Christine de Pizan – författare

Written by Europe’s first professional woman writer, The Treasure of the City of Ladies offers advice and guidance to women of all ages and from all levels of medieval society, from royal courtiers to prostitutes. It paints an intricate picture of daily life in the courts and streets of fifteenth-century France and gives a fascinating glimpse into the practical considerations of running a household, dressing appropriately and maintaining a reputation in all circumstances. Christine de Pizan’s book provides a valuable counterbalance to male accounts of life in the middle ages and demonstrates, often with dry humour, how a woman’s position in society could be made less precarious by following the correct etiquette.

In 1401, Christine de Pizan (1365-1430?), one of the most renowned and prolific woman writers of the Middle Ages, wrote a letter to the provost of Lille criticizing the highly popular and widely read "Romance of the Rose" for its blatant and unwarranted misogynistic depictions of women. The debate that ensued, over not only the merits of the treatise but also the place of women in society, started Europe on the long path to gender parity. Pizan's criticism sparked a continent-wide discussion that is still alive today in disputes about art and morality, especially the civic responsibility of a writer or artist for the works he or she produces. In "Debate of the 'Romance of the Rose'", David F. Hult collects, along with the debate documents themselves, letters, sermons, and excerpts from other works of Pizan, including one from "City of Ladies" - her major defense of women and their rights - that give context to this debate. Here, Pizan's supporters and detractors are heard alongside her own formidable, protofeminist voice. The resulting volume affords a rare look at the way people read and thought about literature in the period immediately preceding the era of print.

Originally published in 1993, this book offers a translation of Christine de Pizan's Christine's Vision, as translated by Glenda K. McLeod. One of France's first professionl writers, Christine de Pizan wrote a large and remarkable body of work, distinguished not only for its variety and quality but also for its unusual blend of introspective and public commentary. As Christine's Vision makes clear, Christine sensed the similarities between her fate and France's and felt a close bond with her adopted land.

Originally published in 1993, this book offers a translation of Christine de Pizan's Christine's Vision, as translated by Glenda K. McLeod. One of France's first professionl writers, Christine de Pizan wrote a large and remarkable body of work, distinguished not only for its variety and quality but also for its unusual blend of introspective and public commentary. As Christine's Vision makes clear, Christine sensed the similarities between her fate and France's and felt a close bond with her adopted land.

Originally published in 1984, the three epistolary works of Christine de Pizan, alongside their translation. They are all personal documents from a woman who gave spiritual advice as well as an insight into the real workings of her society.

Originally published in 1984, the three epistolary works of Christine de Pizan, alongside their translation. They are all personal documents from a woman who gave spiritual advice as well as an insight into the real workings of her society.

This Norton Critical Edition presents selections from eighteen of Christine’s major works in fresh, contemporary translations.  Each text is fully annotated and is accompanied by an introduction placing it in the context of Christine’s oeuvre and tracing the literary developments and the historical situation of the period.  The Book of Fortune’s Transformation and The Book of the City of Ladies include manuscript illuminations."Criticism" collects seven important interpretations of the literary and historical aspects of Christine’s work, by Jacqueline Cerquiglini, Beatrice Gottlieb, Renate Blumenfeld-Kosinski, Sheila Delany, Patricia A. Phillippy, Joel Blanchard, and Kevin Brownlee.  A Selected Bibliography is included.

Christine de Pizan was born in Venice and raised in Paris at the court of Charles V of France. Widowed at the age of twenty-five, she turned to writing as a source of comfort and income, and went on to produce a remarkable series of books, including poetry, politics, chivalry, warfare, religion and philosophy. She is considered to be France's first female professional writer. This was the first translation into modern English of Christine de Pizan's major political work, The Book of the Body Politic. Written during the Hundred Years' War, it discusses the education and behaviour appropriate for princes, nobility and common people, so that all classes can understand their responsibilities towards society as a whole. A product of a time of civil unrest, The Book of the Body Politic offers a medieval political theory of interdependence and social responsibility from the perspective of an educated woman.

Othea’s Letter to Hector, one of Christine de Pizan’s most popular works, is at the same time one of her most complex creations. Combining a somewhat Sibylline verse text based on a mythological figure with extensive citation of pagan sapiential authorities, the Bible, and the Church Fathers, it showcases Christine’s extraordinary learning and her innovative approach to didacticism. An appendix provides new insights on her skillful use of patristic sources and creative command of Latin authors.

"Fresh, accurate, and engaging, this new translation of the Book of the City of Ladies helps us to understand what made Christine de Pizan so popular with her fifteenth-century contemporaries. The editors provide a rich historical and philosophical context that will be very useful to both students and scholars of the history of political ideas. The translations themselves gracefully navigate the fine line between accuracy and readability with considerable charm. Rounding out this portrait of the turmoil of fifteenth-century France, the volume is enriched by excerpts from other works, Christine's Vision, the Book of the Body Politic, and the Lamentation on France’s Ills." —Kate Forhan, Emeritus, Siena CollegeCONTENTS:IntroductionA Note on Translating the Book of the City of LadiesChristine de Pizan: Her works, Her TimesSuggestions for Further ReadingFrom Christine's Vision (1405)The Book of the City of Ladies (1404–1405)From The Book of the Body Politic (1404–1407)From Lamentation on France's Ills (1410)Index

"Fresh, accurate, and engaging, this new translation of the Book of the City of Ladies helps us to understand what made Christine de Pizan so popular with her fifteenth-century contemporaries. The editors provide a rich historical and philosophical context that will be very useful to both students and scholars of the history of political ideas. The translations themselves gracefully navigate the fine line between accuracy and readability with considerable charm. Rounding out this portrait of the turmoil of fifteenth-century France, the volume is enriched by excerpts from other works, Christine's Vision, the Book of the Body Politic, and the Lamentation on France’s Ills." —Kate Forhan, Emeritus, Siena CollegeCONTENTS:IntroductionA Note on Translating the Book of the City of LadiesChristine de Pizan: Her works, Her TimesSuggestions for Further ReadingFrom Christine's Vision (1405)The Book of the City of Ladies (1404–1405)From The Book of the Body Politic (1404–1407)From Lamentation on France's Ills (1410)Index

The first political treatise written by a woman.Christine de Pizan’s The Book of the Body Politic is the first political treatise written by a woman. It not only advises the prince, but nobles, knights, and common people as well. It promotes the ideals of interdependence and social responsibility. Rooted in the mindset of medieval Christendom, The Book of the Body Politic heralds the humanism of the Renaissance, highlighting classical culture and Roman civic virtues. This new edition and translation offers a faithful rendering of Christine de Pizan’s writing, as well as a thorough contextualization of her career as a political writer at the end of the Middle Ages in France. The Book of the Body Politic resounds to this day, urging for the need for probity in public life and the importance of responsibilities and rights.

An early Tudor translation of the Cité des dames, a crucial argument written by Christine de Pizan on the importance of women.Christine de Pizan's defense of women against centuries of misogyny, Cité des dames, was the only work of literature translated into English by Brian Anslay, an administrator in the household of King Henry VII. While numerous manuscripts were held in royal and aristocratic libraries, Anslay’s printed translation enabled a broader range of readers to appreciate the arguments for female rule crucial to the reigns of Mary I and Elizabeth I. Anslay’s translation also played a key role in the late-nineteenth-century revival of interest in Christine. This modernization of Anslay’s Tudor English makes his translation accessible to contemporary readers while preserving the rhythms of early Tudor prose. It includes an extensive introduction and notes highlighting both the history of the language and the cultural references embodied in the text.

»Hittills har många kloka och rättfärdiga människor berömt kvinnornas verk, utan att kvinnorna själva skrivit en bok om dessa ting. Vad gäller tiden som har gått utan att deras anklagare och belackare har blivit bemötta, säger jag dig bara, att i evigheten har var sak sin tid.« - Christine de Pizan Så har tiden äntligen kommit för den första svenska översättningen av Christine de Pizans Kvinnostaden (1405), ett av senmedeltidens viktigaste litterära verk och en uppgörelse med den tidens kvinnofientliga tanke- och samhällsmönster. Med hjälp av »tre höga fruar« går Christine ut på Litteraturens fält för att grunda Kvinnostaden. Byggstenarna utgörs av historiska och mytologiska kvinnoöden, allt ifrån drottning Semiramis och Jungfru Maria till samtida kvinnor i Christines närhet. Med uppfriskande klarhet analyserar hon sin tids skrankor och formulerar en utopisk vision som fortfarande inte har förlorat sin aktualitet. Översättning Jens Nordenhök, förord Carin Franzén Christine de Pizan (1364-1431) har kallats »den första feministen« och inledde sin bana som professionell författare när hon vid tjugofem års ålder blev änka och ensam måste försörja tre barn och sin mor. Född i Venedig och verksam i Paris.