I am thrilled with the quality of this volume. Translator Hardy has created a splendid modern translation of Christine's difficult French, and editors Bourgault and Kingston offer readers an outstandingly comprehensive and helpful introduction. The notes and other critical apparatus have also been judiciously crafted. I can't think of any other single edition of Christine's work that offers readers such a concise point of entry to women's history, late-medieval political thought, and for that matter the turmoil, both economic and political, in fourteenth- and early fifteenth-century France. Sarah Gwyneth Ross, Boston College
Fresh, accurate, and engaging, this new translation of the Book of the City of Ladies helps us to understand what made Christine de Pizan so popular with her fifteenth-century contemporaries. The editors provide a rich historical and philosophical context that will be very useful to both students and scholars of the history of political ideas. The translations themselves gracefully navigate the fine line between accuracy and readability with considerable charm. Rounding out this portrait of the turmoil of fifteenth-century France, the volume is enriched by excerpts from other works, Christine's Vision, the Book of the Body Politic, and the Lamentation on France's Ills. -- Kate Forhan, Emeritus, Siena College
This new English translation of Christine de Pizan's Cite des dames is accompanied by selections from her Advision Cristine ( Christine's Vision) , Corps de Policie ( Book of the Body Politic ) and Lamentation sur les maux de la France ( Lamentation on France's Ills ), all of which are a pleasure to read in Ineke Hardy's renderings. In a stimulating introductory essay, editors Sophie Bourgault and Rebecca Kingston argue that the Cite , a work generally read for its defense of women, also makes 'a worthy contribution' to 'traditions of political reflection' and to 'philosophical debates about the nature of the virtues and their place in the well lived life' (p. xviii). That welcome orientation takes us further into understanding the work of this brilliant fifteenth-century writer. Thelma Fenster, Fordham University , in Modern Language Review
The quality of the translator's work is indisputablethe text reads fluidly and is infused with energy, combining overall adherence to the original and readability for the modern audience. It is vibrant yet with sufficient gravitas to do the text justice. The volume is a useful resource for readers at all levels. It is a welcome addition to the ever-expanding world of Christine studies, in which political thought and theory have grown more prominent of late. . . . This accessible, information-packed, and moderately priced book will have its place on the shelves of students and scholars of Christine and those interested in political theory and the development of western political thought. Geri L. Smith, University of Central Florida, in Tulsa Studies in Women's Literature
Hackett's new edition of The Book of the City of Ladies and Other Writings . . . features the most readable and engaging translation of the work on the American market today. The volume is an important contribution to Hackett's collection of philosophical works and will make teaching Christine as part of the canon of political science, ethics, and gender studies much easier than ever before. Jennifer Hockenberry, St. Norbert College, in Hypatia: A Journal of Feminist Philosophy
