Page 87 - 2024-bfw-wiesner-hanks-ahws14e-proofs

CLAIMS AND EVIDENCE IN WRITTEN SOURCES

Christine de Pizan, The Treasure of the City of Ladies

Christine de Pizan’s The Treasure of the City of Ladies (1405) unnecessary and extravagant expense, as many tradesmen do,
provides moral suggestions and practical advice on behavior especially in Paris. By treating him kindly she should protect
and household management for women of all social classes. him as well as she can from this. It is said that three things
Most of the book is directed toward princesses and court drive a man from his home: a quarrelsome wife, a smoking
ladies (who would have been able to read it), but Christine fireplace and a leaking roof. She too ought to stay at home
also includes shorter sections for the wives of merchants and gladly and not go every day traipsing hither and yon gossip-
artisans, serving-women, female peasants, and even prosti- ing with the neighbours and visiting her chums to find out
tutes. Excerpted here is her advice to the wives of artisans, what everyone is doing. That is done by slovenly housewives
such as blacksmiths, bakers, or shoemakers. roaming about the town in groups. Nor should she go off on
these pilgrimages got up for no good reason and involving a
lot of needless expense. Furthermore, she ought to remind
u
her husband that they should live so frugally that their
Uncorrected proofs have been used in this sample.
All wives of artisans should be very painstaking and dil- expenditure does not exceed their income, so that at the end
Copyright © Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers.
igent if they wish to have the necessities of life. They of the year they do not find themselves in debt.
Distributed by Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers.
should encourage their husbands or their workmen to get If she has children, she should have them instructed and
to work early in the morning and work until late, for mark taught first at school by educated people so that they may
For review purposes only. Not for redistribution.
our words, there is no trade so good that if you neglect know how better to serve God. Afterwards they may be put to
your work you will not have difficulty putting bread on some trade by which they may earn a living, for whoever gives
the table. And besides encouraging the others, the wife a trade or business training to her child gives a great posses-
herself should be involved in the work to the extent that sion. The children should be kept from wantonness and from
she knows all about it, so that she may know how to over- voluptuousness above all else, for truly it is something that
see his workers if her husband is absent, and to reprove most shames the children of good towns and is a great sin of
them if they do not do well. She ought to oversee them to mothers and fathers, who ought to be the cause of the virtue
keep them from idleness, for through careless workers the and good behavior of their children, but they are sometimes
master is sometimes ruined. And when customers come to the reason (because of bringing them up to be finicky and
her husband and try to drive a hard bargain, she ought to indulging them too much) for their wickedness and ruin.
warn him solicitously to take care that he does not make a
bad deal. She should advise him to be chary of giving too
much credit if he does not know precisely where and to EVALUATE THE EVIDENCE
whom it is going, for in this way many come to poverty, 1. How would you describe Christine’s view of the ideal
although sometimes the greed to earn more or to accept a artisan’s wife? The ideal family and household?
tempting proposition makes them do it. 2. How are economic and moral virtues linked for Christine?
In addition, she ought to keep her husband’s love as
much as she can, to this end: that he will stay at home more
willingly and that he may not have any reason to join the Source: Christine de Pizan, The Treasure of the City of Ladies, translated with an
foolish crowds of other young men in taverns and indulge in introduction by Sarah Lawson (London: Penguin Classics, 1985).

With the development of the printing press, popu- sparked primarily by dynastic accidents in many coun-
lar interest in the debate about women grew, and works tries, including Spain, England, Scotland, and France,
were translated, reprinted, and shared around Europe. that led to women’s ruling in their own right or serv-
Prints that juxtaposed female virtues and vices were ing as advisers to child-kings. The questions were vig-
also very popular, with the virtuous women depicted as orously and at times viciously argued. They directly
those of the classical or biblical past and the vice- ridden concerned the social construction of gender: Could a
dressed in contemporary clothes. The favorite meta- woman’s being born into a royal family and educated
phor for the virtuous wife was either the snail or the to rule allow her to overcome the limitations of her
tortoise, both animals that never leave their “houses” sex? Should it? Or stated another way: Which was (or
and are totally silent, although such images were never should be) the stronger determinant of character and
as widespread as those depicting wives beating their
husbands or hiding their lovers from them.
Beginning in the sixteenth century, the debate about
women also became a debate about female rulers, ■ debate about women Debate among writers and thinkers in the
Renaissance about women’s qualities and proper role in society.

04_howsap14e_48443_ch02_044_079.indd 69 12/10/23 1:45 PM