WOMEN IN LITERATURE: CHRISTINE DE PISAN
Christine de Pisan became upset upon reading the text by Matheolus. This was because she found the text unpleasant as it contained many lies about women and their place in the moral and social arena. She considered it of no use in developing virtue or manners for it lacked integrity in diction and theme. She wondered how different men, even learned, have been inclined to express both verbally and in writing so many insults and lies about women and their behavior. Bohm demonstrates how much she was disturbed by this (Bohm 1-2). She concluded Matheolus was not any different from other philosophers, poets and orators. Prior to writing ‘The city of Women’, she examined her character and conduct as a natural woman, much the same way she did to those women from all walks of life with whom she interacted. She had them share their stories, even tell her the most intimate of their thoughts hoping she would judge impartially and with a clear conscience whether the testimony of so many respectable men was true. She found a significant contrast between what was written and what existed in reality. Bohm brings out this contrast in a significant way (Bohm 1-2). She even wondered if God, perfect as He is, would have erred in creating woman. That is when she decided to write so that she could shade more light on this topic. She pointed out the lies, and emphasized women’s contributions to the society, citing their achievements and the pivotal role they play in day to day life.
Work cited
Bohm, U. (2002); Return to “Medieval and Renaissance Women’s voices” overview, 2002-2009.
