"The God of Love's Letter" and "The Tale of the Rose" - A Bilingual Edition. With Jean Gerson, "A Poem on Man and Woman," Translated from the Latin

Christine de Pizan was an Italian writer who moved to the French court of Charles V when she was four years old. She was a prolific author and self-publisher who wrote about politics, philosophy, government, ethics, the conduct of war, autobiography and biography, and religious subjects. Her most famous work is The God of Loves Letter (1399), which is her first defense of women and rebukes the thirteenth-century Romance of the Rose. The Tale of the Rose (1402) responds to the growth in chivalric orders for the defense of women by arguing that women should choose members of the "Order of the Rose."

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 210 pages
Publication date: 30 June 2021
Publisher: Iter Press

Christine de Pizan was born in Italy and relocated to the French court of Charles V when she was just four years old. She led a life of learning, fueled by her voracious reading habits and her insatiable desire to engage with the cultural and political issues of her time. As a young widow, she sought to support her family by turning to writing, and she made groundbreaking strides by pursuing a career as an author and self-publisher. Her prolific output resulted in an astonishingly large and diverse body of work, covering a wide range of subjects such as politics, philosophy, government, ethics, the conduct of war, autobiography, biography, and religious matters.

One of Christine de Pizan's most notable works is her first defense of women, known as The God of Loves Letter (1399). This concise yet powerful essay is widely regarded as one of her most succinct statements about gender. It also serves as a direct rebuke to the thirteenth-century Romance of the Rose and anticipates many of the themes and ideas that would later be explored in Christine's masterpiece, The City of Ladies.

In response to the growing demand for chivalric orders dedicated to the defense of women, Christine de Pizan wrote The Tale of the Rose (1402). This poem takes a bold stance by arguing that women, not men, should choose the members of the "Order of the Rose." Both poems in this collection have been freshly edited from their earliest manuscripts and each has been newly translated into English, making them accessible to a wider audience for the first time.

Through her writing, Christine de Pizan challenged societal norms and advocated for the rights and empowerment of women. She believed that women should be educated and engaged in public life, and she worked tirelessly to promote gender equality and women's rights. Her works have had a lasting impact on the literary world, and her legacy continues to inspire and influence feminist scholars and activists today.

Weight: 390g
Dimension: 160 x 228 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781649590060