Womens Town

Author: Cristina de Pizan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-12-01
Features: If culture is a form of nurturing, then what about civilization? Civilization is first and foremost a standard for measuring the overall developmental level of a group. Unlike anthropologists, historians who study the history of human group evolution place greater emphasis on the rigor of scientific systems. Only with concrete evidence can people conduct true scientific research on matters. Similarly, without scientific evidence and standards, we have every reason to reject their recognition. The true difficulty in researching civilization lies in the extreme complexity of the evidence and the inadequacy of people's observational methods, which leads to practical challenges. To compensate for this shortcoming, people tend to explore mid-level experiences that are closer to historical facts. Starting with an understanding of a branch, finding a more suitable category will facilitate in-depth discussions on fields such as politics, institutions, culture, state of knowledge, religion, art, and customs. In the following centuries, although some female poets emerged and a few women entered professional fields, such as the female surgeon Johanna Belota who set up her own practice, no one continued the ideas of "The City of Ladies." Both Pizan and "The City of Ladies" gradually faded into obscurity. It wasn't until the late 19th century that the burgeoning feminist movement in Europe revitalized her. Today, in Western Civilization courses at American universities, "The City of Ladies" is one of the required reading. In fact, medieval people believed that only works in Latin could endure and be passed down through the ages. Like Dante and Boccaccio, who were humanists who wrote in vernacular languages, Pizan chose French to express herself, not to pursue immortality. Her works were mostly written for the general readers of her time, with clear and flowing language. Even a folk song compared her to "the most fluent of the nine Muses." However, neither the oppression of hegemony nor the deliberate neglect could permanently obscure the ideas of "The City of Ladies." Most of the original chapter titles in this book were very long, so for the convenience of readers, the translator made additions and deletions to the chapter titles.