Academic literature on the topic 'Christine de Pizan'

ABSTRACTThis research discusses The Treasure of the City of Ladies, a manuscript written by Christine de Pizan in France during the early 15th century to give guidance on account keeping and budgeting. Christine de Pizan was born in Italy but raised in the French royal court. Her manuscript gives the keeping of accounts and budget management a religious imperative. She describes them as functions where the three divine virtues of reason, rectitude, and justice are applied. Christine de Pizan describes how demonstrating these virtues through the proper keeping of accounts and budgets is a way to demonstrate love of God. Although historical accounting records show how accounting was done, this manuscript explains why it was done. In giving a rationale for single-entry bookkeeping and budgeting, the manuscript provides a source that prevents present-mindedness when attempting to undertake contemporary analyses of accounting records from this historical period.

This thesis is concerned with the supervised manuscripts of the works of Christine de Pizan (ca 1364-ca 1430), the first female author who could make a living from the products of her pen. During her long and prolific career as an author, she composed numerous works for noble and royal patrons of France, which were made into manuscripts by Parisian scribes and illuminators. Scholars have argued that Christine supervised the production of these manuscripts. Moreover, on several occasions the hypothesis has been raised that Christine also copied several of them herself, thus acting as scribe X alongside two other scribes, called P and R. The aim of this thesis is twofold: firstly, to gain a better understanding of the production process of the supervised manuscripts of Christine de Pizan's works and of the role played by the author; secondly, to develop and test a new methodology for distinguishing between scribal hands in medieval manuscripts. An account of Christine de Pizan's life and a survey of all surviving supervised manuscripts of her works clearly show that she had extensive knowledge of how they were made. Monotextual manuscripts of her works were often produced in series, in an attempt to economise and speed up the production process. The manuscripts of Christine's collected works show a production and editing process that resembles modern-day printing-on-demand. This thesis further demonstrates the use and success of the Scribal Fingerprint, a new and objective method of distinguishing between scribal hands that consists of three palaeographical core differentiators and two additional differentiators. A Scribal Fingerprint examination of the handwriting in MS Harley 4431, the most recent of the four surviving manuscripts containing Christine's collected works, generates highly heterogeneous differentiator values for the thirteen folios that were analysed. This analysis is combined with an examination executed by GIWIS, an innovative computer application for handwriting analysis. Both strngly suggest that MS Harley 4431, thought by some scholars to have been transcribed entirely by scribe X, was in fact copied by more than one scribe.

This dissertation argues that, across her corpus, Christine de Pizan (c.1364-c.1431) advanced a notion of the common good that is both, and inseparably, political and theological. The project critically analyzes Christine’s theological notions of human personhood, moral formation, prudential self-interest, and destructive preoccupation with personal good. It demonstrates that Christine responded to, retooled, and restructured authoritative texts and traditions in order to compose a constructive notion of the common good. It argues that Christine wrote in the interest of peace in the bodies politic within which she counted herself: France, the Church, and Christendom. It concludes that Christine wrote to form persons for peace.
Religion, Committee on the Study of

L’année 1401 marque un tournant dans la carrière littéraire de Christine de Pizan. Son engagement dans la querelle sur Le Roman de la Rose n’est pas anodin. En affrontant les représentants du premier humanisme français, l’écrivaine réfute le discours misogyne véhiculé par Jean de Meun. Opposant Dante à Jean de Meun, elle critique un usage de la glose qui ne relève pas d’une intention d’auteur clairement définie et se livre à une réflexion sur la question de l’interprétation des textes littéraires. Sa défense morale des femmes, dans Le débat sur le Roman de la Rose et Le livre de la Cité des dames révèle un engagement profond dans la politique de son époque. En prenant position en faveur de la régente Isabeau de Bavière, Christine développe un discours sur les vertus, destiné aux lecteurs désireux d’illustrer les qualités qui aident à bien gouverner. L’Epistre Othea et Le livre de l’advision Cristine illustrent l’importance de la glose, à même de guider le lecteur dans la construction du sens. S’inscrivant dans le sillage de Nicole Oresme et de Thomas d’Aquin, Christine propose une réflexion claire sur les vertus intellectuelles et morales qui permet de comprendre et de retrouver le sens de la justice à une époque où les nombreuses crises de folie de Charles VI mettent l’équilibre du royaume en péril. Le livre du chemin de long estude, Le livre des fais et bonnes meurs du sage roy Charles V, Le livre de l’advision Cristine , Le livre du corps de policie, Le livre de la Mutacion de Fortune développent une poétique de la justice qui devient une solution possible à l’instabilité politique
The year 1401 marked a turning point in the literary career of Christine de Pizan. Her interventions in the debate about the Roman de la Rose were not harmless. In confronting the representatives of the first wave of French humanism, Christine sought to refute the misogynist discourse proposed by Jean de Meun. In contrasting Jean de Meun with Dante, she criticizes Jean de Meun’s recurrent and unfulfilled promise of a gloss which mystifies authorial intention, and in so doing initiates a new reflection on how literary texts should be interpreted. Her moral defense of women during the debate on the Roman de la Rose and The Book of the City of Ladies also reveals a profound involvement in the politics of her age. As part of her taking a clear position in favour of the regency of Isabeau de Bavière during her husband’s periods of mental illness, Christine developed a particular discourse on the virtues aimed at illustrating for interested readers those qualities necessary for good government. L’Epistre Othea and Le livre de l’advision Christine illustrate the importance of a genuine gloss, particularly in guiding readers toward elucidating the sense of a text. Her reflections here follow in the wake of the works of Thomas Aquinas and Nicole Oresme and propose an unambiguous meditation on the intellectual and moral virtues which is designed to aid readers to discover and to understand better the meaning of justice in an age during which the period’s of Charles VI’s mental illusion endangered the stability of the kingdom. Le livre du chemin de long estude, Le livre des fais et bonnes meurs du sage roy Charles V, Le livre de l’advision Cristine , Le livre du corps de policie, Le livre de la Mutacion de Fortune all elaborate a poetics of justice which Christine proposes as a possible solution to the political instability of her time

L'epistre othea est un texte en prose et en vers, compose vers 1400, qui demeurait jusqu'a aujourd'hui inedit. Le present travail donne une edition critique de l'epistre, fondee sur le manuscrit londres, british library, harley 4431,, avec les variantes offertes par trois manuscrits de controle : paris, bn fr. 848 et fr. 606, et chantilly, musee conde 492. L'introduction (pp. 1-122) rappelle d'abord les informations essentielles concernant l'auteur. Christine de pizan (pp. 1-8). La technique de composition particuliere de l'epistre, proche de la compilation, necessite ensuite une discussion assez detaillee des sources mises a profit (pp. 9-31) : une breve notice est consacree a l'ovide moralise, a l'histoire ancienne, au chapelet de vertus, etc. Dans un chapitre a part (analyse litteraire, (pp. 32-39), nous nous efforcons de montrer que l'epistre othea, malgre le caractere heterogene des sources, est une oeuvre unie, dont la veritable nouveaute reside dans les moyens employes par son auteur. Pour l'instruction du destinataire, elle recourt a la tradition mythologique, aux sentences des philosophes antiques et des peres de l'eglise. Les pp. 68-112 contiennent une etude detaillee de la langue du texte - concernant la phonologie, la morphologie et la syntaxe- qui essaye de mettre en evidence les aspects les plus interessants et les particularites du langage de christine de pizan par rapport a ses contemporains. L'edition proprement dite presente le texte avec un double apparat critique enregistrant d'une part les lecons rejetees du manuscrit de base et de l'autre un choix de variantes. Elle est precedee par une etude codicologique (introduction, pp. 48-67). Le cas echeant, les notes (pp. 231-273) discutent la valeur des lecons ou apportent des precisions sur des points de details. Pour chaque texte, nous avons notamment indique les sources utilisees par christine de pizan. Le glossaire (pp. 284-300) enregistre surtout les neologisme et les lexemes rares ou difficiles. Suivent un index des noms propres (pp. 301-310), cherchant a identifier tous les personnages et lieux cites, et une bibliographie (pp. 313-324)
The epistre othea, a text written in prose and verse, composed around 1400 by christine de pizan, has never been edited according to modern standards. Our work gives a critical edition of the epistre, based on the ms london, british library, harley 4431, with the variants of three other manuscripts : paris, bn fr. 848 and fr. 606, and chantilly, musee conde 492. The introduction (pp. 1-122) first gives the essential information regarding christine de pizan (pp. 1-8). It then contains a fairly detailed discussion of the sources used in the epistre (pp. 9-31) : a short notice is dedicated to the ovide moralise, another to the histoire ancienne, the chapelet de vertus, etc. In a separate chapter (analyse litteraire, (pp. 32-39), i attempt to show that the epistre othea aims to teach and instruct the reader by drawing back on mythological tradition, on the sentences of classical philosophers etc. Pages 68-112 contain a detailed study of the language of the text -phonology, morphology and syntax- which aims to show the most important features of the language of christine de pizan, especially in regard to other writers who were active in the same period. An other section contains a codicological description of the most important manuscripts (introduction, pp. 48-67). The edition itself gives the text with a double critical apparatus showing the rejected lessons of the basic manuscript and a choice of variants from the other manuscripts. When necessary, the notes (pp. 231-273) discuss the variants and lessons and give further information, regarding, for instance, the sources used by christine de pizan for each one of her hundred texts. The glossary (pp. 284-300) contains mainaly the neologisms and rare or difficult lexems. An index of proper names (pp. 301-310), and a bibliography close the volume (pp. 313324)

The approach of this work is the medieval female figure, mostly from Christine the Pizans look. In the first chapter, The tradition in which Christine the Pizans work is inserted, its done a recovery of exempla and specula, education treats, because we believe that this literary genre was a model for the authors texts. During centuries XII and XIII the erudites started to demonstrate their concern with the education and behaviour of men and women. For that the sermons and treats on this issue multiplied. This concern might be measured by the quantity of texts in form of exemplum and speculum that came up at that time. The books Cité des Dames and Trois Vertus in which Christine approaches womans education, are examples of this genre of text. The chapter does an analysis of the main characteristics of exemplum and speculum: their origins, their authors, their main titles and dates. The difference between speculum and exemplum becomes clearer if we compare the two works by Christine. In Cité des Dames, she makes use of exemplum presenting a series of more than one hundred examples of womens short stories worthy of imitation. Whereas in Trois Vertus, Christine describes womens daily life and their behaviours according to their social classes. In the second chapter, Critical Fortune and Description, we expose the chronology with dates and authors names that read Christine, whose works were republished, translated and commented. Christine was known and read by her contemporaries in France, Italy and England. In XV century, after her death, she was praised by many authors, her works were translated into English and Portuguese and republished. Cité des Dames and Trois Vertus; the main issues approached and their order of appearance. In the third chapter, A resistance in learning the resignative moral, we present a short story of womans education between XI and XIV centuries. After this part, a comparison between the intersection points of Cité des Dames, Trois Vertus and Mesnagier de Paris. One might note the importance of observing the difference between the texts produced by male authors such as the Mesnagier, not only regarding the treatment given to women, but also to the theme, Christine approaches womens daily life, from the richest to the poorest ones showing their obligations from getting up, until the time they are going to bed, she treats the matter about knowing how to behave according to social prerogatives, etc. Notwithstanding she is not prolix giving explanations in every little detail. She speaks to witty cultured beings. Eventually, a hierarchical relationship between vices and virtues present in the three works is show. As a conclusion one may see that by the transformations presented in Christines text, that the author did an adaptation of male texts. Adaptation which gave shape to many womens voice that until that time had not a representative in the literary domain.
O trabalho aborda a figura da mulher medieval, principalmente a partir do olhar da autora Christine de Pizan. No primeiro capítulo, A tradição na qual insere-se a obra de Christine de Pizan, é feita uma recuperação dos textos exempla e specula, tratados de educação, porque acreditamos que esse gênero literário serviu de modelo para os textos da autora. Durante os séculos XII e XIII os eruditos começaram a demonstrar sua preocupação com a educação e o comportamento de homens e mulheres. Por isso, os sermões e os textos com essa temática se multiplicaram. Essa preocupação pode ser mensurada pela quantidade de textos em forma de exemplum e speculum que surgem nessa época. Os livros Cité des dames e Trois vertus nos quais Christine aborda a educação da mulher, são exemplos desse gênero de texto. O capítulo faz uma análise das principais características de exemplum e speculum: suas origens, seus autores, seus principais títulos e datas. A diferença entre speculum e exemplum fica mais clara se cotejarmos as duas obras de Christine. Em Cité des dames, ela faz uso do exemplum, ela apresenta uma série com mais de cem exemplos de pequenas histórias de mulheres dignas de imitação. Já, em Trois vertus, Christine descreve o cotidiano das mulheres e seus comportamentos de acordo com a classe social. Segundo capítulo, Fortuna crítica e a descrição. Expomos uma cronologia com datas e nomes de autores que leram Christine, quais obras foram reeditadas, traduzidas e comentadas. Christine foi conhecida e lida por seus contemporâneos na França, Itália e Inglaterra. No século XV, após sua morte, elogios lhe foram feitos por diversos autores, suas obras traduzidas para o inglês e o português e reimpressas. Em seguida é apresentada uma descrição detalhada da estrutura das obras Cité des dames e Trois vertus; os principais assuntos tratados e a ordem de exposição. No terceiro capítulo, Uma resistência na aprendizagem da moral resignativa, apresentamos uma breve história da educação feminina entre os XII e XIV séculos. Após essa primeira parte, segue uma comparação entre os pontos de intersecção de Cité des dames, Trois vertus e Mesnagier de Paris. Faz-se notar a importância de observar a diferença entre os textos produzidos por autores masculinos, como o Mesnagier, tanto no que diz respeito ao tratamento dado às mulheres como à temática. Christine aborda o cotidiano das mulheres, desde as mais ricas até as mais simples, indicando-lhes suas obrigações desde o levantar-se até o deitar, ela trata da questão de saber se portar segundo as prerrogativas sociais, etc. No entanto, ela não é prolixa dando explicações nos mínimos detalhes. Ela fala a seres que têm conhecimento e possuem inteligência. Por fim, é apresentada uma relação hierárquica das virtudes e dos defeitos presentes nas três obras. Como conclusão podemos verificar, pelas transformações apresentadas nos textos de Christine, que a autora fez uma adaptação dos textos masculinos. Adaptação esta que deu forma à voz de muitas mulheres que até então não tinham um representante de seus anseios na esfera literária.

The approach of this work is the medieval female figure, mostly from Christine the Pizans look. In the first chapter, The tradition in which Christine the Pizans work is inserted, its done a recovery of exempla and specula, education treats, because we believe that this literary genre was a model for the authors texts. During centuries XII and XIII the erudites started to demonstrate their concern with the education and behaviour of men and women. For that the sermons and treats on this issue multiplied. This concern might be measured by the quantity of texts in form of exemplum and speculum that came up at that time. The books Cité des Dames and Trois Vertus in which Christine approaches womans education, are examples of this genre of text. The chapter does an analysis of the main characteristics of exemplum and speculum: their origins, their authors, their main titles and dates. The difference between speculum and exemplum becomes clearer if we compare the two works by Christine. In Cité des Dames, she makes use of exemplum presenting a series of more than one hundred examples of womens short stories worthy of imitation. Whereas in Trois Vertus, Christine describes womens daily life and their behaviours according to their social classes. In the second chapter, Critical Fortune and Description, we expose the chronology with dates and authors names that read Christine, whose works were republished, translated and commented. Christine was known and read by her contemporaries in France, Italy and England. In XV century, after her death, she was praised by many authors, her works were translated into English and Portuguese and republished. Cité des Dames and Trois Vertus; the main issues approached and their order of appearance. In the third chapter, A resistance in learning the resignative moral, we present a short story of womans education between XI and XIV centuries. After this part, a comparison between the intersection points of Cité des Dames, Trois Vertus and Mesnagier de Paris. One might note the importance of observing the difference between the texts produced by male authors such as the Mesnagier, not only regarding the treatment given to women, but also to the theme, Christine approaches womens daily life, from the richest to the poorest ones showing their obligations from getting up, until the time they are going to bed, she treats the matter about knowing how to behave according to social prerogatives, etc. Notwithstanding she is not prolix giving explanations in every little detail. She speaks to witty cultured beings. Eventually, a hierarchical relationship between vices and virtues present in the three works is show. As a conclusion one may see that by the transformations presented in Christines text, that the author did an adaptation of male texts. Adaptation which gave shape to many womens voice that until that time had not a representative in the literary domain.
O trabalho aborda a figura da mulher medieval, principalmente a partir do olhar da autora Christine de Pizan. No primeiro capítulo, A tradição na qual insere-se a obra de Christine de Pizan, é feita uma recuperação dos textos exempla e specula, tratados de educação, porque acreditamos que esse gênero literário serviu de modelo para os textos da autora. Durante os séculos XII e XIII os eruditos começaram a demonstrar sua preocupação com a educação e o comportamento de homens e mulheres. Por isso, os sermões e os textos com essa temática se multiplicaram. Essa preocupação pode ser mensurada pela quantidade de textos em forma de exemplum e speculum que surgem nessa época. Os livros Cité des dames e Trois vertus nos quais Christine aborda a educação da mulher, são exemplos desse gênero de texto. O capítulo faz uma análise das principais características de exemplum e speculum: suas origens, seus autores, seus principais títulos e datas. A diferença entre speculum e exemplum fica mais clara se cotejarmos as duas obras de Christine. Em Cité des dames, ela faz uso do exemplum, ela apresenta uma série com mais de cem exemplos de pequenas histórias de mulheres dignas de imitação. Já, em Trois vertus, Christine descreve o cotidiano das mulheres e seus comportamentos de acordo com a classe social. Segundo capítulo, Fortuna crítica e a descrição. Expomos uma cronologia com datas e nomes de autores que leram Christine, quais obras foram reeditadas, traduzidas e comentadas. Christine foi conhecida e lida por seus contemporâneos na França, Itália e Inglaterra. No século XV, após sua morte, elogios lhe foram feitos por diversos autores, suas obras traduzidas para o inglês e o português e reimpressas. Em seguida é apresentada uma descrição detalhada da estrutura das obras Cité des dames e Trois vertus; os principais assuntos tratados e a ordem de exposição. No terceiro capítulo, Uma resistência na aprendizagem da moral resignativa, apresentamos uma breve história da educação feminina entre os XII e XIV séculos. Após essa primeira parte, segue uma comparação entre os pontos de intersecção de Cité des dames, Trois vertus e Mesnagier de Paris. Faz-se notar a importância de observar a diferença entre os textos produzidos por autores masculinos, como o Mesnagier, tanto no que diz respeito ao tratamento dado às mulheres como à temática. Christine aborda o cotidiano das mulheres, desde as mais ricas até as mais simples, indicando-lhes suas obrigações desde o levantar-se até o deitar, ela trata da questão de saber se portar segundo as prerrogativas sociais, etc. No entanto, ela não é prolixa dando explicações nos mínimos detalhes. Ela fala a seres que têm conhecimento e possuem inteligência. Por fim, é apresentada uma relação hierárquica das virtudes e dos defeitos presentes nas três obras. Como conclusão podemos verificar, pelas transformações apresentadas nos textos de Christine, que a autora fez uma adaptação dos textos masculinos. Adaptação esta que deu forma à voz de muitas mulheres que até então não tinham um representante de seus anseios na esfera literária.

The purpose of this thesis is to analyze and discuss the relationship between the images and texts concerning Amazons and warrior-women in the collected works of Christine de Pizan. It evaluates Christine's interpretation of the ancient story in light of her career as an author and publisher, and it compares her imagery to other representations of Amazons and warrior-women. This study indicates that Christine reworked the myth in a way that reflects her positive of women and her desire to influence the queen of France, Isabeau de Baviere, who was the original owner of the manuscript.