First Impressions Review: The Book of the City of Ladies, by Christine de Pizan
Born in Venice in 1365, Christine de Pizan was arguably the world’s first feminist author, and this book in particular is focused on defending women against the slanders of misogynist male writers. To do this, Christine depicts herself in conversation with the feminine avatars of Justice, Reason, and Rectitude as together they fashion a metaphorical walled city – similar to Augustine’s ‘City of God’ – that will house and protect all ladies of virtue and competence, past, present, or future. Like Dante starting his ‘Divine Comedy’ at a point in his life where he is lost in a “dark wood” Christine depicts herself as having fallen into despondency – for if so many wise men speak ill of women it must be true, even if it contradicts her experience, right? To which Reason replies: “Notice how these same philosophers contradict and criticize one another…Come back to yourself, recover your senses, and do not trouble yourself anymore over such absurdities.” Interestingly, given the time in which she lived, Christine more than once makes clear that by "ladies" she means all women of excellence “whether noble, bourgeois, or lower-class”. She says that if women had written the classics, they would have handled things differently. And so she does, using the same sources that her male contemporaries used to cherry-pick examples of women’s vices to patiently list a huge number whose virtues cannot be denied by anyone who respects those sources!
These examples are hugely varied, including contemporary figures, biblical and sainted women, and Greek and Roman mythology – though she re-casts pagan supernatural figures as ladies who were so wise that people merely thought they were goddesses! To the idea that women are too weak for war or governing she counters A) “sorry, why would being unsuited to violence be a bad thing, again?” but also B )“What about every queen of the Amazons ever, plus Empress of Ethiopia Nicaula, plus half a dozen who have ruled wisely in our own time while their sons were young?” To show that women’s minds are as capable as men’s in the arts and sciences she draws on examples like Sappho the poet, Medea1 the enchantress, Minerva (“who invented many sciences”), Marcia the Roman painter, and more. For examples of bravery and steadfastness, she mentions those like Judith (who in the bible tricked and beheaded the tyrant Holofernes), the Greek women who saved their husband’s lives by swapping places with them in prison, and Ruth2.
When confronted with the charge that wives only bring their husbands unhappiness, Rectitude turns the question back:
“How many harsh beatings – without cause and without reason - …how many cruelties, insults…have so many upright women suffered, none of whom cried out for help? And consider how many women die of hunger and grief with a home full of children, while their husbands carouse dissolutely…and still the poor women are beaten by their husbands when they return, and that is their supper!...Have you never seen any of your women neighbors so decked out?” And I said to her, “Certainly, my lady, I have seen many, and I feel very sorry for them.”… “you can easily see that such foolishness…is an arbitrary fabrication…For men are masters over their wives, and not the wives mistresses over their husbands.”
Later, she notes that women’s reputation for greed
likely comes from the precarious circumstances many find themselves in, being
dependant on what they get from others to live. But Christine does not mean to
talk down marriage! She notes that, at its best, where there is respect and
care between partners, it is a source of great happiness. That, at least was Christine's experience, for she (sadly briefly) had a husband who supported her intellectual pursuits.
She saves her trump card for last – because what devout 14th century man could deny respect to the Virgin Mary and to the long list of female saints! Of course, to a modern reader this gets a bit jarring, going from mostly stories of ladies’ accomplishments to a bunch of martyrdom stories that read kind of like a script for a particularly over-the-top slasher movie! But her point is clearly that these women were as brave and faithful as their male counterparts, and won as much glory, and to say otherwise would be sacrilegious.
“Therefore you are right, my ladies, to rejoice greatly…upon seeing this new City completed, which can be not only the refuge for you all…but also the defense and guard against your enemies and assailants, if you guard it well!”
1. Who she says “in learning…surpassed and exceeded all women; she knew the powers of every herb and all the potions which could be concocted”. Well, yep, you definitely can describe a witch that way, but it is fascinating that a 14th century Catholic would do so!
2. Whose devotion I always read as more toward her mother-in-law Naomi than her unnamed husband, but the point still stands!
It is sometimes disheartening to realize how current some of these debates feel. When Christine asks why male authors malign women so, Reason responds: “some men have attacked women with good intentions” – to warn men off of “vicious or dissolute women” - but “such sweeping ignorance never provides an excuse…It would be as if I attacked fire - a very good and necessary element – because some people burnt themselves”, going on to add that others attack women because they are bitter that other men have more luck in love than them, or because they hate it if a woman does something better, or just because they are trolls who like to slander and provoke everyone. Yep, that seems familiar! To the idea that women enjoy rape, she gives many examples of the anguish this crime clearly causes. Too many examples of suicide from shame for my taste; I was glad she included the queen of the Galatians, who found a way to stab her rapist in the neck, and the Lombard ladies who managed to protect themselves by stuffing their decolletage with rotting chicken, to balance it out a bit! To those who say women only dress up to attract men, Rectitude says: “many people, men and women, take delight in…beautiful and rich clothes and cleanliness and in stately and dignified things…Is it not written that the apostle Bartholemew, who was a gentleman, wore clothes of silk with fringe and precious stones…?” In other words: Fashion can be loved for its own sake, darling!
The introduction notes that Christine herself got quite lucky: her father supported her education and living in Paris, a center of learning at the time, was also a plus! Thus, when she was widowed at 25 with three children, she was able to support herself with her pen, with books like this that draw on her vast reading but which are also lively and accessible3. She was one of the first writers in the vernacular (not Latin) to supervise the copying and illuminating of her books, and served as official biographer to king Charles V. And yet…we didn’t read this book in the ‘great books’ courses I took in college, even though it would have paired well with Dante and Boccaccio - Christine’s contemporaries, whom she cites. I suspect that many of my classmates would have been shocked to know that there were any women writers in the 14th century! And thus, alas, the need for a reminder that accomplished women have existed in every age persists now almost as much as it did 700 years ago…
3. The intro resists calling her the “first professional writer” – which I would have heard as a compliment – because apparently some people have said that with a turned-up nose, as if writing books that sell automatically makes them lower quality. Sigh…
Overall recommendation: Don’t let fear of “classics” turn you off this one – The writing is really quite engaging, and though there are some parts that may feel repetitive, one can simply put it down for a while if (for example) the list of martyrs gets to be a bit much!
