Christine de Pizan Lizzie Gelderman and Dani Brown
Fight, Pray, Work To what extent can Christine de Pizan be seen as a member of both the in and out groups within a Fight, Pray, Work model, as seen through both her life and works?... ?
Background Born in 1364 in Venice, Italy Her father, Tommaso da Pizzano, was physician at Charles V's court At the age of 15, married to Etienne of Castel Around 1387, her father died, three years later, her husband died She had no money or property She used writing to support herself
Work Problems with Law o Nobody is above the law Involvement in Political Thinking o 4 Principles of Justice (chivalry) Cité des Dames (City of Ladies) o Virgin Mary as "defender, protector and guard"
Fight Concerned about what was being done in God's name Just War (Auctorias) o Causes (justifiable/non-justifyable) Chivalry o Masculine o Knights as it's vessel
Pray Christine grew up in an intellectual environment Her work draws on both famous church members and classic literature o Ovid, Boethius, St. Augustine, St. Gregory L'Epistre d'Othea á Hector (Othea's Letter to Hector) o texte, glose, & allegorie
Paradoxes- in and out Work Little known, yet very skilled Prolific; Italian living in French court Pray Virgin Mary "Mater Dolorosa" vs. "defender, protector and guard" Fight cornerstone of war literature, yet never saw combat
Conclusion NOT a feminist! And yet, influential in gender studies due to her prolific and unapologetic nature Work, Pray, Fight is an effective model when both in and out groups are considered.
Works Cited Forhan, Kate Langdon. The Political Theory of Christine de Pizan. Hampshire: Ashgate Publishing Limited, Print. Pizan, Christine de. The Book of City Ladies. New York: Persea, Print. Willard, Charity Cannon. Christine de Pizan: Her Life and Works. Persea Books, Inc Print. Willard, Charity Cannon. The Writings of Christine de Pizan. Persea Books, Inc Print.