How we cite our quotes: (Book.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
I spoke these words to God in my lament and a great deal more for a very long time in sad reflection, and in my folly I considered myself most unfortunate because God had made me inhabit a female body in this world. (1.1.2)
Christine starts this book feeling so down about her gender that she feels cursed for being born a woman. But don't worry, because three magical ladies are about to show up and tell her why being a woman is just as great as being a man.
Quote #2
[A city] where no one will reside except all ladies of fame and women worthy of praise, for the walls of the city will be closed to those women who lack virtue. (1.3.3)
When Christine de Pizan starts to build a City of Ladies, notice that it's not a City of Women. "Ladies" here means that de Pizan is only interested in inviting the greatest women who have ever lived. Apparently, she feels as though she should be in these women's company… and we'd be inclined to agree.
Quote #3
There Adam slept, and God formed the body of woman from one of his ribs, signifying that she should stand at his side as a companion and never lie at his feet like a slave, and also that he should love her as his own flesh. (1.9.2)
Many men interpret the Bible's story about Eve as proof that men are superior to women (since she came from Adam's rib). Christine de Pizan argues just the opposite, though, saying that Eve is a part of Adam and he's a part of her, which means they should live in mutual love. That said, de Pizan totally says at the end of this book that wives should always obey their husbands.
Quote #4
There is no uglier vice in a woman than gluttony, for this vice, wherever it might be, attracts many others. (1.10.1)
De Pizan wants to defend women, but she's willing to admit that there are some bad women in the world. The worst women, for her, are the ones who are lazy and who constantly eat, because this sin apparently leads to a whole bunch of other bad qualities.
Quote #5
[When] they were little girls, [they] burned off their left breast through some technique so that it would not hinder them from carrying a shield, and they removed the right breast of commoners to make it easier for them to shoot a bow. (1.16.1)
Christine de Pizan has a lot of admiration for the legendary Amazon women who created a woman-only society. These women were all warriors, and they even removed their breasts in order to fight better.
Quote #6
In fact when someone says something foolish, the widely voiced insult is that this is women's knowledge. (1.37.1)
Sometimes, men will just say that a dumb comment is just "women's knowledge." The problem with this logic is that you can just slap this label on anything and call it women's knowledge without ever thinking about the demeaning connection you're making with femininity. This is like people who think that calling something lame "gay" is okay; they're unaware of how insulting they're being.
Quote #7
My lady, I can truly and clearly see that God—may he be praised for it—has granted that the mind of an intelligent woman can conceive, know, and retain all perceptible things. (1.43.1)
Once she's heard the three magical ladies speak for a while, Christine de Pizan realizes that women are capable of knowing just as much as men are. Now she can get down to the work of building the City of Ladies with the confidence of knowing how great women can be.
Quote #8
Now a New Kingdom of Femininity has begun, and it is far better than the earlier kingdom of the Amazons, for the ladies residing here will not need to leave their land in order to conceive or give birth to new heirs to maintain their possessions throughout the different ages. (2.12.1)
Christine de Pizan thinks that her City of Ladies will be better than the society of the legendary Amazons because the Amazons had to travel to other countries in order to have sex and get pregnant. The women in the City of Ladies don't need to reproduce because they're immortal. That's a way of solving the whole perpetuate-the-human-race thing.
Quote #9
Along with this [Argia] overcame and conquered feminine weakness and tenderness through overwhelming force of will and ardor of hope. (2.17.1)
There are countless cases in history where women have conquered their fears in order to accomplish great acts of bravery and heroism. And Christine is more than happy to tell us every single example she can think of.
Quote #10
I do not know what more I could tell you, Christine, my friend. I could tell of countless ladies of different social backgrounds, maidens, married women, and widows, in whom God manifested His virtues with amazing force and constancy. (3.18.9)
The three magical ladies who visit Christine are quick to tell her that women can serve God and make the world a better place just as well as men can. In fact, they can (and do) give countless examples to back up this point.