Laying the Groundwork
The Renaissance: the era of going back to move forward. With the unusual time period of the Renaissance came an opportunity for many unique authors to bring forth new perspectives. The Book of The City of Ladies by Christine de Pizan is an excellent example of the diversity of The Renaissance. Pizan’s book is “both a historical treatise on women and a defense of women” (Brophy, Cole, Robertson, Safley, & Symes 366). This offers a perspective on women by a woman as well as insight into the times.
To understand the motive behind The Book of the City of Ladies, one must understand the author behind it. According to King’s College Woman’s History Department, Christine De Pizan was a French Renaissance writer who broken
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traditions and produced some of the first works of feminist literature. In her early years, her father worked as an astronomer for King Charles V. This allowed Christine to have an excellent education. Christine was married at age fifteen to Etienne de Castel. All was well for Christine until first her father’s death then her husband’s, which left her family without a breadwinner. This led her to become an author to support her family. Her book, The Book of the City of Ladies, was written in the year 1404-1405.
“It was written to combat the current ideas that existed about woman's nature. City of Ladies is divided into three sections in which Christine builds her symbolic city for women” (King’s College). Each section helps build the case for the defense and virtue of women particularly in a time mixed with religious and moral corruption. Women of the past used to be a defense of women for their virtuous deeds and to promote virtuous attitudes among women of the time. From her works, she put a female voice to issues concerning female’s role in society. She also praised women such as Joan of Arc for their bravery, which demonstrates her desire for women to take command of their lives and destinies (Cole & Symes 2017); however, as seen in the fiery death of Joan of Arc, this was not a time ready for such …show more content…
actions. Considering the times, The City of Ladies was written, the message and author were the biggest controversy. During the the 15th century, women of the upper classes were expected to act as the women of Greece or Rome were: “Upper class women may have had servants and workers working for them, but the women were still expected to take care of the house hold.
Women could not work by themselves. Neither could they live alone if they were not married. If a woman was single, she was made to move in with one of her male relatives or join a convent and become a nun. There was no other option at this time for women. In accordance to different classes of women, the only women that were allowed to express themselves were upper class women, but not sufficiently” (Cloud).
Taking this into consideration, the odds seemed stacked against Christine de Pizan; however, Pizan overcame this and thrived. According to King’s College Women’s History Department, “she was able to pull herself out of debt and save her family. Christine 's ability to write for specific audiences helped build her popularity with her patrons”. Along with her books, City of Ladies and the sequel Treasury of Ladies help to cement Pizan as one earliest feminist of the western
history. Through modern eyes, Pizan's advice is considered outdated. She emphasizes virtuous character and highlight women didn’t necessarily step out of normal society boundaries. Even so, her encouragement for women and men to value virtue in a time of moral instability is what stands out above all else in her book. Her commitment to her faith is also admirable as so many were in the midst of questioning it. Although this creates bias, with most religious view there will most likely be bias since faith is something that people clung to so dearly. In conclusion, The Book of the City of Ladies by Christine de Pizan give the world insight into the standards of virtues in the era of the hectic Renaissance and begins the starting point for western Feminisms. Without such works, the views of women of this era may not have been spotlighted. Christine de Pizan did indeed lay the groundwork for the city of ladies we have today. Works Cited: Brophy, James M., et al. Perspectives from the Past: Primary Sources in Western Civilization. 6th ed., vol. 1, W.W. Norton & Company, 2016. “Christine de Pizan.” Departments.kings.edu, King’s College, departments.kings.edu /womens_history/chrisdp.html. Cloud, Amanda. “Gender Roles of Women in the Renaissance.” CedarCrest.edu, Cedar Crest College, www2.cedarcrest.edu/academic/eng/lfletcher/shrew/acloud.htm. Cole, Josh, and Carol Symes. Western Civilization: Their History & Their Culture. 4th ed., vol. 1, W.W. Norton & Company, 2017.
Women were auctioned off as “merchandise” to the best suitor they could get in town. Beauty, though important, was not as important as the dowry the woman possessed, because it was the dowry the family provided that could exalt a man’s societal status to all new heights. Once married, women were expected to have son’s for their husbands in order to take over the family business. A barren woman was not an option and could have easily been rushed to the nearest convent to take her vows of a nun, for no honor could be brought otherwise. No woman could run from the societal and legal pressures placed upon them. Rather than run, some chose to accept their place, but, like Lusanna, some chose to fight the status quo for rights they believed they
Christine De Pizan’s work in The Book of The City of Ladies pioneers a new genre of feminist literature that exposes a time period from the perspective of its female population. Due to this, De Pizan justifiably earns the title of a revolutionary author. However, to say that De Pizan revolutionized the conditions of women in the medieval ages and onward is an overstatement. In her book, De Pizan critiques sexist arguments in order to defend women against misogyny. The change that De Pizan presented in medieval culture was gradual because she was attempting to amend people’s perspectives on women rather than offer any institutional rectifications. She worked to establish that women can be just as mighty as men, and thus, they are not innately inferior. However, her goal was not to ensure that women have equal access to exercise and pursue their virtuous roles. Therefore, if observed
Men and women were held under drastically different expectations in Spain and the Spanish colonies in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. These set gender roles are effectively demonstrated through the life of Catalina de Erauso, who experienced the entire spectrum through her adventures as a transvestite in this time period. Opportunities and freedom in culture, politics and economy, and religion varied greatly between men and women. Men were capable of living out their lives independently and ambitiously. Women, on the other hand, were taught to be reliant and mild-mannered characters in the background. De Erauso shatters this idea of a woman’s role by fulfilling a life of adventure and power. In doing so, she briefly dispels the obligations of gender roles, if only for herself. Catalina de Erauso was a nun, a lieutenant, and a history-maker.
...ths of the sixteenth century. Yes, women of that time and place left a very light mark on history. Eventually, the story the book tells spirals down into just some nasty courtroom feuds among family members. The story provides a driving narrative that brings into intimate contact disparate kinds that are still prevalent today. And the conclusion drawn from Anna's actions and reactions may surprise. In both everyday life and in times of crisis, women in the twenty first century has access to effective personal and legal resources.
She showcases a variety of different scenarios, standards, and occupations that women were subjected to at the time. This helps the readers to see the difficulties women of that time period had to overcome to secure what little rights they were able. The oppression of working class women did not just affect those said individuals, but in turn, males, children, and other upper class females. Stansell’s ability to look beyond the normal subject matter permits her to capture the inimitable atmosphere surrounding the struggle of an assorted group of women to find their footing within the society of a nation that was facing its own struggle of independent and prominence. Thus, giving City of Women a fascinating edge against other books of a similar
During The Second Great Awakening, the legal rights of men and women were greatly influenced by gender and race. Paul Johnson and Simon Wilentz’s book, The Kingdom of Matthias, describes the life of two young women, Isabella Van Wagenen and Isabella Matthews Laisdell, both of whom men’s power effected. During the nineteenth century, men were the “backbone” of the family; the men made the money, supported, and provided for the family. Throughout the era, women were nothing more than housewives. A woman’s daily job was to cook, clean, and care for the children. The views of motherhood changed over time as the mothers began bearing fewer children. This alteration was made with the intentions of showing each child more attention with the hopes that the family would rise in social standard and class. There are extreme cases of women's social and spiritual roles changing in The Kingdom of Matthias (Kelly, Dustin). The rising market shaped the rights and freedoms of the women in society. Matthias thought that the increasing rights of women degraded his rights as a man and as a laborer (Fiorini, 3/27).
In the summer of 1788, France was on the brink of revolution. Thousands were starving and peasant revolts were popping up all over the country. At this time, French government and society was in a period called the “Old Regime,” where mobility between classes was nearly unheard of. A person born into aristocracy was lucky, while one born into poverty would most likely struggle for their entire life. Women’s roles were “strictly defined,” no matter what class they were a part of (Streissguth 6). Before the revolution, most women did not question where their place was: in the home. It was very rare for a woman to work outside the domestic sphere, because they did not have as much freedom as men, even men in the lower class. In May of 1789, France had fallen into deep economic turmoil and public unrest was high, forcing the king to call the Estates General. The Estates General, according to Thomas Streis...
Thesis Statement: Men and women were in different social classes, women were expected to be in charge of running the household, the hardships of motherhood. The roles that men and women were expected to live up to would be called oppressive and offensive by today’s standards, but it was a very different world than the one we have become accustomed to in our time. Men and women were seen to live in separate social class from the men where women were considered not only physically weaker, but morally superior to men. This meant that women were the best suited for the domestic role of keeping the house. Women were not allowed in the public circle and forbidden to be involved with politics and economic affairs as the men made all the
...de Pisan, began to challenge traditional myths about women's capacities and achievements through her writings just Fifty years after the rampage of the Black Death. This all began a much brighter future for women-kind by laying down the foundation for future gender equality.
4. Judith L. Kellogg, “Le Livre de la cite des dames: Reconfiguring Knowledge and Reimagining Gendered Space” in Christine de Pizan: A Casebook edited by Barbra K. Altman and Deborah L. McGrady, New York: Routledge, 2003.
visit the just and exhort them to do what is right, to give to each
Historians and scholars often overlook the part that women played in the Renaissance. Did women have a Renaissance? The period did not occur in a male only vacuum; women played an important part in the changes taking place across Europe. No matter a woman’s station in the class system, women, were still considered the sinful daughter of Eve, the downfall of man. Into this world stepped Isabella d’Este, one of the great women of the Renaissance.
When concerning the home front of 19th century Europe, women were “the cult of domesticity” and were highly regarded as wives, mothers, and part of the working class. A lofty character was necessary in completing the demanding tasks surrounding the home life. Images of women ranging from newspapers to fine art all displayed the univ...
Christine De Pizan mentions in her book that a man or woman should not be at greater value over each other. Christine also says in her book that she can see the foolishness of a wise man because without a woman, man reigns with God. The quote that Christine De Pizan says, “ The man or the woman in whom resides greater virtue is the higher; neither the loftiness nor the lowliness of a person lies in the body according to the sex, but in the perfection of conduct and virtues. And surely he is happy who serves the Virgin, who is above all the angles (24).” Christine De Pizan had the intention of writing this book to defend and restore the values of women in their society. Christine’s major goal is not to forcefully make the importance of the women. Christine De Pizan wanted to argue for equality. Christine she wanted everyone in their society to have an equal opportunity like everyone else. Christine De Pizan also argued the fair and equal treatment of all people even if they were a male or female. Christine De Pizan forcefully says that a person’s sex is not a fair way to judge one’s character. Christine De Pizan says an individual’s morals and personal conduct are good enough. With Christine making this statement, the reasons point out the thinking Christine and people of the time, who makes issues and focuses on the non importance qualities that make up an individual’s personality. Later in Christine’s book,
Christine de Pizan was the first woman to earn a living from her writing. She single-handedly confronted the tradition of misogyny that permeated medieval society by attempting to enlighten men and women alike and reverse those current anti-feminist ideas in her most important work, The Book of the City of Ladies.