Book Description

Christine de Pizan (ca. 1364-ca. 1430)—whether read as lyric poet, prose polemicist or historian, feminist or universal moralist—has over the past thirty years become more widely read than any other medieval French author. The attraction of her works continues to grow amongst the general public, as well as among critics and historians of literature, ideas, science and the visual arts, political scientists and philologists, and specialists in feminist theory. Christine intrigues readers by her intellectual paradoxes as much as by her prefiguration of modern attitudes by and toward women. This collection of essays honours Angus J. Kennedy, an illustrious scholar who has greatly contributed to fostering this modern growth in interest. The editors here present a significant sampling of varieties of inquiry on Christine: a broad range of contributors, from around the world, represent different approaches and levels of experience. The volume contains two indexes, and a bibliography structured to serve as an integrated and integral reference source to pertinent primary and secondary materials. This volume thus charts the progress of Christine de Pizan studies at the start of the new millennium. True to the spirit of its honoree, it also aims to serve as a gateway to future research.