Heroines in History: A Thousand Faces moves beyond stories of
individual heroines, taking a thematic, synthesising and global in scope
approach to challenge previous understandings of heroines in history.
Responding to Joseph Campbell's Hero with a Thousand Faces, Katie
Pickles explores the idea of a transcultural heroine archetype that
recurs through time. Each chapter addresses an archetypal theme
important for heroines in history. The volume offers a new consideration
of the often-awkward position of women in history and embeds heroines in
the context of their times, as well as interpreting and analysing how
their stories are told, re-told and represented at different moments. To
do so it recovers and compares some women now forgotten, along with
well-known recent heroines and brings together a diversity of women from
around the world. Pickles looks at the interplay of gender, race,
heredity status, class and politics in different ways and chronicles the
emergence of heroines as historical subjects valued for their substance
and achievements, rather than as objects valued for their image and
celebrity.
In an accessible and original way, the book builds upon developments in
women's and gender history and is essential reading for anyone
interested in this field.
