Perspectives on Christine de Pizan, Joan of Arc, and Petrarch

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Christine de Pizan: What does Christine think a noblewoman should be like?
In it, she challenges the sexism and misogyny that defined and plagued not just 14th-century European literature but also portrayals of women dating back to antiquity. Her objective was to rebut unjustified attacks on women’s characteristics and to present examples of the undeniable virtue of her sex. Her one-of-a-kind art provides a glimpse into the life of medieval ladies and how they were seen and handled by society at the time. It also exposes prevalent beliefs about gender and the disputes that frequently raged in the world of males focused on defending their status as undisputed rulers of their social and political domains. Christine employs a three-pronged approach—targeting the intellectual, spiritual, and physical—by presenting instances of virtue and mentioning historical achievements to demonstrate that women are no more imperfect or commendable than the best or wickedest of men.
Christine’s city has a plethora of fascinating female role models. The City of Ladies’ permanent citizens is powerful and unified. Nevertheless, she steadily and systematically builds her case, accumulating and collecting evidence and empirical observations as a means of getting at the truth that supports her findings, using tactics subsequently championed by religion and the nascent sciences. In doing so, Christine reclaims and protects women’s reputation and good nature, recognizing women’s moral power and fundamental merits, without which Western civilization, life, and culture would be impossible to imagine.
Joan of Arc: In what ways d...