The Treasure of the City of Ladies

by de Pizan, Christine; Lawson, Sarah; Lawson, Sarah

• ISBN13: 9780140449501
• ISBN10: 0140449507
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-09-30
• Publisher: Penguin Classics

Summary

'If she wants to win, she must adopt a man's heart (in other words, constant, strong and wise) to consider and to pursue the best course of action' Written by Europe's first professional woman writer, The Treasure of the City of Ladies offers advice and guidance to women of all ages and from all levels of medieval society, from royal courtiers to prostitutes. It paints an intricate picture of daily life in the courts and streets of fifteenth-century France and gives a fascinating glimpse into the practical considerations of running a household, maintaining a reputation, dressing appropriately and behaving well in all circumstances. Christine de Pizan's book provides a valuable counterbalance to male accounts of life in the Middle Ages and demonstrates, often with dry humour, how women's position in society could be made less precarious by following the correct etiquette.

Author Biography

Christine de Pizan (1365-c. 1429) was born in Venice but grew up at the court of Charles V of France. After the deaths of the king, her father, and her husband, she was left to provide for her three children, her mother, and her niece, and thus turned to writing.

Sarah Lawson is a published poet and translates from the French, Spanish, and Dutch.

Sarah Lawson is a published poet and translates from the French, Spanish, and Dutch.