Christine de Pizan uses the platform of The Book of the City of Ladies to respond to men in her society who think no woman is worthy of the institute of marriage. Her response, in a nutshell: You're idiots.
These men argue that women are so immoral, dumb, and irresponsible that they don't deserve to tie a man down. Men, on the other hand, are so great and so friggin' right all the time that they should avoid getting locked down by marriage. de Pizan has a whole arsenal of historical examples to throw at the heads of the dumb-dumbs that believe this nonsense.
Questions About Marriage
- In Christine de Pizan's mind, what does a good marriage look like? Use specific evidence from the text to support you answer.
- Why do so many men from de Pizan's age tend to criticize marriage? Do they have a point? Why or why not?
- Why would Christine de Pizan advise women to obey their husbands even while she tries to argue against female stereotypes?
Chew on This
In The Book of the City of Ladies, Christine de Pizan shows us that marriage is only as good as the two people involved in it.
In The Book of the City of Ladies, Christine de Pizan is willing to admit that sometimes, wives can ruin their husbands' lives.