The book of the city of ladies
By: Christine de Pizan ; translated by Earl Jeffrey Richards ; foreword by Natalie Zemon Davis.
Publisher: Persea Books
Published: 1998
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 281
Subjects: Imaginary conversations; Women -- History -- Early works to 1800; Women -- Conduct of life -- Early works to 1800; Feminism -- Early works to 1800
Description: Christine de Pizan was born in 1365 in Venice. Her family moved to Paris three years later when her father was appointed court astrologer to King Charles V. Close ties to the royal court and her father's encouragement enabled Christine to obtain a good education, unusual for women of her time. At the age of fifteen, she married a court notary, who also fostered her learning and her literary activities. She was only twenty-five when she was widowed and left without an inheritance.

With three children to support, Christine turned to writing to earn her living. From 1390 to 1429, the presumed year of her death, she wrote more than twenty works, nearly all concerned with two themes: the political life of France and the defense of women. The Book of the City of Ladies is Christine de Pizan's most eloquent expression of her feminist beliefs.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p.   ) and index.
Rev. translation of: Le livre de la cité des dames. 1405.