Christine de Pizan

Summary |  Excerpt |  Reading Guide |  Reviews |  Beyond the Book |  Read-Alikes |  Genres & Themes |  Author Bio

The Queen's Lover by Vanora Bennett

The Queen's Lover

A Novel

by Vanora Bennett
  • BookBrowse Review:
  • Critics' Consensus (7):
  • Readers' Rating (15):
  • First Published:
  • Mar 1, 2010, 592 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Mar 2011, 592 pages
  • Rate this book

About This Book

Christine de Pizan

This article relates to The Queen's Lover

Print Review

Portrayed in The Queen's Lover as mentor to Catherine de Valois, Christine de Pizan was quite a woman!    She was the first woman in France, possibly in Europe, to earn her living as a writer. Born in Venice in 1365, her family moved to Paris when she was about five when her father, Tomasso de Pizzano, was appointed as court astrologer/physician to King Charles V of France (where the family name was changed to Pizan). Christine grew up in the royal court which at the time was renowned for its intellectual pursuits and for having the finest library in Western Europe. At age 15, she was happily married to Etienne du Castel, a young scholar and court secretary who encouraged her to continue her studies - but her idyllic life was not to last. By twenty-five she was widowed with three children, a niece and a widowed mother to support, and with no money to call on as her father's estate was locked up by legal wrangling for twelve years.

Christine (who wrote in her adopted tongue of Middle French) had a significant influence on fifteenth-century poetry in Europe. Supported by important royal French and English patrons, perhaps in large part for her novelty value, she composed over three hundred ballads and many shorter poems over 20 years, many espousing the romantic exploits of her patrons.

Christine de Pizan By 1402 she had begun to move out of the courtly circle and establish herself as a writer concerned with women in society. Her works included biography, poetry, history, novels, short stories, books on advice and morality, religion, politics, literary commentary and even military techniques (a partial list of her works can be seen here). During this time she started to challenge renowned male writers who incorporated misogynist beliefs within their works. She specifically objected to the use of vulgar terms in Jean de Meun's 13th century allegorical poem, Romance of the Rose, which she argued purposely slandered women.

Many modern feminists date the beginning of the feminist movement to Christine de Pizan, but this has been challenged by some who say that her views were not progressive enough to be considered feminist, and thus designate her a 'proto-feminist'. Considering that de Pizan lived in a time when the punishment for heresy was to be burnt at the stake (like her contemporary Joan of Arc, about whom she wrote), it seems rather churlish to claim that she doesn't deserve to be called a feminist because her views weren't progressive enough by the standards of the last century or two!

Image: Christine de Pizan (also known as de Pisan) lecturing to a group of men; artist unknown.


Useful Link: "A Plantagenet Primer" in the sidebar to The Serpent's Tale.

Filed under People, Eras & Events

This "beyond the book article" relates to The Queen's Lover. It originally ran in May 2010 and has been updated for the March 2011 paperback edition. Go to magazine.

This review is available to non-members for a limited time. For full access become a member today.
Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $60 for 12 months or $20 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

BookBrowse Book Club

  • Book Jacket
    Becoming Madam Secretary
    by Stephanie Dray
    New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Dray returns with a captivating novel about an American heroine France Perkins—now in paperback!

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    The Antidote
    by Karen Russell

    A gripping dust bowl epic about five characters whose fates become entangled after a storm ravages their small Nebraskan town.

  • Book Jacket

    Girl Falling
    by Hayley Scrivenor

    The USA Today bestselling author of Dirt Creek returns with a story of grief and truth.

  • Book Jacket

    Jane and Dan at the End of the World
    by Colleen Oakley

    Date Night meets Bel Canto in this hilarious tale.

Who Said...

Harvard is the storehouse of knowledge because the freshmen bring so much in and the graduates take so little out.

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

T B S of T F

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.