Paris and Patronage: Christine De Pizan and Her Writer's Market
Graduation Date
Spring 2000
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Document Form
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Program Name
Humanities
First Reader
Patricia Dougherty, OP, PhD
Second Reader
Leslie Ross, PhD
Abstract
Christine de Pizan (c. 1364-1431), known as the first professional female French author, was successful in becoming a professional writer because she understood the medieval manuscript business in Paris, she knew the aristocrats and royalty who might buy her works, and she knew how to market her work to her prospective patrons. As a young widowed mother in Paris, Christine built a career as an author not just to support her family but to build fame and espouse her views on the importance of education, moral conduct, personal responsibility, and women’s place in history. This study investigates the significance of the city of Paris in Christine’s career, the important events in her life, and the content of some of her diverse writings, such as The Letter of Othea, The Book of the City of Ladies, and The Book of the Body Politic, to show how she successfully marketed her work, earning her a unique position in history.