Throughout history women have
struggled with their limited roles in a male – dominated society, more often
than not seen as a man’s property. It wasn’t until the later Medieval Era where
Christine de Pizan (1365 - 1430) challenged this ideology of “stereotypical’ gender roles,
becoming the first writer of feminist literature.
Privileged as a child sent to study
in Paris in the abbey at Poissy (a result of her father becoming an astrologer
to France’s King Henry V). She was very
fortunate to have both a supportive father and husband that allowed her to
continue her education. It wasn’t until the death of these two men where her
literature began to take off. After becoming what we would call a single mother
she needed a source of income, so she began giving out her literature to
members of the court. They would send her money in return and later commissioning
her for more work, which eventually got her family out of debt. She proved what most men at the time
considered impossible, a woman with the ability to earn a living and support
her family.
One of her more famous feminist
literature pieces is called The Book of
the City of Ladies. Divided into three sections Christine shows women who
ruled in history, women who demonstrated and kept family values, and women who
were martyrs for their faith. The lists of accomplishments in the book depicted
women as equals to men. Her book gave
these extraordinary women ‘a place to be
safe from the attacks of men’ (Lloyd). One
of her final pieces of literature was her poem paying tribute to Joan of Arc
entitled “Ditie de Jeahanne d’Arc” (The Poem of Joan of Arc).
Christine de Pazin was one for the first feminists of the
medieval era, her literature and her life depicted her passion for breaking the
set gender roles that have been in place for centuries.
Resources:
http://departments.kings.edu/womens_history/chrisdp.html
http://www.poemhunter.com/christine-de-pizan/biography/
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ReplyDeleteIt's interesting how there is so much of the history of women that we are still discovering. Did you know that one of the earliest pieces of monophonic music we have documented was written by a female composer? Her name was Hildegard, and she was a pretty cool lady.
ReplyDeleteCharles, this is really interesting, I have never learned much about Christine de Pizan, it is rather unexpected to find such a strong feminist woman so early in history that had the opportunity to really stand behind her opinions and not be silenced for it. Great read!
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