"The God of Love′s Letter" and "The Tale of the Rose" – A Bilingual Edition. With Jean Gerson, "A Poem on Man and Woman," Translated from the Latin

Christine de Pizan (c. 1364–c. 1430) was an Italian-born poet and author who grew up in France. Thelma S. Fenster is professor emerita of French and medieval studies at Fordham University, where she also directed the Medieval Studies Program. She has authored articles about Christine de Pizan and edited Christine’s poetry. Christine Reno is professor emerita of French and Francophone studies at Vassar College, where she also taught in the Women’s Studies Program. She has coedited two editions of Christine de Pizan’s works and coauthored the Album Christine de Pizan.

“These new editions and translations of two of Christine’s early works engaging with the misogyny of the Roman de la Rose will be invaluable not only to undergraduate and postgraduate students but also to specialists and readers interested in the later Middle Ages. The new material covered here is a tribute both to the editors’ meticulous scholarship and to the enormous strides made by Christine studies over recent years, particularly in our understanding of the manuscript tradition and Christine’s constant reworking of her texts over time.”—Angus J. Kennedy, University of Glasgow

• Acknowledgments Abbreviations Foreword by Jocelyn Wogan-Browne IntroductionChristine de Pizan and the Other Voice Background: The Roman de la Rose Pushing Back 1: The Epistre au dieu d’Amours Pushing Back 2: The Debat du Roman de la Rose “Qui sont fames?” / Who Are Women? “Par droite condicion et inclinacion naturelle” / Through Their Rightful Condition and Natural Inclination Inclinacions Condicions Meurs The Intellectual Life of the Laity and the Place of the Epistre The Dit de la Rose and Chivalric Orders Manuscripts Versification Presentation of French Text Note on the Translations L’Epistre au dieu d’Amours / The God of Love’s Letter Rejected Readings and Variants to the French Edition Notes to the French Edition Notes to the English Translation Le Dit de la Rose / The Tale of the Rose Rejected Readings and Variants to the French Edition Notes to the French Edition Notes to the English Translation Jean Gerson, A Poem on Man and Woman, translation, introduction, and note by Thomas O’Donnell Bibliography General Index Index of Proper NounsIndex of Topics in The God of Love’s Letter