The Book of the City of Ladies
In an allegorical dialogue, Reason, Rectitude and Justice help Christine build a fortified city for illustrious women. Each stone is an example of female rulers, warriors, inventors, scholars, prophets, faithful wives and saints, assembled to refute the claim that women are by nature inferior.
Understanding the text
Written in 1404 and 1405, the book reworks material from Boccaccio’s Famous Women and answers misogynist writers such as Matheolus. Its title echoes Augustine’s City of God; its three parts follow the building of the foundations, the houses and the towers.
Key points
- 01
Foundations
Reason clears the ground of false opinions and shows that women have governed, fought and invented arts and letters.
- 02
Testimony
Rectitude gathers prophetesses, devoted daughters and faithful wives to refute charges of fickleness and deceit.
- 03
Queen
Justice roofs the towers with holy women and martyrs and installs the Virgin Mary as queen of the city.
Explore the ideas in depth
Building the city
Follow how Reason, Rectitude and Justice turn examples of women into an argument against learned misogyny.
Situating the text
Written in 1404 and 1405, the book reworks material from Boccaccio’s Famous Women and answers misogynist writers such as Matheolus. Its title echoes Augustine’s City of God; its three parts follow the building of the foundations, the houses and the towers. In an allegorical dialogue, Reason, Rectitude and Justice help Christine build a fortified city for illustrious women. Each stone is an example of female rulers, warriors, inventors, scholars, prophets, faithful wives and saints, assembled to refute the claim that women are by nature inferior.
Following the arguments
Foundations : Reason clears the ground of false opinions and shows that women have governed, fought and invented arts and letters. Testimony : Rectitude gathers prophetesses, devoted daughters and faithful wives to refute charges of fickleness and deceit. Queen : Justice roofs the towers with holy women and martyrs and installs the Virgin Mary as queen of the city.
Continuing the reading
Start with the opening scene and the first chapters of Reason, then follow one exemplum back to its source in Boccaccio to see how Christine changes it. Written in 1404 and 1405, the book reworks material from Boccaccio’s Famous Women and answers misogynist writers such as Matheolus. Its title echoes Augustine’s City of God; its three parts follow the building of the foundations, the houses and the towers.
Questions to carry into your reading
- Why does Christine need personified authorities to answer the authority of books?
- What does an exemplum prove, and what can a counterexample not prove?
A catalogue of women becomes an argument when each example tests a general claim about women’s nature.
How to read it
Start with the opening scene and the first chapters of Reason, then follow one exemplum back to its source in Boccaccio to see how Christine changes it.
Editions & sources
Summaries and key points are original editorial interpretations. They accompany reading the work and do not replace an edition of the text. Editorial method ↗