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A review by dee9401
The Book of the City of Ladies by Christine de Pizan
3.0
An interesting read that I was turned on to by a BBC 4 In Our Time podcast, which showed that there were strong woman’s voices present in the literature in the early 15th century. Why I never heard of Christine de Pizan before is a personal and structural embarrassment. Perhaps because there was a little proto-feminism in her writing, although tempered by the times social and religious strictures? Regardless, a work worth reading and keeping on your shelf for future reference. And, I must add, a great introduction and translation from Middle French by Rosalind Brown-Grant.
While laden with christian arrogance and some antisemitism, the book highlights many women throughout history, mythology and fiction who stand in stark contrast to the dominant male views of woman as weak, unintelligent, subversive, evil, cunning, shallow, etc. This book will serve as a great reference when encountering women in myth, fiction and history to see a different point of view of them. You will come across the Greek gods, Penelope and Odysseus, Achilles, Hektor, Dido, Aeneas, Ovid, Sappho (though sanitized and hetero-normalized), and many others.
While laden with christian arrogance and some antisemitism, the book highlights many women throughout history, mythology and fiction who stand in stark contrast to the dominant male views of woman as weak, unintelligent, subversive, evil, cunning, shallow, etc. This book will serve as a great reference when encountering women in myth, fiction and history to see a different point of view of them. You will come across the Greek gods, Penelope and Odysseus, Achilles, Hektor, Dido, Aeneas, Ovid, Sappho (though sanitized and hetero-normalized), and many others.