Cantebury Tales
Christine de Pizan was one of the first feminist authors in the history of literature. She wrote many poems and books voicing her opinion on the injustice women of her time faced. One such novel is The Book of the City of Ladies. In a visionary dream, Christine is visited by Ladies Reason, Rectitude, and Justice. The three ladies inform Christine that God has chosen her to build 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. Reason provides materials for the foundation, Rectitude helps to build the walls, create the moat, and lays out the city, and Justice adds the finishing touches to the high towers and places. With the creation of this city, Christine forms a sort of utopia for all women by providing powerful positive images of women, ranging from warriors, inventors and scholars to prophetesses, artists and saints. She also offers a fascinating insight into the debates and controversies about the position of women in her medieval culture. Much of The City of Ladies was inspired by events in the author's life that sparked some animosity a
I'll tell the truth and won't deceive. How I, a woman, became a man by a flick of Fortune's hand Christine and Lady Reason discuss motives behind men's misogyny. Reason sets out to prove that many women have made important contributions to civilization by listing many famous women in the domains of law and governance, science, and philosophy. A pattern is established here that will be repeated in following chapters where parallels are drawn between classical models and more recent examples of comparable virtues, for Christine is clearly unwilling to have feminine virtue demoted to a mythological past. Lady Reason attacks the issue that women are by nature mean, or evil. She reminds Christine that woman was created by God and that God would not make something with a dark nature. She continues to say that woman was create from one of man's ribs as a symbol that she is to remain as a companion at his side-equally-not to his servant lying at his feet. A major theme in The City of Ladies is that of virginity, chastity and virtue. In Part II of the novel, Christine address Lady Rectitude on multiple issues, such as "the view of those who claim that women use their charms to attract men" (Pizan, 188), "if it's true what certain men have said about how few women are faithful in love" (Pizan, 171), "those who calm that women want to be raped" (Pizan, 147), "those that assert that there are very few chaste and attractive women" (Pizan, 145), "the view that women are lacking in constancy" (Pizan, 150), whether or not "women are loved more for their virtue than others are for their attractiveness" (Pizan, 190), et cetera. With every question Christine poses, Lady Rectitude provides numerous examples of women throughout history, ranging from Queen Hypsicratea to the Sabine women to Judith and all the ladies and princess of France-each having proven themselves to be quite noble and virtuous in their demeanor.
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Approximate Word count = 2788
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)
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