Reviews

La cité des dames by Christine de Pizan

chloe_valerie_jane's review against another edition

medium-paced

5.0

carol_anne's review against another edition

Ran out of time on my library loan.  Haven't checked it out again, but plan to.

minervaxyz's review against another edition

hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

Buah, cuabtos sentimientos encontrados
Cosas que tengo claras:
1. No me puto creo que esto se publicase en 1405. El 60% son statements que siguen siendo actuales y frases que yo misma diría sobre cómo se precibe, expect o trata a las mujeres en distintos ámbitos. Y mas de 600 años (¡600!¡PARA UN MOMENTO E INTERIORIZA ESE NÚMERO!) seguimos en contacto con esas mismas cuestiones. 

2. Se le nota a leguas los sesgos religiosos y las opiniones tradicionales tan propias del cristianismo y de esa época y de esa época del cristianismo. Pero es que es de hace 600 años, ella tiene excusa😅😂

3. En múltiples ocasiones me ha dejado con la boca abierta ante lo que decía. Me parece increíble que no acabase quemada en la hoguera. Ojalá hubieses vivido siglos después, vería como tantas cosas que desea son mejores.

4. Muchísimos ejemplos de mujeres inspiradoras a lo largo de la historia:
•reina Fredegonda de francia
•reina Semiramis
•las Amazonas
•Pentesilea
•reina Zenobia de palmira
•Artemisa
•Safo
•Medea
•Circe
•Minerva
•Dido
•emperatriz Nicaula
•reina blanca de francia
•reina Tamiris
•menalipe e Hipólita
•lilia
•reina berenice de capadocia
•clelia
•cornificia
•ceres
•isis
•aracne 
•pánfila
•timareta
•sempronia
•Gaya Cirilia
•reina opis de creta
•lavinia
•sibilas: eritrea, amalthea
•nicostrata
•casandra
•reina basina 
•emperatriz antonina
•hipsípila
•vestales: claudina 
•reina Hipsicratea
•emperatriz Triaria
•princesa Argía
•noble Agripina
•Julia, hija de César
•dama Tercia Emilia
•Jantipa, mujer de socrates
•Paulina, mujer de séneca 
•noble sulpicia
•porcia, hija de catón 
•curia 
•judith
•Esther 
•lilith
•Reina clotilde de Francia 
•reina galatia
•marquesa griselda
•emperatriz romana Florencia 
•Tisbe y Hero
•reina blanca de castilla
•Teodosia y Dorotea

Ufff y ya está. 

nelia's review against another edition

I was reading this while tracking my mom's stolen phone on my phone. My cursing, irritated self would definitely not be seen as a "virtuous woman" in medieval France 😳

steven_nobody's review against another edition

4.0

The Book of the City of Ladies (1405) by Catherine de Pizan. She was born in Venice but grew up in the royal court in Paris where her father was an astrologer to King whoever-it-was-in-the-14th Century. Her father gave her a good education even though her mother wanted her to be a more regular woman. Pizan's book is an amazing reaction against misogyny. Three women come to her in a vision and help her review all the great good women have done for society. This is another compendium - people at this time really liked collections! It's a collection of biographies of real and fictional women but with twists in the style of the musical Wicked where the lives are fractured and revised. For example, Ceres was a real woman who taught people agriculture, and Medea was not a wicked witch but a woman of great learning with a steadfast and inner strength. Pizan retells a number of stories from the Decameron with little variation, and she tells about a lot of the early Christian virgin-martyrs. Many of these stories are strange and beautiful like Hindu myths.

He then had Martina spreadeagled on the ground and her body set on fire with burning oil. Never once did she leave off singing the glories of God as a delightful scent poured out of her mouth......

Next, two horrible vipers were let loose, but they simply hung off her breasts and licked her. Christine looked up to the heavens and exclaimed, “Lord God, Jesus Christ, thanks be to you for exalting me with your holy powers so that these vicious serpents can recognize your splendour in me.”

For the most part, these women were all tortured and murdered but then brought back to life so that the Romans could see God's power. One woman must have died a half dozen times. That's Saint Martina, and I feel really sorry for all the pain she had to endure with her breasts cut off one day and her whole body being diced into ribbons the next. God is a bit of a sadist.

kathrynwilliams's review against another edition

4.0

I found this to be very readable considering when it was written. I was so interested in several of the stories of ladies - especially with women warriors. Fascinating to read and think about the ideas that Christine de Pizan explored.

treehouselibrary's review against another edition

challenging inspiring slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

sarabaggins's review against another edition

4.0

Christine de Pizan was one of the first feminist thinkers, and she wrote "The Book of the City of Ladies"as a response to a popular book at the time that portrayed women as merely brainless, evil seducers (this was Jean de Meun's "Romance of the Rose"). It was interesting reading the thoughts and arguments of a woman living in that time and era. Some of Christine's ideas which would seem sexist now were in her time revolutionary.

(I was also grateful for the amusing stories smattered throughout the often dense read, although I doubt Christine intended for them to be humorous! I was particularly struck by a certain pot of basil.)

nagyagi's review against another edition

dark informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.25

rjproffer's review against another edition

5.0

What a surprise in medieval literature! Christine de Pizan essentially does what modern scholars have been doing for a few decades, rewriting history or renvisioning history from a woman's perspective. Except she did it in the Middle Ages! I loved her wit and intelligent arguments throughout this novel. A great read!