Cyberia - The City of Ladies

Christine de Pizan (1365-1430) is considered the first European woman to make her living as a professional writer. The widow of a French court official, de Pizan was forced by this circumstance to provide for herself, her children, and several other family members. She took on the task of educating herself and astutely began writing for the tastes of the courtiers. Besides writing love ballads and romantic poetry, she actively engaged in literary debates, which eventually brought her to the attention of a number of wealthy patrons.

Appalled by misogynistic themes common to popular literature of the period, de Pizan penned The Book of the City of Ladies in 1405 where she argues that woman are not inferior to men. What is unique about the book is that it does not draw on traditional male voices of authority. Rather, she creates a chorus of female voices, in the characters of Rectitude, Justice, and Reason, to battle common negative female stereotypes.

For more information about Christine de Pizan’s life and creative work, please visit Wikipedia.