The Book of the City of Ladies (Masterplots, Revised Second Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Christine de Pizan
- First Published: 1405
- Type of Work: Biography
- Time of Work: Early fifteenth century
- Setting: Paris and the allegorical City of Ladies
- Principal Characters: Christine de Pizan, Lady Reason, Lady Rectitude, Lady Justice
- Genres: Criticism, Nonfiction, Philosophy, History
- Subjects: Sexism, Gender roles, Paris, Women’s issues, Women, Ethics, Human behavior, Fifteenth century, Women’s rights, Middle Ages, Debates or debating
- Locales: Paris, France, City of Ladies (mythic)
The Story:
Christine de Pizan was sitting in her study reading when her mother called her to supper. The next day, as Christine resumed reading The Lamentations of Mathéolus, which slandered women’s character, she reflected on the behavior of the female sex. While she was lost in thought, a vision of three ladies appeared to her. They told Christine that they had come to correct the erroneous impressions that men had created about women by helping her build a city where virtuous women would reside. They identified themselves as Lady Reason, Lady Rectitude, and Lady...
[The entire page is 2433 words long]
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