Perpetua's Journey

Features

• Offers a female perspective on the complex relationship that exists between power and gender in antiquity
• Combines both sequential art and historical and social commentary for the events described in the Passio
• Explores why Perpetua's diary still resonates with audiences today
• Includes a translation of the Passio and a conclusion that asks students to question and assess what they have learned

About the Author(s)

Jennifer A. Rea is Associate Professor of Classics at the University of Florida. Her research interests focus on legendary figures from antiquity and in modern science fiction and fantasy. She is the author of Legendary Rome: Myths, Monuments, and Memory on the Palatine and Capitoline (2008).

Liz Clarke is a professional illustrator based in Cape Town, South Africa.

Reviews

"The newest issue in Oxford's Graphic History Series transports readers into a striking martyr narrative in the first-person account often attributed to Perpetua as a 'diary' and included in the Passion of Perpetua and Felicity. Valued for how vividly it recounts the narrative of a group of male and female Christians in conflict with local authorities, the text is a boon to teachers who want to use it to highlight women in the ancient Christian world. Rea and Clarke's attractive and affordable new treatment will only increase the Passion's popularity in classrooms, as it supplements its story and ancillary resources with a graphic representation of the text."--Ellen Muehlberger, Bryn Mawr Classical Review

"This book is groundbreaking and innovative. Jennifer A. Rea and Liz Clarke combine first-rate historical scholarship with stunning graphics in order to cast new light on Perpetua's journey. This contemporary graphic novel captures the essence of ancient martyr as super-heroine, remaining true to the original author's intent while challenging modern interpreters."--Jonathan Reed, University of La Verne

"Perpetua's Journey represents a fresh approach to the study of the Passio Perpetuae et Felicitatis: by including graphic art alongside critical commentary, it offers modern readers a new experience of the text."--L. Stephanie Cobb, University of Richmond

"Comprehensive, innovative, and engaging, Perpetua's Journey is notable above all for the immediacy and interest of its graphic content. The book will open up study of the Passio to a broader range of readers than ever before, fostering a more active, serious, and sustained engagement with this singular document and its historical context."--Thomas McGinn, Vanderbilt University

"Perpetua's Journey is a timely and impressive work of scholarship and creativity. The introduction, translation, and other supporting materials are detailed, accessible, and balanced, and the graphic representation brings an immediacy-and a new set of questions-to one of antiquity's most fascinating survivals."--Jessica Clark, Florida State University

"This engaging book presents students with a new and bold interpretation of the Passio Perpetuae et Felicitatis, a text that has both inspired and troubled readers for generations. Its use of the graphic medium does far more than illustrate the story--it provides an aesthetic interpretation of Perpetua's world and brings vividness to the thoughts and actions of a courageous group of Carthaginian Christians. Perpetua's Journey offers much of interest to those familiar with the text, and opens up to new audiences a work that, in modern times, has been largely the hidden delight of scholars."--Isabel Moreira, University of Utah

"This is a terrific new resource for stimulating minds and bringing the past vividly to life. The Passio Perpetuae et Felicitatis is already an amazing story; in the hands of Rea and Clarke, this new edition brings the past to life for a new generation of readers."--Nicola Denzey-Lewis, Brown University