One of the most respected figures in the courts of medieval Europe,
de Pizan was remarkable for being the only professional woman
writer of her time. By 1390 she was fatherless and widowed, needing
to support 3 children, her mother and a niece: she soon established
a major reputation as a poet. Her writings also included a highly
acclaimed biography of Charles V and works on public affairs, the
art of government, peace and women's roles in society. In The Book
of the City of Ladies, she constructed an allegorical city in which
reason, rectitude and justice defend womankind from the misogynist
view that 'female nature is wholly given up to vice'. A key text in
the hisotry of feminism, it provides many powerful images of women
- from warriors, inventors and scholars to artists, prophets and
saints - as well as being a fascinating insight into medieval
culture. (Kirkus UK)
‘Philosophers, poets and orators too numerous to mention all speak with one voice and are unanimous in their view that female nature is wholly given up to vice’. It was this misogynist consensus that Christine de Pizan (c. 1364–1430), France’s first professional woman of letters, confronted head-on in the City of Ladies. Here, with the help of Reason, Rectitude and Justice, Christine constructs an allegorical city in which to defend womankind, using examples of female virtue and achievement both from the past and her own day as the stones with which to build the city’s walls and towers.
A key text in the history of feminism, the City of Ladies not only provides powerful positive images of women, ranging from warriors, inventors and scholars to prophetesses, artists and saints, but also offers a fascinating insight into the debates and controversies about the position of women in medieval culture. In her Introduction to this new translation for Penguin Classics, Rosalind Brown-Grant sets the work within its historical and intellectual context.
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