City of Women - Chreistine de Pizan
Ive been a bit slow of late so im gonna inflict my medieval lit on you all.
Christine de Pizan (1363 – c. 1430) was a pioneering women writer and this book is an attack on the woman hating mostly male world of literature. Christine’s narrative is divided ito several parts - each a symbolic part of the construction of a metaphorical city of the best women, built to defend itself from constant attack on women most male writers engaged in. The first section explores what these men had written and her reversing the supposed flaws into virtues (a specific form of poetic rhetoric). The next sections explore stories of virtuos and heroic women who disprove many of these accusations. These sections and elegant arguements are probably the best. The last section deals with christian women martyrs who were tortured but were saved by angels and other suopernatural helpers. Such stories were common in early christian thought and used as proof to convert the miracle hungry and ignorant of the late roman empire. I had to gag at the horrible torture and the obvious untruth in this section - but it is still an interesting take on retro christian beliefs. All be told a readable book and an important early step in the war against bashing the achievements and virtues of women.
Christine de Pizan (1363 – c. 1430) was a pioneering women writer and this book is an attack on the woman hating mostly male world of literature. Christine’s narrative is divided ito several parts - each a symbolic part of the construction of a metaphorical city of the best women, built to defend itself from constant attack on women most male writers engaged in. The first section explores what these men had written and her reversing the supposed flaws into virtues (a specific form of poetic rhetoric). The next sections explore stories of virtuos and heroic women who disprove many of these accusations. These sections and elegant arguements are probably the best. The last section deals with christian women martyrs who were tortured but were saved by angels and other suopernatural helpers. Such stories were common in early christian thought and used as proof to convert the miracle hungry and ignorant of the late roman empire. I had to gag at the horrible torture and the obvious untruth in this section - but it is still an interesting take on retro christian beliefs. All be told a readable book and an important early step in the war against bashing the achievements and virtues of women.
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