Editing Pope Joan (section)

==In fiction==
Pope Joan has remained a popular subject for fictional works across artistic forms. 

Plays featuring or referencing her include [[Ludwig Achim von Arnim]]'s ''Päpstin Johanna'' (1813), a fragment by [[Bertolt Brecht]] (in ''Werke'' Bd 10), a [[monodrama]], ''Pausin Johanna'', by Cees van der Pluijm (1996), and [[Caryl Churchill]]'s 1982 play, ''[[Top Girls]]'', which featured Pope Joan as a character. In July 2019 a theatrical show, ''Pope Joan'', was held in [[Malta]] at [[Mdina]] ditch featuring her as the main character.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/arts/theatre_and_dance/96014/dreaming_of_a_female_pope__irene_|title=Dreaming of a female pope &#124; Irene Christ on Pope Joan|website=MaltaToday.com.mt}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/arts/theatre_and_dance/95887/pope_joan_and_her_relevance_today|title=Pope Joan and her relevance today|website=MaltaToday.com.mt}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/pope-joan-at-mdina.719356|title=Pope Joan at Mdina|website=Times of Malta|date=5 July 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2019-06-25/newspaper-lifestyleculture/Irene-Christ-takes-on-Pope-Joan-6736210001|title=Irene Christ takes on Pope Joan |website=independent.com.mt – The Malta Independent}}</ref>

She has also appeared widely in novels. 

The Greek author [[Emmanuel Rhoides]]' 1866 novel, ''[[The Papess Joanne]]'', was admired by [[Mark Twain]] and [[Alfred Jarry]] and freely translated by [[Lawrence Durrell]] as ''The Curious History of Pope Joan'' (1954). The legend also inspired Jarry's final written work before his death, ''The Pope's Mustard-Maker'' (1907), an operetta about a female pope known as Jane of Eggs, who operates under the papal name John VIII.

The American [[Donna Woolfolk Cross]]'s 1996 [[historical romance]], ''[[Pope Joan (novel)|Pope Joan]]'' (later produced as a German musical and [[Pope Joan (2009 film)|2009 film]]). Other novels include Wilhelm Smets' ''Das Mährchen von der Päpstin Johanna auf’s Neue erörtert'' (1829), [[Marjorie Bowen]]'s ''Black Magic'' (1909), Ludwig Gorm's ''Päpstin Johanna'' (1912), Yves Bichet's ''La Papesse Jeanne'' (2005) and Hugo N. Gerstl's ''Scribe: The Story of the Only Female Pope'' (2005). [[Howard Pyle]]'s ''[[The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood]]'' contains a reference. In the 2016 novel by [[Robert Harris (novelist)|Robert Harris]], ''[[Conclave (novel)|Conclave]]'' ([[Conclave (film)|later filmed]]), a liberal candidate to the Papacy states that his reginal name would be "John", foreshadowing a twist with parallels to the legend of Pope Joan. [[Emily Maguire (writer)|Emily Maguire]]’s 2024 historical fiction novel, ''Rapture'', is a retelling of the legend of Pope Joan.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mem: 7622776 |title=Maguire's historical fiction 'Rapture' sells to Sceptre {{!}} Books+Publishing |url=https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2024/03/20/249102/maguires-historical-fiction-rapture-sells-to-sceptre/ |access-date=2025-01-30 |language=en-AU}}</ref>

There have been two films based on the story of Pope Joan. In 1972, [[Michael Anderson (director)|Michael Anderson]] directed ''[[Pope Joan (1972 film)|Pope Joan]]'' (1972; released as ''The Devil's Imposter'' in the US; re-released in 2009 as ''She ... Who Would Be Pope''). And in 2009, Cross's novel was filmed as ''[[Pope Joan (2009 film)|Pope Joan]]''.

Finally, Pope Joan has even featured in video games. She appears as a Ruler class Servant in the 2015 mobile game ''[[Fate/Grand Order]]'', and is the inspiration for Johanna, one of [[Makoto Niijima]]'s titular personas (manifestations of the soul used by humans to battle demons), in the 2016 video game ''[[Persona 5]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Persona® 5|url=http://atlus.com/persona5/characters-makoto.html|website=atlus.com|publisher=ATLUS|access-date=26 April 2017}}</ref>