The Role Of Women : A Feminist Theory Of Christine De Pizan

Throughout history men have been leading the battles, conquering worlds, discovering new lands, but behind every good man is a good woman! So, as I read this week, I learned an enormous amount of information about the diversity of the different roles women play according to where they might live or what era they grew up in. I will address the rights that women had, how they are viewed in society, the comparison between these women and the ones from the New Testament, the evidence to support my claim.

Prior to and throughout the late middle ages, women have been portrayed in literature as vile and corrupt. During this time, Christine de Pizan became a well educated woman and counteracted the previous notions of men’s slander against women. With her literary works, Pizan illustrated to her readers and women that though education they can aspire to be something greater than what is written in history. Through the use of real historical examples, Christine de Pizan’s, The Book of the City of Ladies, acts as a defense against the commonly perceived notions of women as immoral.

Ever since the emergence of civilizations, men and women have had completely different and unequal roles in society. For centuries, women have been oppressed by the theories of men- theories that declare women to be physically and intellectually inferior to them. As a result, the social expectations for both genders have stayed static for hundreds of years: men are expected to dominate the world, while women are expected to take care of the household. However, in the 18th century, an age of intellectual enlightenment where the development of new ideas was encouraged, women began to gain more access to education. As women gained more education, there were many women thinkers who began to question and argue against the role that society had given them. In contrast, male thinkers found new ways to reaffirm traditional ideas about the inferiority of women. Thus, in the opposing viewpoint, Women in the Age of the Enlightenment: Rousseau and Wollstonecraft, two philosophers, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Mary Wollstonecraft, provide their own interpretations of this debate, offering completely different perspectives. In his work Émile, Rousseau reflects the views of many male thinkers of his time, as he argues that there are “natural biological differences” (592) between men and women that make women mothers and not intellectuals. In contrast, Mary Wollstonecraft, also known as “the founder of modern European feminism” (591), believes in the equality between men and women, but

Throughout history women were always seen as inferior to men as they were thought to be more fragile, less educated, and only useful for childbearing and household care. Even women of a elite status were seen as less than males as Jeanne d’Albret ( mother of future king Henry IV) proved this when she said in a letter to the Pope that should she be found wrong that she should be excused simply because she is a woman (Doc 4). Jeanne d’Albret being the mother of a future king and wife of a current king means that she was of a higher status than any other woman in France yet she still felt the need to excuse herself for being a woman on behalf of her ignorance. Others argued that God commands that women be subordinate to men in every way as they were weak and men were Godly (Doc 3). Women were allowed to be apart of religious ceremonies and partake in the possession of God but were not allowed the same status or privileges of man (doc 5). The idea that women were secondary to men continues throughout the Reformation in Europe as they were still seen as weak and

The City of Ladies has been regarded as the first book to speak out for women. Around the time of the book being written women were being portrayed as objects that are not equal to men. Christine picked up a book by Matheolus, a 13th-century writer. In the book, Matheolus was writing about marriage. He said that women make men's lives miserable. Christine felt distraught at being a woman. After thinking that, three women appeared next to Christine. Each woman represents a virtue. The three virtues tell Christine that she must build a city for the best women. The book continues teaching Christine about feminism and why men slander women. The City of Ladies can compare very well to A Thousand and One Nights. In A Thousand and One Nights, Sultan Shahrayar finds out that his wife is unfaithful, he kills her he also swears that he will marry a different woman every night. When the sun rises he will kill her. One of his wives, Scheherazade, told him half a story each night so that he lets her live to the next night, so she can complete the story. A lot of these stories had feminist and feminism theme in them, similar to The City of Ladies. By the end of the one thousand and one nights, Sultan Shahrayar’s idea about women changed. He respected women and thought they were equal to men.

In The Book of the City of Ladies, women are depicted as people with agency and the ability to achieve goals without needing men. From the beginning Christine de Pizan portrays women as independent and self-sufficient. She starts with the three ladies, Lady Justice, Lady Rectitude, and Lady Reason, they are all there to guide humans, both men and women, thus placing them in a higher position than human men. Lady Justice carries a golden vessel that holds what every man and woman deserve, she based on facts hands out punishment or rewards and will not falter to any man’s complaints. This, right

During the Renaissance period, the woman didn't have many rights, which causes them to become men's property. Female author Christine de Pizan changed this preposterous idea of men's controlling women's lives when she published the book, The Book of the city of ladies. Pizan was a French Renaissance author who wrote some of the very first feminist pieces of literature. She was one of the few women that were educated during this period, which meant she could write well. Pizan book changed women confidence and made them feel as if

Daddy’s princess. Big brother’s responsibility. Daddy’s little girl. Some people view these as a sweet pet names for young ladies, but these verbal cues inexplicitly condition women to view themselves as the property of men starting at a young age. These learned notions may take hold as women begin to develop. As young girls mature, they find themselves striving to please their fathers and other male figures as one of their main aspirations in life due to this conditioning from society. (Rholetter p. 1) The submissive nature of young girls is a common theme in literature, but looking through the Feminist Lens offers readers a better understanding of the struggle surrounding remaining submissive or demanding power occurs.

Since the dawn of the Patriarchy there has been a very apparent attack on women and what it means to be a woman (Daly 44-45). This popular theory of misogyny in the Western world first surfaced in 1973 when radical feminist Mary Daly published “Beyond God and the Father: Toward a Philosophy of Women’s Liberation (Daly 44-45).” Within the pages of Daly’s book lies controversial attacks of biblical text, more specifically the story of Adam of Eve alongside a call for action for women and men to undo the brainwashing that years of conditioning has caused them (Daly 44-45).

Dating back to history, Christine de Pizan, one of the first identified female writers from the late medieval era, is the genuine master of the “box”. In her famous “The Book of the City of Ladies”, Christine de Pizan alludes to celebrated female figures and “box” her audience. She confronts the disparagement that “a man should never serve…anyone lower than him” especially woman, with the argument that all the angels “surely” are “happy” to serve the Virgin, “who is above all the angels” (24). This argument locks Pizan’s audience – close-minded Christian men – into a box. It appears that questioning the virtues of the Virgin Mary would be directly questioning the Bible, thus the argument that woman is “lower” than man dismantles. Pizan continues to tackle with beliefs that denigrate woman. She breaks down the condemnation of Eve into the paradox that without Eve, there would be no Mary, and thus “humanity” will not be “conjoined to the Godhead” (24). Again, Pizan’s skillful command of the allusions and rhetorical questions wins her the bitter agreement from her audience, because any doubting would not be reasonable for that they do value the existence of Christ more than anything if they are sincere Christians. In plenty aspects, Christine de Pizan’s writing echoes with that of King; they both allude to renowned individuals whose ideas or reputation are accepted widely as weapons to drive their audience into

Alice Paul, the author of the Equal Rights Amendment of 1921, firmly stated that “there is nothing complicated about ordinary equality.” 1 Equality, a basic human truth, is the foundation of many governments, institutions, and schools of thought. While it may not be a common – or even a popular – opinion, feminist theory and the Roman Catholic Church both believe in the inherent trait of equality amongst all human beings, whether they be male or female. In order to prove this claim, one must examine both philosophies, acknowledge their differences, and finally, recognize the common themes of unity, equality, and inclusion that make feminism and Catholicism what they truly are.

For instance, men had many rights over women including obtaining an education. Women were subsidiary and began to work towards gaining more rights than taking care of household needs and motherhood (Puchner 7). For example, Mary Wollstonecraft and Olympe de Gouges were a few authors that became known for their works during this movement. Both women wrote excerpts to help women gain privileges and equality (Puchner 45 & 551). Wollstonecraft argued that marriage was the same level at prostitution and unequal rights in education led women to feel as though they were slaves that had to submit to their husbands. Although many of her ideas were rejected during her life, she became known as the founder of feminism (Puchner 45). On the other hand, de Gouges was outspoken about ending slavery and the rights of unwed mothers (Puchner 551) during the French Revolution (Mian). She believed all women should have freedom and be able to speak publicly about issues (Puchner 551). To continue, women began to go to salons to gain insight on other women’s beliefs and gain support of their own ideas

An unlikely candidate to dispute the unfair, misogynistic treatment of women by men and society, Christine de Pizan successfully challenged the accepted negative views that were being expressed about women by the all-male literary world of her era. Part of Christine’s uniqueness stems from the time in which she lived, the middle to late 1300’s. The lack of a positive female role model to pattern herself after made Christine a true visionary in the fight for the equal rights of women. Her original ideas and insight provided a new and more intelligent way to view females. Pizan’s work, The Book of the City of Ladies, provided women much needed guidance in how to survive without the support of a man.

Fortunately, in the 14th century, it is said that the literature of Christine de Pizan, who declared that God created men and women to be equals was the first of many to contribute to feminist criticism. As centuries past, both male and female voices who fought for women to be heard and accepted as scholars, artists and writers were accepted. The development of the feminist criticism slowly developed through the centuries but major progress occurred during 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s. No Longer at Ease being published right before the progress started is based on a male perspective and male superiority can be seen throughout. However, in chapter twelve, Obi tries to ignore the fact that he received an urgent letter from home but focusing on any and everything else. But the underlining focus in this chapter are women as an important subject matter. The use of language, the point of view and the dialogue in the chapter will have one who is a common reader see that the subject as being when Obi received the letter from home, Mr. Green actions of an old colonial lord and Obi and Christopher visit to Nora and Pat at the

The Bible is controversial on the matter of gender equality. There are numerous contradictions about the status of women in Christian society. Historically, the most prominent interpretation has been rather negative toward women. The Christian Church, with principally male authority, emphasizes the idea that women are inferior to man. They focus on Eve’s sin leading to a punishment that “her husband will have authority over her.” (Drury, 34)