Burn: Doxology for Joan of Arc

Poetry. Theological Studies. Medieval studies. A collection of poems that investigate the aporias and pathology of sainthood and faith, abjection and martyrdom in Joan of Arc. Pritchett relied on the work of many medieval scholars and began writing these poems in 1991 while working on a film script about Joan’s life. Yet BURN veers sharply from nearly all previous treatments of Joan of Arc. In wanting to go deeper into her psyche, the poet has written over her voice and obliterated it with his own needs and concerns. A stunningly lyrical consideration of Joan of Arc, the intricacies of her belief and her fate-in Patrick Pritchett’s words, this becomes a meditation on belief itself and its power over fate-Cole Swensen. Pritchett is also the author of ARK DIVE and RESIDE and teaches at the University of Colorado at Boulder.