City of Ladies, P.2

In this section of the text, Christine introduces readers to a variety of texts that feature strong female characters. By doing this, she gives females a voice and presence in literature, which establishes her own feminine literary authority. Although the stories of these characters are different, one theme runs throughout; that is, that when these women face great obstacles and evils that are unjustly forced upon them, they overcome them by practicing their innate virtues. Christine cites the story of Florence of Rome in which the men Florence rejects plot to ruin her even though she never committed any sin against them. In fact, rather than using evil against them as they did to her, she saves them both from death, emphasizing her kind and forgiving nature. By referencing positive stories of biblical women in a time when the Bible was greatly revered and studied, Christine also improves her authority. As one of the ladies mentions, “In spite of what you may have found in the writings of pagan authors on… criticizing women, you will find little said against them in the holy legends of Jesus Christ and His Apostles…” (204). For instance, Christine includes stories like that of Queen Helen, who rescued saints that were preaching God’s message from dying of starvation (due to famine). With all of these examples, Christine demonstrates that women are “heroes” in stories. 

When discussing education, Christine also shows that learned women (like her) can refine their intellects and morals just as any men can. This is shows further evidence of her feminine literary authority. Christine draws our attention to two women, Hortensia and Novella who, through education, became skilled in rhetoric and law. She even shares her own experiences by mentioning that her father educated her against her mother’s wishes. This education is what helped her to become the skilled writer we recognize her as. As Christine is trying to prove, education is empowering. The way Christine places herself in this text as a character that evolves intellectually and morally during the course of the story is important. By the end, she demonstrates her authority in the way she advises women to stand tall and remain resilient to the cruelty and criticisms they endure from men. 

City of Ladies, P.1

At the beginning of the text, Christine concludes that women, including herself, must be wicked because that’s what great male scholars have claimed. She shows this naivety because through it, she is implicating the many women and men who have believed weak arguments that attack women, even against their better senses. One tool she uses is sarcasm, which seems evident when she asks God why she wasn’t born as a man so that she “would be as perfect as man is said to be.” Besides being sarcastic, this self-doubting tone also begs for somebody to contradict that women are resigned to inferiority. As Christine reasons, “God formed a vile creature when He made woman” but she doesn’t understand why the creator of humankind would make something that isn’t good. Readers sense that her questions, especially since they are asked of God, cannot be left unanswered. This sets the stage for the three ladies to come to Christine and dispel ignorant, flawed arguments about women. 

Christine uses the three ladies to argue on the behalf of women. Since these ladies came from God, it already seems that what they say will easily trump any flimsy human arguments. One of the ladies, Reason, provides several examples that contradict common arguments against women. One of these is that philosophers, though they are respected scholars, do not know truth, and often contradict each other. Also, later Lady Reason discusses that the men who insult women have done so because of their own internal problems like vice, insecurity, and jealousy. I think she uses these examples because she is trying to explain that though human beings prize reason and logic, claim to use it, they don’t always do that. This challenges the trust we place in the “authority” of educated and esteemed figures like classical philosophers (mostly men). Plus, it strengthens her argument because it emphasizes how many accepted arguments lack strong or factual evidence, and even seem ignorant or silly upon closer examination. In this way, she turns the argument that women are ignorant around and suggests that these men are instead.