The secret history of wonder woman is an absolutely fascinating nonfiction book about the man who created wonder woman and the many women who inspired him and who, in many cases, directly contributed to wonder woman in concept, story, and design. For more, try the following subject searches in the library catalog. Jill lepore examines the feminist underpinnings of the superhero wonder woman. An interview with jill lepore, author of the secret history. Mostly used in the hannabarbera justice league and super frineds cartoons. A new york times and national bestseller and winner of the 2015 american history book prize ms. Signe bergstrom examines wonder womans diverse media representations from her wartime comic book origins to todays feature films, and explores the impact she has had on womens rights and empowerment and the fight.
Last summer, i received an email message from a defense contractor that was advising a. Wonder woman, lepore argues, is the missing link in the history of the struggle for womens rightsa chain of events that begins with the womens suffrage campaigns of the early 1900s and ends with the troubled place of feminism a century later. Ambassador of truth now tells the complete illustrated story of this iconic characters creative journey. Harry george peter march 8, 1880 1958, usually cited as h. The history of wonder womans secret comic book identity. Wonder woman publication history dc database fandom. October 26, 2014 jill lepores new book about wonder woman reveals the unconventional life of her creator, william moulton. The foreword, titled the splash page, serves as an introduction and foreword for the entire. The secret history of wonder woman penguin random house. Drawing from an astonishing trove of documents, including neverbeforeseen private papers, harvard historian and new yorker staff writer jill lepore reveals the fascinating family story that sparked the invention of the most popular female superhero of all.
The 5 best wonder woman comic book story arcs nerdist. Sensation comics begins a 106 issue run 1942 july 22. Preceded by wonder woman volume 2, followed by wonder woman volume 4 starring. The secret history of wonder woman is a fascinating read. Key to the success of the book is lepores stellar detective work, her almost sherlockholmesian ability to ferret. Download the secret history of wonder woman ebook pdfepub. The secret history of wonder woman pdf download ebook. Wonder woman comic books and graphic novels research. Despite being blind from birth, he is one of the most successful singers of his genre and the record label motown. Courtesy of mike sekowskydc entertainment meet diana prince, the woman who has done it all. The author, a professor of history at harvard, places wonder woman squarely in the story of womens rights in americaa cycle of rights won, lost and endlessly. In this nonfiction book, jill lepore tells three separate histories that all intertwine and intersect with wonder woman, one of the most popular comic book characters of alltime. Like every other superhero, wonder woman has a secret identity. A cultural history of wonder woman traces the characters creation and enduring popularity, drawing on interviews and archival research to reveal the pivotal role of feminism in shaping her sevendecade story.
The history of the comic book superhero, superman in his various media incarnations. The strange story of wonder womans creator william moulton. The character is a founding member of the justice league. Milestones throughout the real world history of wonder woman. The secret history of wonder woman is the result of years of research in dozens of libraries, archives, and collections, including the private papers of wonder womans creator, william moulton marstonpapers that have never been seen by anyone outside of marstons family. The secret history of wonder woman livros na amazon.
William moulton marston may 9, 1893 may 2, 1947, also known by the pen name charles. Wonder woman, created in 1941, on the brink of world war ii, is the most popular female superhero of all time. The author reports on the unconventional life of wonder woman s creator, william moulton marston, a psychologist and. Mar 14, 2016 the history of wonder woman s secret comic book identity. Jill lepore has written a very good history wonder woman that would be ideal for book clubs or discussion groups.
In the comic book, wonder woman s real name is diana, and she is the daughter of queen hippolyta, ruler of the amazons, a race of peaceloving women who lived in an island named themyscira also referred to as paradise island. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of the secret history of wonder woman by jill lepore. The secret history of wonder woman foreword summary. O utside her comic book fanbase, the 40s cartoon character wonder woman is surely more appreciated by the lay person, when known at all, as a fancydress opportunity. With michelle laurent, robert mccain, joe spence, micah green. Wonder woman, created in 1941, is the most popular female superhero of all time.
Jill lepore author of the secret history of wonder woman. The secret history of wonder woman summary supersummary. A riveting work of historical detection revealing that the origin of one of the worlds most iconic superheroes hides within it a fascinating family storyand a crucial history of twentiethcentury feminism. This book has been really well researched by a historian, jill lepore, who gained access to material that. Wonder woman is a fictional superhero appearing in american comic books published by dc comics. Jill lepores history of wonder woman is a microhistory and a macrohistory. The secret history of wonder woman, by jill lepore the. A delightful read, the book offers new historical perspectives imbedded in a rollicking, fastmoving, even salacious story. Jill lepore is the david woods kemper 41 professor of american history, harvard college professor, and chair of harvards history and literature program. Read more about marston in lepores essays at smithsonian and the new yorker and in her book, the secret history of wonder woman. Read the origin stories of your favorite marvel or dc superheroes, including black panther, spiderman, batman, wonder woman and more. Wonder woman simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Wonder woman, lepore argues, is the missing link in the history of the struggle for womens rights. Unlike every other superhero, she also has a secret history. Following after infinite crisis, wonder woman was canceled and relaunched in 2006. Jill lepore born august 27, 1966 is an american historian.
The secret history of wonder woman by jill lepore goodreads. Start a new manga series with death note, naruto or pokemon. The secret history of wonder woman book description. The secret history of wonder woman book the seattle. It illuminates the struggle for womens rights during the 20th century by focussing on the impact of certain individuals who were part of an extraordinary extended family. Looking at the history of comics and graphic novels.
Jill lepores new book about wonder woman reveals the unconventional life of her creator, william moulton marston, who invented the lie detector, championed feminism, and lived with two women at once. The secret history of wonder woman, by jill lepore the new. Lepores lively, surprising and occasionally salacious history is far more than the story of a comic strip. Wonder woman wasnt the first female comic book hero, but she quickly proved to be the most popular after appearing on the cover of the debut issue of. The strange true story of the real women behind wonder woman wonder woman creator william marston was into kink and bdsm and poly before the terms were invented and shared. This study guide consists of approximately 63 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the secret history of wonder woman. Different styles of wonder woman by kessielou on deviantart. The book does tell the story of the life of william moulton marston and the lives of his wife elizabeth holloway marston and their companion olive. Wonder woman last edited by pikahyper on 022620 11. James mcconnachie sunday times the book i read most eagerly and discussed most avidly in 2014 was the secret history of wonder woman. The book the secret history of wonder woman knopf, 2014 by harvard historian professor jill lepore. The freaky, fabulous, feminist secret history of wonder. Comic readers have known for years that marsden invented the lie detector, of his unconventional love life, that wonder woman s bracelets and lasso and her being tied up in most of the early comics are basically bdsm representations, and the characters ties to early feminism.
Her new book, the secret history of wonder woman, ties together the marston family, comics, the suffrage and feminist movement, family life, and how it all directly relates to the present day. And this was the cartoon that experienced a hiddenrelationship between wonder woman and a certain dark knight. The life and opinions of jane franklin, 20, was the product of the suffragist, feminist, and birth control movements of the 1900s and 1910s and became a source of the womens liberation and feminist movements of the 1960s and 1970s. She was a feminist, created by a man who lived with two women wonder woman special to the oregonian by special to the oregonian follow on twitter on december 09, 2014 at 6. Wonder woman tiara and gauntlets kit 2015 rubies costume co. Wonder woman 2006 single issues series by allan heinberg. However, wonder woman never went through one of the most important phases. Here is the first wonder woman drawing the history blog.
Wonder woman, lepore argues, is the missing link in the history of the struggle for womens rights a chain of events that begins with the womens suffrage campaigns of the early 1900s and ends with the troubled place of feminism a century later. He was inducted into the comic book hall of fame in 2006. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. The secret history of wonder woman was the top pick by the common book selection committee, which makes recommendations to vcu provost gail hackett, ph. And then wonder woman, though she continued to exist, lost her kink. Wonder womans secrets in context the comics journal. It is a group biography of the characters inventors but, the book also shows how wonder woman emerged from main currents in american culture. In comic books, superpowers are almost always secret, the alter ego hiding them behind the plainclothes disguise. The first comic book heroine that changed history, amazon princess diana wonder woman.
The secret history of wonder woman by jill lepore smart. The following version of this book was used to create this study guide. Wonder woman was created by william moulton marston and harry g. This history has sometimes included a sidekick wonder girl and many villains. Jill lepores the secret history of wonder woman is a major event in the field of comics history it provides a fascinating and multilayered context for the iconic character.
Nevertheless, i found that the book did succeed at times in providing rare moments of insight into a littlenoted corner of the cultural studies world. Wonder woman is the most popular female superhero of all time. Ongoing comic book titles and comic book miniseries featuring the wonder woman family of characters. William moulton marston may 9, 1893 may 2, 1947, also known by the pen name charles moulton. The freaky, fabulous, feminist secret history of wonder woman. Alison bechdel, the author of fun home, among other works, said, in the nexus of feminism and popular culture, jill lepore has found a. Peter, was a newspaper illustrator and cartoonist known for his work on the wonder woman comic book and for bud. The first and most important thing to say is that the secret history of wonder woman is a splendid work of history, one of the three or four best books ever written on comics and a crucial contribution to the history of feminism. Wonder woman had her very own heros journey that was similar to campbells.
Secret history of wonder woman journal of american. May 31, 2017 jill lepore, author of the secret history of wonder woman, says this obsession with chains wasnt just an excuse for marston to feature lots of bondage fantasies though that was a factor. That is true, for example, of the secret jill lepore chronicles in the secret history of wonder woman. He successfully hid an unusual hive home life while in plain sight as a minor celebrity. It was interesting to learn about the creator of wonder woman and his feminist ideals but disheartening to read about the comics rapid decline in the hands of his successors. But most kinds of secrets dont give any real power to their holders.
Jill lepore reveals the secret history of wonder woman cbr. Here is the first wonder woman drawing this image has made the rounds of a couple of sites io9, bleeding cool the past few days and its so damn cool i had to get on the bandwagon. Mar 09, 2015 the secret history of wonder woman, jill lepore. Jill lepores new book, the secret history of wonder woman, is a long, strange thing to chew on. Their relationship grew out of marstons theories of love, which he explored in his book, emotions of normal people, coauthored by marston, holloway, and byrne, yet only credited to him p. Wonder woman, writes lepore historyharvard univ book of ages. Nov 15, 2017 the 2006 relaunch of the justice league of america series undid the postcrisis deletion of wonder woman from the leagues origins, brought in a new jla satellite and further made batman. Since her debut she has become one of the most popular and recognizable dc comics characters, along with batman and superman. Wonder woman is the original, strong, independent woman and that is why her cultural significance is as strong today as it was 70 years ago. Created in 1941, beautiful as aphrodite, wise as athena, stronger than hercules and. The secret history of wonder woman internet archive.
Looking for a book that has a great story as well as stunning artwork. The secret history of wonder woman audiobook by jill. Jill lepores fascinating new book, the secret history of wonder woman. A harried reader could get the gist of the secret history of wonder woman by opening it just past dead center and reading through the 16page comic book version of the story there you would learn, in brief, that william moulton marston, inventor of the lie detector test, came up with the idea for wonder woman in 1941. Pdf the secret history of wonder woman download read.
Wonder woman, writes lepore history harvard univ book of ages. She is the david woods kemper 41 professor of american history at harvard university 1 and a staff writer at the new yorker, where she has contributed since 2005. Wonder woman fictitious character criticism and interpretation. The secret history of wonder woman is its own magic lasso, one that compels history to finally tell the truth about wonder womanand compels the rest of us to behold it. The book is a wellresearched biography of the quirky man who invented the wonder woman comic strip and character. The secret history of wonder woman, by jill lepore, is vcus. Olive byrne wore metallic wrist bracelets after the birth of her child, very similar to the ones that wonder woman uses to fend off bullets, and continued to wear them constantly. Oct 28, 2014 the surprising origins of a 20thcentury goddess. Soon after steve trevor, a us air force pilot, crashlands on paradise island during world war ii, diana and the. Wonder woman is an ongoing american comic book series featuring the dc comics superhero wonder woman and occasionally other superheroes as its protagonist. In october 25, 1940, an interview conducted by former student olive byrne under the pseudonym olive richard and published in family circle, titled dont laugh at the comics, marston described what he saw as the great educational.