Some meanings about the “body” in The Book of the City of Ladies

Abstract

My aim in this article is to investigate the meanings of the “body” in the work A Cidade das Damas(1405) by the woman philosopher Christine de Pizan. More specifically, I start with some questions: how does Pizan talk about women’s bodies? And the bodies of men? In what part of the work Pizan talks about bodies? What is the importance of the discussion about bodies in this work? Does Pizan use the word “body” only to designate organic and physical bodies? Are there other senses employed? From these questions, I identify and present five discussions that Christine de Pizan 

formulates in Book One of A Cidade das Damas: 1) the idea of the “inferior female body” thought and constructed by men; 2) the argument that men’s bodies are fragile at some point in life; 3) the defense of Eve’s body; 4) the argument that the body’s authority comes from virtue and not from sex or physical strength, and; 5) the discussion about the physical strength of the male body and its relationship with the judiciary. I conclude that reflection on the idea of “body” is fundamental for understanding the work. It is no coincidence that this is the opening theme and that Pizan builds the introduction of her book presenting the idea of the “inferior female body” that appears in the tradition of literature and philosophy written by the men of her time; and that Pizan develops the story of the construction of this city of women from the discussion about the meanings attributed to the bodies of women and men.