 Mar. 2002. Television.
- Images Courtesy of Google Images
Aaron-
ReplyDeleteLoved your post! While I embarrassingly admit that I have never watched The Simpsons, I am intrigued to read that the writers spent an episode on Joan! I'm even more impressed to learn of the historical accuracies of the episode as you noted. It's refreshing to see many sources of popular culture not only cover the topic of Joan, but also pay attention to some of the history behind her account. I might just have to watch The Simpsons after all.
Rachel
This is a fun episode. I think Lisa and Joan might share some spunk. Similarities?
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