The Red Virgin and the Vision of Utopia

by Mary M. Talbot, Bryan Talbot (Illustrator)

The creative partnership of acclaimed writer and academic Mary M. Talbot and graphic-novel pioneer Bryan Talbot has produced some of the most challenging and entertaining graphic novels in recent memory, including 2012's Costa Award medalist Dotter of Her Father's Eyes. The Red Virgin and the Vision of Utopia explores the life of revolutionary French feminist Louise Michel, a visionary teacher, poet, and radical who took up arms against a reactionary regime that executed thousands. Even deportation to a distant penal colony could not stop Michel from taking up the cause of the indigenous population against French colonial oppression.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, History, Nonfiction, Feminism, Biography, Politics

144 pages, Hardcover

First published May 5, 2016

About the author

Dr Mary Talbot is the author of the graphic novel Dotter of her Father’s Eyes (Jonathan Cape 2012), illustrated by her husband, award winning comic artist Bryan Talbot. She is an internationally acclaimed scholar who has published widely on language, gender and power, particularly in relation to media and consumer culture. Dotter is the first work she has undertaken in the graphic novel format. It went on to win the Costa Biography Award in January 2013.

Mary’s recent academic work includes a second edition of Language and Gender (Polity 2010), a book that continues to be popular with university lecturers and students worldwide. However, she’s probably still best known for her critical investigation of the “synthetic sisterhood” offered by teen magazines.

She has held academic posts in higher education for over twenty-five years, mostly in England, but also in Wales and Denmark. In 2004 she was invited as Visiting Professor to Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou, China. She has also done extensive consultancy work, including for the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Quality Assurance Agency.

Born in Wigan in 1954, Mary married Bryan and moved to Preston in 1972, where she brought up two sons, wrote poetry and short stories. She studied English Literature and Linguistics at Preston Polytechnic as a mature student, graduating in 1982 with a first class BA in Combined Studies. She later went on to study at Lancaster University, completing with a PhD on Critical Discourse Analysis in 1990. Employment as Reader in Language and Culture took her to Sunderland in 1997. She still lives in Sunderland, but has been a freelance writer since 2009.

Her second graphic novel, Sally Heathcote, Suffragette, is illustrated by Kate Charlesworth and Bryan and due for publication by Jonathan Cape in May 2014. It follows the fortunes of a maid-of-all-work as she is swept up the feminist activism of Edwardian England.

Reviews

[s.penkevich [hiatus-will return-miss you all] · Rating 4 out of 5]

History truly comes alive in eye-popping, jaw-dropping visual presentation of graphic novel duo Mary M Talbot and Brian Talbot. Turning their attention to a tumultuous time in French history, The Red Virgin and the Vision of Utopia is an deep dive into the life of feminist revolutionary Louise Michel. Nicknamed the “Red Virgin,” Michel was revered like a saint as was instrumental to La Commune , an uprising in Paris that lasted for two months in 1871 and ended in a bloodbath, and used her exile to New Caledonia to aide the indigenous population in revolt against the imperialist French rule. As exciting as it is accessible and educational, The Red Virgin is an insightful look at the historical anarcha-feminist figure, her optimism and bravery, as well as a valuable historical commentary on the violent struggles around utopian dreams. Filled with a wealth of footnotes that add wonderful contextual depth, The Red Virgin is a fantastic work that is so beautifully illustrated it is worth reading even if for the art alone.


To be honest, I came to this having watched the Spanish film La Virgen Roja and, having recently read the Talbot’s extraordinary graphic biography of artist Leonora Carrington, I was really excited to give this a go. Turns out there were two rather revolutionary feminist women nicknamed “Red Virgin” and the film covers the fascinating yet tragic story of Hildegart Rodríguez Carballeira, a feminist advocate for socialism and sexual revolution, whereas this book concerns Louise Michel of France. Which worked out in my benefit because both women have extraordinary lives to learn about.

Louise Michel

The Talbot’s portrayal is cleverly nested in a narrative that begins with American writer Charlotte Perkins Gilman (of The Yellow Wallpaper fame) witnessing Michel’s military funeral in Paris and, after inquiring, is told the story of Michel’s life. It works well as a narrative engine that allows for the Talbot’s to fluidly move time to meet the graphic novel’s need, though Brian Talbot’s artwork is so extraordinary this could move at a snail's pace and it wouldn’t matter.

The story covers the course of Michel’s whole life, skipping back to her childhood near the end, but details a rather impressive revolutionary life in the Paris uprisings as well as her preaching anarchism in New Caledonia with impassioned speeches against imperialism holding relevance to this day. She was an interesting figure, embracing advances in technology as tools toward a utopian society where labor would not need to define socio-economic status with her belief that technology making it so people wouldn’t have to work so much would lead to a more equitable and humane economy. Alas, this has not played out and as we are witnessing the rise of AI, Michel’s revolt against a ruling class keeping the working class tired, hungry, and poor as well as the knowledge that increased technology only displaced workers instead of became a topic for economic overhaul. Michel was outspoken and a total revolutionary leader, with great lines such as her demand that the French government execute her following the fall of the commune because ‘If you let me live, I shall never stop crying for vengeance, and I shall avenge my brothers by denouncing the murderers.’ It all makes for a great story.

The art here is gorgeous, as I’ve come to expect from the Talbots. The use of red really pops here, grounding the themes into color-coded atmosphere and the Talbots have an excellent balance of text, frame rate, and historical depth that really clicks well here. It’s one you can crush right through too and it is so interesting you’ll probably want to do just that.

A dazzling display of historical drama and art, The Red Virgin is truly a worthwhile read and work of art in its own right. I’ll read anything this duo puts out and I am pleased to see they allowed the deep revolutionary spirit and ideals to really pour forth from the pages here. A delight of a read as exciting as it is educational.

4.5/5

‘A map of the world that does not include Utopia is not worth even glancing at.
—Oscar Wilde

[Sam Quixote · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mary and Bryan Talbot’s third collaboration is The Red Virgin, a short comics biography of a little-known historical figure, Louise Michel, a 19th century French revolutionary. It’s always cool to see obscure but interesting and overlooked figures from the past revived for modern readers but The Red Virgin is a flawed and underwritten overview.

Mary Talbot’s script is trying to be arty and informative at the same time and fails at both. The book opens and closes with a guy working on a parachute to jump off of the Eiffel Tower – why?! Something to do with the risky, exciting nature of Michel’s life maybe? It just seems awkward, arbitrary and out of place.

Michel’s life story is framed through a conversation after her death between the daughter of one of her friends and Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the American author best known for her short story The Yellow Wallpaper, but the link there is tenuous at best. Gilman and Michel met briefly and both were feminists/fans of utopian fiction but that’s it. Why not just tell Michel’s story without this unnecessary framing – what does it add?

Historical context would’ve been so useful too. We’re plunged straight into it with Prussia attacking France – why? What were the circumstances that led to this? Why were the French government then attacking its own citizens? Was it a monarchist government – didn’t they go through a pretty famous revolution to become a democratic republic?

But it goes beyond a lack of historical context to a lack of information in general about Louise Michel - in a fucking biography about Louise Michel! Michel is leading/participating in a revolt against the apparently incompetent French government (what happened to Prussia during this time – did that war end or was it still ongoing?) and establishes the Paris Commune, whatever that was; a socialist utopia in Paris? How did it function and how long did it last? And then were her goals to expand across France and elsewhere? Was she the leader or a minor figure in the movement? Who was she opposing and what led to this extreme position?

I’m not even sure what Michel’s political positions were. Yes, she was into social justice but was she a socialist, libertarian, anarchist, liberal socialist, communist (far as I can see she was a little bit of everything)? It’s telling of the writing quality that in a bio about her, she remains at best a barely sketched out character. Even the significance of the title, “The Red Virgin”, is questionable – why is her being a virgin (I assume she was – we’re never told!) so important? Sure, she was a homely-looking lady but I’ve seen some hideous chodes with kids in real life so there’s clearly someone for everyone – was her being a virgin a political/philosophical choice? No clue.

And what was her historical significance – why are we reading a book about this person? Sure, she led a laudable life fighting against injustice, but what did she accomplish? Did the government she fought against fail thanks to her efforts? Did the one she wanted rise in its place? Did she influence future generations, leaders, thinkers, etc.? What change did her struggles make – or were there none at all? Mary Talbot does not make a strong case for why we should care about Louise Michel or why she deserves to be plucked from obscurity. There’s a 12 page essay included at the back of the book to fill in some of the blanks but that’s not good enough – this information needs to be in the comic itself.

Bryan Talbot’s art is outstanding as ever. It’s a striking stylistic choice to colour the book in black, white and red, and there’s superb page composition throughout. Late 19th century/early 20th century France, coupled with fantasy utopian societies, are Talbot’s speciality as he showed in his Grandville series so the comic looks spectacular.

The Red Virgin has great art but the writing is very poor, the narrative is extremely choppy and unengaging and the subject matter is vague and sorely lacking in important details. Louise Michel was a modern progressive lady years ahead of her time but her historical significance and life is badly served in this uninformative comic.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

“A map of the world that does not include Utopia is not worth even glancing at, for it leaves out the one country at which Humanity is always landing. And when Humanity lands there, it looks out, and, seeing a better country, sets sail. Progress is the realisation of Utopias.”
--Oscar Wilde

Feminist scholar Mary Talbot and comics artist Bryan Talbot brings us a kind of portrait—not a full biography--of French revolutionary feminist Louise Michel, focusing on the late nineteenth into the turn of the twentieth century, pre WWI. One thing she did was fight for the indigenous people of Melanesia (near Polynesia), but she always fought for social justice. She fought on the barricades for The Paris Commune of 1871, where thousands of people were slaughtered by the reactionary French government. Bryan’s artwork is black and white with a touch of red, as with their previous book, Sally Heathcote, Suffragette. How often do you see books about revolutionary women? More!

The strategy here is to have Michel tell her story to Charlotte Perkins Gilman and focus on the Utopian vision of the works of sci fi/speculative fiction writers such as Jules Verne and H. G. Wells, so you can see the wedding of the Talbot interests here, tying feminism with speculative fiction as embodied in many of the comics he works on. This ain’t dystopian times, such as the times we are living in. Michel was a radical optimist, a radical feminist, a Futurist, embodied in great fiction of the times, and symbolized by the Eiffel Tower, a strong and elegant image of Progress.

I knew nothing about Michel and was glad to be introduced to her through this short comic history/biography.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tells the story of Louise Michel, a French feminist, revolutionary, prisoner. The story jumps around and can be hard to follow at points. Speaks a lot about the Utopian futures people thought we'd live in today. Loved Bryan Talbot's art.

Received an advance copy from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

[akemi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A decolonial, feminist anarchist from the 19th century and people still have the gaul to defend figures like Lovecraft because racism was 'just how it was' back then? Oppression has been resisted for all of human history. Environmentalism emerged concurrent with the industrial revolution. Animal liberation arose with the spread of vivisection. And revolution has been the dream of all who envision utopias from a site of political destitution.

Louise Michel knew this well. While working class men, housewives, and colonised peoples all experienced oppression differently in the 19th century, they were all subjugated by hierarchies of power that placed them under the boot of another. Michel saw parallels across class, gender, and race far clearer than most of her contemporaries—and many in the left today.

Utopia is a strange thing. Sometimes you have to look backwards to remind yourself of a world worth fighting for today. Rest in power, Michel. Long live the commune.

[Juan Naranjo · Rating 3 out of 5]

El (breve) periodo de La Comuna parisina es de los episodios más fascinantes de la historia contemporánea. Por lo que sacar un cómic reivindicando una olvidada figura femenina trascendental en aquella lucha es, a priori, una idea maravillosa.
Sin embargo (al igual que el también decepcionante "Sufragistas") acaba prestando atención a personajes secundarios para que la narración no sea lineal, y el arco principal acaba deslucido y confuso.
Una gran idea que podía haber estado mucho mejor ejecutada.

[Ed Erwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short biography of the fascinating radical activist Louise Michel. In France she is well known for her role in the 1871 commune and in later fights for liberty for various oppressed groups. I don't share her politics. While I get angry at injustices and abuse of power, I don't believe abolishing all power systems would lead to a just world. Anyhow, she was fascinating. One example of how committed she was: in 1888 while she was giving a public speech, a man named Pierre Lucas shot her in the head. She protected him from the angry crowd and later became friends with him. The bullet remained in her head for the rest of her life.

Instead being a straightforward story, this starts with Charlotte Perkins Gilman arriving in Paris before a book tour on the day of Michel's funeral. The woman meeting Gilman then tells Michel's life story as a flashback.

Gilman states that she had met Michel on a previous visit to London and they had talked together about the Utopian literature they enjoyed, such as Looking Backward, The Coming Race, Mizora: A World of Women, and H.G. Wells stories. This approach emphasizes the very real connections between political movements such as Socialism and Anarchism and the popular fad for Utopian writing. However, this approach makes the book a little confusing, especially if you don't know much about her, or the Paris commune, or those books.

Furthermore, the whole story is bookended by the tale of Franz Reichelt, a man who invented a sort of parachute and tested it by jumping off the Eiffel tower. It killed him. I think this is intended here as a warning about the danger of believing too much in your Utopian dreams, but that may go over the heads of many readers.

Another few interesting tidbits for those who study old Science Fiction. The author mentions that some people have suggested that Louise Michel wrote the initial story for "20,000 Leagues Under the Seas" and gave the story to Verne. I doubt it, and the author of this book does as well. She could find no evidence. Michel knew Albert Robida, author and illustrator of The Twentieth Century and other futuristic tales. He was present with her in the Commune. Afterwards, when the Communards were being executed en masse, he slipped into the crowd and calmly walked away. Michel, on the other hand, insisted on being held accountable, and was deported.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although the graphic novel format of ‘The Red Virgin’ looked lovely, it really whetted my appetite for a more in-depth biography of Louise Michel. The Women Incendiaries (which I recommend very highly) included a fair bit about her role in the Paris Commune, but not much about her subsequent life. Whereas, somewhat to my surprise, I found this book situated the fall of the Commune on page 66, so that plenty of time was also given to Michel’s life in exile and return to Europe. The art was distinctive and vivid, in part because the only colour used was red and that sparingly. I found the pages depicting Michel's funeral especially moving. I liked the inclusion of Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the feminist pioneer known for The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories. (I also appreciated that Perkins Gilman’s racism was not glossed over.) The discussions of utopian literature were great, although I would have liked more focus on the debates about practical policy that took place during the brief existence of the Commune. There wasn’t much of a sense of continuity between the Commune as an attempt at utopian government and subsequent utopian writing. Perhaps this was deliberate?

The annotations at the end included some fascinating facts and references. While I’d known that Victor Hugo spoke up in defence of the Communards, and Louise Michel specifically, during their trials, I hadn’t realised the two were correspondents. Better still, Michel apparently signed her letters to Hugo as Enjolras, angelic leader of the barricade uprising in Les Misérables! I also learned that she treated her sentence of transportation as an opportunity for a scientific expedition, which is deeply impressive. Whilst in New Caledonia, she tried to defend and support the native people, then continued to agitate once the Communards were pardoned and she was allowed home. In short, Louise Michel is an incredibly inspiring historical figure and I really enjoyed this beautifully presented account of her life and work.

[Ignacio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Necesario ejercicio de memoria sobre una figura relevante en la lucha por los derechos de las clases más desfavorecidas en la Francia de la segunda mitad del Siglo XIX. No me gusta demasiado cómo Mary Talbot ha enfocado el guión: una conversación entre tres mujeres después del entierro de Louis Michel, recordando su vida. Se presenta en pequeños episodios de cuatro o seis páginas, muy fragmentada, que introduce bien las ideas de la protagonista y el mundo al que tuvo que enfrentarse pero dejan un poco desdibujados episodios como La comuna de París. Contarla no era el propósito del tebeo pero se hace trabajoso seguir esa parte de la narración. Mucho mejor funciona el relato sobre cómo se llevó a cabo la colonización, vista a través del destierro de la protagonista Nueva Caledonia. O cómo queda plasmada la pasión por el utopismo en aquella Europa antes de las dos grandes guerras, impulsada por las obras de Verne, Bellamy, Wells o Bullwer-Lytton. Todo excelentemente dibujado por Bryan Talbot.

[Sooraya Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very informative history lesson in comic form about a rather obscure (at least to me) French feminist figure. Love the sporadic splashes of red on an otherwise fully black and white book.
But I just didn't get the significance of the guy with the parachute at the start and end of the story.

[Sofi Bru · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una buena experiencia leer este comic histórico.
Comparto con otras reseñas en que la historia de Louise Michel es fascinante y nos quedamos con ganas de saber más, pero como comic considero que cumple más que bien.
Rescato especialmente las notas al final del comic, donde sus autores se explayan en detalles históricos, fuentes y hasta anécdotas en relación a la creación de esta obra.

[HacheC · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5.

[Smassing Culture · Rating 5 out of 5]

Κριτική στο Smassing Culture

Οι πολλές διαστάσεις της ουτοπίας

Από τις εκδόσεις Angelus Novus, μας έρχεται «Η Κόκκινη Παρθένα και το Όραμα της Ουτοπίας». Οι δημιουργοί του είναι η φεμινίστρια συγγραφέας και ακαδημαϊκός Mary Talbot και ο σύζυγός της, Bryant Talbot, δημιουργός κόμικ — μεταξύ των έργων του είναι το Grandville που έχει κυκλοφορήσει στα ελληνικά. Αυτή τη φορά, στην τρίτη συνεργασία τους, καταπιάνονται με την εντυπωσιακή ζωή της Λουίζ Μισέλ, αναρχική, οραματίστρια, ποιήτρια που συμμετείχε στην Παρισινή Κομμούνα. Το graphic novel τοποθετείται αρχικά στο 1905, όταν η φεμινίστρια Σάρλοτ Πέρκινς φθάνει στο Παρίσι, όπου την υποδέχεται η Μονίκ και μαζί θα παρακολουθήσουν την κηδεία της Λουίζ Μισέλ. Στη συνέχεια, ενώ συζητάνε, η Μονίκ, ανακαλώντας κυρίως τις αφηγήσεις της μητέρας της, που γνώριζε τη Λουίζ Μισέλ, διηγείται μία εντυπωσιακή ιστορία, ξεκινώντας από τους τελευταίους μήνες του 1870.

Η Κόκκινη Παρθένα ακολουθεί την πορεία της πρωταγωνίστριας ξεκινώντας από το Παρίσι, όπου φτάνουν τα νέα της ήττας στον Γαλλο-Πρωσικό πόλεμο. Ακολουθεί η εξέγερση ενάντια στη συνθήκη με τους Πρώσους και την κυβέρνηση των Βερσαλλιών και η εγκαθίδρυση της Κομμούνας, η οποία σημάδεψε όσο λίγα γεγονότα την πολιτική του 19ου αιώνα, εμπνέοντας τους επαναστάτες -μεταξύ αυτών και τον Μαρξ- με το παράδειγμα που έθεσε για ένα διαφορετικό τύπο κοινωνικής οργάνωσης. Η Λουίζ Μισέλ συμμετέχει στις συνελεύσεις, πολεμάει στα οδοφράγματα, γράφει για τη γυναικεία χειραφέτηση, δίνει ομιλίες για την οργάνωση της παραγωγής. Μετά την αιματηρή συντριβή της Κομμούνας, θα βρεθεί εξόριστη σε ένα νησί του Ειρηνικού Ωκεανού, κοντά στην Αυστραλία. Πνεύμα ανήσυχο και δημιουργικό, εξελίσσεται ως καλλιτέχνιδα και διανοούμενη, γνωρίζει ένα νέο κόσμο μακριά από το Παρίσι, νέα προβλήματα και οπτικές και συνδέεται με ένα από τα πρώτα κινήματα ενάντια στη γαλλική αποικιοκρατία. Αναγκάζεται να ζήσει κουβαλώντας τις τύψεις για το ότι επιβίωσε, ενώ τόσες χιλιάδες σύντροφοι και συντρόφισσές της σφαγιάστηκαν από τον γαλλικό στρατό στην καταστολή της Κομμούνας. Η σταθερά της ζωής είναι ο αγώνας για ισότητα και ελευθερία, ενάντια στην καταπίεση από όπου και αν προέρχεται.

Στην Κόκκινη Παρθένασυναντιούνται με συναρπαστικό τρόπο τρία ρεύματα σκέψης και δημιουργίας: η σοσιαλιστική πολιτική του 19ου αιώνα, τα πρώτα μυθιστορήματα επιστημονικής φαντασίας και τα πρώτα σκιρτήματα τ��υ φεμινισμού στην πολιτική και τη λογοτεχνία. Πεδίο συνεύρεσης είναι η υπόθεση της Ουτοπίας που το κάθε ρεύμα προσεγγίζει με τον δικό του τρόπο · η χειραφέτηση της εργατικής τάξης και η κοινωνικοποίηση των μέσων παραγωγής, τα ευφάνταστα σχέδια για μελλοντικές τεχνολογικές καινοτομίες και η ισότητα των φύλων αλληλοεπιδρούν σε πρωτότυπους συνδυασμούς, δίνοντας μας διαφορετικές οπτικές ενός άλλου τρόπους ζωής. Σαν ο Μαρξ, ο Ιούλιος Βερν και η Μαίρη Γουολστονκραφτ να συναντήθηκαν στο ίδιο παριζιάνικο καφέ και να μιλάνε με τις ώρες. Μόνο που ο «διάλογος» αυτός, εκφρασμένος μέσα από τη ζωή της Λουίζ Μισέλ, δεν έχει τίποτα το ακαδημαϊκό · χρωματίζεται και καθορίζεται από τα γεγονότα της Παρισινής Κομμούνας, την εξέγερση του λαού του Παρισιού. Το όραμα της Ουτοπίας -στις 3 αλληλοσυμπληρούμενες πλευρές του- γίνεται «επικίνδυνο» όταν συναντιέται με τις κακουχίες των στρατιωτών που γυρνάνε ηττημένοι και βρίσκουν μία ζωή εξαθλίωσης και ακραίας φτώχειας. Η ανάγκη για φαγητό «παντρεύεται» με την ανάγκη για ένα όραμα που θα περικλείει όλες τις πλευρές της ζωής και όχι τυχαία εκπροσωπείται από γυναίκες που θέλουν να ανατρέψουν τους κοινωνικούς ρόλους που τις κρατούσαν στο περιθώριο. Με αυτό τον τρόπο, η αφήγηση κάνει αρμονικά εναλλαγές που υπό άλλες συνθήκες θα φαίνονταν παράταιρες, καθώς από τα οδοφράγματα του 1871 βρισκόμαστε σε ένα καφέ στις αρχές του 20ου όπου οι δύο αφηγήτριες σχολιάζουν τις νέες εκδόσεις επιστημονικής φαντασίας.

Φυσικά, είναι η Λουίζ Μισέλ αυτή που πρωτοστατεί στις ανατρεπτικές συνδέσεις · μιλάει στους πεινασμένους για ένα αυτοματοποιημένο σύστημα διανομής φαγητού, στις γυναίκες για μία κοινωνία όπου δεν θα ζουν στο περιθώριο του νοικοκυριού, στους εργάτες για την κοινωνική ισότητα. Οι δημιουργοί, μέσα από το διάλογο των δύο αφηγητριών για την πρωταγωνίστρια, μας μεταφέρουν την τρομερή ένταση των στιγμών, το πάθος της Λουίζ Μισέλ και των Κομμουνάρων για έναν άλλο κόσμο, την αγάπη τους για ζωή αλλά και την αποφασιστικότητα μπροστά στον κίνδυνο του θανάτου. Το σχέδιο του Bryan Talbot εντυπωσιάζει με τη λεπτομέρεια του στα πρόσωπα, τη ρεαλιστική απεικόνιση του βομβαρδισμένου Παρισιού · ξεχωρίζουν, ιδιαίτερα, τα δισέλιδα καρέ με τη σφαγή της Κομμούνας και η εικόνα της Λουίζ Μισέλ μπροστά στο στρατοδικείο.

Από την άλλη, ειδική μνεία απαιτείται για την ιστορική έρευνα που έχει συνοδεύσει αυτό το graphic novel και είναι εμφανής σε κάθε σελίδα του αλλά και στο ξεχωριστό παράρτημα στο τέλος, όπου παρέχει στοιχεία για ιστορικά γεγονότα, συγγραφείς και πολιτικούς συμβάλλοντας στην κατανόηση του όλου έργου.

Το ιστορικό πλαίσιο του 19ου αιώνα δεσπόζει στην Κόκκινη Παρθένα. Οι προσδοκίες που γέννησαν οι κοινωνικοί αγώνες και η τεχνολογική πρόοδος βρήκαν μία σπουδαία εκπρόσωπο στο πρόσωπο της Λουίζ Μισέλ που αδίκως πέρασε στο περιθώριο της ιστορίας. Σήμερα, σε μία εποχή που η τεχνολογική πρόοδος συσχετίζεται σχεδόν αυτόματα με τη δυστοπία και την ενίσχυση ενός σύνθετου δικτύου καταπίεσης-εκμετάλλευσης, έρχεται ένα έργο για να μας δείξει ότι οι ρίζες της επιστημονικής φαντασίας ήταν πολύ διαφορετικές. Η Ουτοπία ενέπνεε την πολιτική και καλλιτεχνική φαντασία καθώς οι ιστορικοί ορίζοντες της ανθρωπότητας φαίνονταν ανοιχτοί. Και αν οι κοινωνικές εξελίξεις είναι τέτοιες που επέβαλαν μία μεταστροφή στον τρόπο που αντιλαμβανόμαστε το μέλλον, μορφές σαν τη Λουίζ Μισέλ, την Κόκκινη Παρθένα, μας δείχνουν έναν άλλο δρόμο.

[Marie Albert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Très beau roman graphique pour suivre la vie de la révolutionnaire française Louise Michel. J'ai bien aimé la construction narrative. C'est une BD originale.

🏴🏴 🏴

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this book! The art was wonderful, the story was interesting and I couldn't put it down! It's absolutely brilliant.

[Covadonga González-Pola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es una pasada. Lo único que podría pedirle es que me cuente más cosas sobre ella! Quiero más.

[Maëch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un livre sur Louise Michel sans lesbianisme = un livre décevant.

[Elsits · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mary M. Talbot y Bryan Talbot, escritora e ilustrador de Sally Heathcote. Sufragista se superan con esta novela.

La trama aborda una época turbulenta tras la Guerra Franco-Prusiana donde surgirá la Comuna de París, un breve movimiento insurreccional que gobernó la ciudad de París del 18 de marzo al 28 de mayo de 1871 rozando la utopía anarquista.

La historia está hilada a través de una trama no lineal. Asistimos a un encuentro entre la famosa feminista norteamericana Charlotte Perkins y la hija de una de las compañeras de Louise Michel, también conocida como la Virgen Roja. Su conversación va repasando los momentos más decisivos de la vida de Louise Michel; educadora, poetisa, oradora, icono feminista y anarquista y una de las principales figuras de la Comuna de París. Desde su lucha revolucionaria, pasando por la Comuna de París y su posterior deportación a Nueva Caledonia, hasta su regreso a Francia, donde fue testigo de la construcción de la Torre Eiffel, símbolo de París que perdura hasta nuestros días.

Además, un detalle curioso que me ha gustado mucho es el recorrido cíclico de la novela, que empieza y termina con el sastre Franz Reichelt, quien ideó, basándose en los diseños de Leonardo Da Vinci, una especie de paracaídas que decidió probar él mismo en 1912 saltando desde la Torre Eiffel, por entonces la estructura más alta del mundo.

La parte gráfica de la novela también me ha encantado. Las dos líneas argumentales están representadas distintivamente pero siempre con el contraste entre el blanco y el negro y el color rojo como herramienta llamativa y cohesiva.

Además, las páginas finales incluyen las referencias históricas detalladas y hasta fragmentos de textos y fotos de la época. Muy buen trabajo de documentación.

Maravillosa Louise y maravillosa novela.

[merixien · Rating 4 out of 5]

“ ‘Geleceği mükemmelleştirmek’ makinalar ve araçlarla ilgili değil. Çocuklarla ilgili.”
Louise Michel’in Paris Komünü günleri ve Yeni Kaledonya’daki günlerinin anlatıldığı bir çizgi roman. Hikaye 22 Ocak 1905’te Louise Michel’in cenazesi ve aynı tarihte ünlü feminist ve ütopya yazarı Charlotte Perkins Gilman’ın gelişiyle başlıyor. Charlotte ile kendisine eşlik eden ve Paris Komünü günlerinde Louise ile yan yana savaşmış olan Elianne’in kızı; Monique arasındaki Louise Michel’e dair sohbet ile ilerliyor. Yalnızca Kızıl Azize’yi değil aynı zamanda “Kadınlar Ülkesi” fikrinin doğuşunu, bilim kurgunun nasıl ve hangi ihtiyaçla ortaya çıkıp yükseldiğini de okuyorsunuz. Bunların yanı sıra kadınların hak ve özgürlükleri için hayatını bu alana adayan Charlotte Perkins Gilman’ın içindeki ırkçılıkla da karşılaşıyorsunuz. Paris Komünü dönemine dair az bir fikriniz varsa ya da bu döneme dair giriş seviyesinde bir bilgi edinmek istiyorsanız ideal bir kitap.

[Blancactus · Rating 3 out of 5]

El problema que he tenido con este cómic es que a ratos me resultaba un poco caótico en la narración, soy un poco zote en terreno histórico así que a ratos me perdía un poco del asunto. El estilo de dibujo me gusta, me encanta ese recurso de usar solo negros, grises y destacar el color rojo, peeeero al mismo tiempo satura un poco (suelo preferir estilos más limpios).
Pero con lo que me quedo por encima de todo es el descubrimiento de esta mujer, Louise Michel, tan justa, tan feminista, siempre de la mano de los colectivos oprimidos aunque eso suponga incluso enfrentarse con los suyos, Y TIENE SIEMPRE GATOS. ¡¡Esa mujer fue maravillosa!!

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

The artwork is lovely, but the story seemed to be missing some pieces. It felt like the second book of a series -- like there was a previous book I should have read first. I like how she framed the story with three women recalling her life. But I was confused about the details at several points.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous art. Fascinating story. Informative and entertaining — just the kind of nonfiction graphic novel I love!

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This graphic novel was excellent: the pictures, the colours, the message, the narration, the lessons and the intertextuality.

[ems · Rating 4 out of 5]

more historical comics about early feminists, please

[Rachel Louise Atkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favourite of Talbot's books. This was amazing. I now want to buy a red scarf and start an uprising. Long live the revolution!

[Rebe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me ha encantado la historia de Louise Michel. Buscaré alguna novela para ahondar más en la vida de esta super-mujer. Acepto recomendaciones.

[Álvaro · Rating 3 out of 5]

El personaje histórico de la obra es bastante interesante, pero la forma de narrar su vida es horrible. La Comuna de París fue un suceso histórico de gran relevancia y no explican casi nada de lo que pasó (recomiendo leer los escritos de Marx y Engels sobre la Comuna de París si quieres saber lo que pasó). El estilo de dibujo no me ha gustado mucho.

[Esther L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3'5. Me ha gustado mucho y sin duda lo recomiendo muchisimo.

[Tiagoツ · Rating 4 out of 5]

é incrivelmente bom, porém confuso.
é uma hq linda, com uma arte preciosa e que te ajuda a conhecer mais sobre esse momento em específico da história (comuna de paris), é uma história incrivelmente boa e saber que a grande parte foi real me deixa muito feliz.
porém, é um contexto histórico e a hq nao a introduz muito bem, se você não sabe muito o que foi a comuna de paris acaba perdido e muitas vezes não entende nada.
ainda assim, muito bom, não me arrependo de ter lido.

es increíblemente bueno, pero confuso.
es un cómic hermoso, con un arte precioso que te ayuda a aprender más sobre este momento específico de la historia (comuna de parís), es una historia increíblemente buena y saber que la mayor parte fue real me hace muy feliz.
sin embargo, es un contexto histórico y el cómic no lo introduce muy bien, si no sabes mucho de lo que era la comuna de parís terminas perdido y muchas veces no entiendes nada.
aun así, muy bueno, no me arrepiento de leerlo.

[Bram · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful envisioning of a much-forgotten period and character in left-revolutionary history. For all the ways that we now associate radical socialism with party-states like the USSR and PRC, it is worth remembering that by Marx's own admission, the first 'dictatorship of the proletariat' was actually the Paris Commune of 1871. The latter operated far more like a socialist democracy, a genuine uprising of the Parisian poor that was mostly absent of any distinct 'vanguards'. Of course, it is this very absence which Marx and Engels later came to criticize, and which ended up splitting the First International between Marxists and anarchists. If you ask me, the failure of the Paris Commune, if it was not inevitable from the start, had more to with the lost momentum of the communards than their lack of central organization. The comic itself represents a clear will to push beyond the bounds of Paris as soon as the Commune was established, a movement which was then arrested by the revolt's 'leaders' prioritising the holding of communal elections. The demands of the state apparatus thus seemed like more of an obstacle in the immediate moment. How ironic.

Anyway, instead of endlessly litigating this ancient history, the comic mostly focuses on the fate of the social radical Louise Michel amid all this turmoil. Her life's story is certainly an interesting one, as she found herself deported to the French colony of New Caledonia in the wake of the Commune's brutal repression. Undeterred, she resolved to turn her unwilling exile into a scientific and anthropological expedition, learning as much of this land and its indigenous people as she could. Her anarchist sentiment was mostly unaffected by the imperialist attitudes of the time, and her enthusiastic interaction with the local Kanak population was not exactly appreciated by her French fellows. After her eventual pardoning and return to France, she spent the rest of her life fervently lecturing on behalf of myriad social causes, never compromising her call for utopia even a single bit. Her death in 1905 was deeply mourned by all her comrades.

Louise Michel was a remarkable person, and this comic has no trouble getting that point across. All that is lacking is a bit more focus on her life as such, rather than the collection of anecdotes it sometimes feels like. The emphasis on utopia, while welcome overall, ocassionally turns into techno-optimism rather than a proper call for social revolution; perhaps this is simply an accident of the time it is expressed in, a late 19th century which still had little awareness of the technological horrors to come. But if we are to establish our own utopia, we must be wary of overemphasizing its technical aspect. Science itself cannot save us, not if its potential is caught up in the industries of human destruction. That is still the age in which we live. Let us try, then, to live a bit more like Louise.