Kathleen M. Llewellyn is Associate Professor of French and International Studies at Saint Louis University, USA.

’... Brings to life an untold fascinating chapter of the story of Judith. This book’s two-fold purpose is to explore how Judith was envisioned by French sixteenth- and early seventeenth-century male and female writers, readers, and spectators, and how she became a conduit for the expression of their political and religious concerns. The first takes us through a broad range of texts; the second, in contextualizing the heated debates reflected in these texts, allows us to appreciate what made Judith such a riveting figure.’ Anne Larsen, Hope College, USA '... Representing Judith paints a fascinating picture of the ways in which this evocative figure became a popular exemplar and a source of literary inspiration in the sixteenth century. ... The author demonstrates how this femme forte made her way into the hearts and minds of authors of early modern France, and, in so doing, Llewellyn has opened the door for other scholars to follow in her footsteps.' H-France 'The distinct angles of analysis in each study broaden the book's scope ... this book makes a valuable contribution to the study both of Judith and the more salient features of her character - her femininity, with its disturbing beauty and autonomy; her Judaism and its implications for exemplarity in a Christian era - and of these works, which exemplify the popularity of her story in early modern France.' French Studies

• Prologue1 Introduction: Imagining Judith2 Acting for God: Le Mystere de Judith et Holofornés3 Regarding Judith: Vision and the Narrative Frame in Du Barta's La Judit4 Chantant avec Judith: Establishing Community in Gabrielle de Coignard's Imitation de la victoire de Judich5 Reflecting Virtue and Vice: Pierre Heyns's Le Miroir des vefves: Tragédie scrée d' Holoferne & Judith6 Preaching the Book of JudithConclusion

Kathleen M. Llewellyn is Associate Professor of French and International Studies at Saint Louis University, USA.

’... Brings to life an untold fascinating chapter of the story of Judith. This book’s two-fold purpose is to explore how Judith was envisioned by French sixteenth- and early seventeenth-century male and female writers, readers, and spectators, and how she became a conduit for the expression of their political and religious concerns. The first takes us through a broad range of texts; the second, in contextualizing the heated debates reflected in these texts, allows us to appreciate what made Judith such a riveting figure.’ Anne Larsen, Hope College, USA '... Representing Judith paints a fascinating picture of the ways in which this evocative figure became a popular exemplar and a source of literary inspiration in the sixteenth century. ... The author demonstrates how this femme forte made her way into the hearts and minds of authors of early modern France, and, in so doing, Llewellyn has opened the door for other scholars to follow in her footsteps.' H-France 'The distinct angles of analysis in each study broaden the book's scope ... this book makes a valuable contribution to the study both of Judith and the more salient features of her character - her femininity, with its disturbing beauty and autonomy; her Judaism and its implications for exemplarity in a Christian era - and of these works, which exemplify the popularity of her story in early modern France.' French Studies

• Prologue1 Introduction: Imagining Judith2 Acting for God: Le Mystere de Judith et Holofornés3 Regarding Judith: Vision and the Narrative Frame in Du Barta's La Judit4 Chantant avec Judith: Establishing Community in Gabrielle de Coignard's Imitation de la victoire de Judich5 Reflecting Virtue and Vice: Pierre Heyns's Le Miroir des vefves: Tragédie scrée d' Holoferne & Judith6 Preaching the Book of JudithConclusion