What is Christine de Pizan?
[[File:Christine de Pisan and Queen Isabeau detail.jpg|thumb|right|Christine de Pizan]] '''Christine de Pizan''', sometimes known as ''de Pisan'', ([[Venice]] 1364 – about 1430) was an Italian French late [[mediaeval]] [[author]]. She spent most of her childhood and all of her adult life in [[Paris]] and then the [[abbey]] at [[Poissy]]. She wrote only in her adopted language, [[Middle French]]. She challenged the male-dominated realm of the arts. She is known as Europe’s first professional woman writer. She wrote both [[poetry]] and [[prose]] works. There were [[biography|biographies]] and books of practical advice for women. She wrote 41 works in her 30-year career from 1399–1429.<ref>Jenny Redfern 1995. Christine de Pisan and The Treasure of the City of Ladies: a medieval rhetorician and her [[rhetoric]]. In Lunsford, Andrea A, ed. ''Reclaiming Rhetorica: women in the rhetorical tradition''. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, p. 74.</ref> She married in 1380 at the age of 15, and was widowed 10 years later. Her [[influence]] spread through all of [[Europe]]. It affected the [[social life]] of many [[Europe]]ans because she gave [[confidence]] to women that they could rise beyond what men told them to do. Some scholars think this is misreading her intentions.<ref>Earl Jeffrey Richards (ed) 1992. ''Reinterpreting Christine de Pizan''. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press, pp. 1-2.</ref> == Selected works == * ''L'Épistre au Dieu d'amours'' (1399) * ''L'Épistre de Othéa a Hector'' (1399–1400) * ''Dit de la Rose'' (1402) * ''Cent Ballades d'Amant et de Dame, Virelyas, Rondeaux'' (1402) * ''Le Chemin de long estude'' (1403) * ''Livre de la mutation de fortune'' (1403) * ''La Pastoure'' (1403) * ''Le Livre des fais et bonnes meurs du sage roy Charles V'' (1404) * ''Le Livre de la cité des dames'' (1405) * ''Le Livre des trois vertus'' (1405) * ''L'Avision de Christine'' (1405) * ''Livre du corps de policie'' (1407) * ''Livre de paix'' (1413) * ''Epistre de la prison de vie humaine'' (1418) * ''Di