Forhan, Kate Langdon, ed., trans., The Book of the Body Politic (Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1994).

Text name(s): Book of the Body Politic; Livre du corps de policie

Number of pages of primary source text: 111

Medieval Author(s): Christine de Pizan

Dates: 1404 - 1407

Archival Reference:

Original Language(s): Anglo-Norman;

Translation: English translation.

Translation Comments:

Geopolitical Region(s): France;

County/Region: Paris

Apparatus: Index Glossary Bibliography Introduction

Comments:

Christine de Pizan is often considered to be the first woman of letters of France, and is most famous for her Book of the City of Ladies, which examines the various roles of women of many classes throughout the stages of their lives. She was also, however, a political writer. Her “Livre de corps policie” (“Book of the Body Politic”) is an example of the genre of the speculum principium (“Mirror of Princes”), which provided advice to current or prospective monarchs on how to conduct themselves. Christine’s treatise is divided into three books: I) On Princes, II) On Nobles and Knights, and III) On the Common People. In each, she examines their proper conduct, and the way in which they are duty bound to act toward one another. This edition also includes a glossary.

Introduction Summary:

The editor’s brief (17 pp) introduction outlines Christine de Pizan’s life, placing her writing in the context of her time at the French court, during which King Charles V (1380) died, civil war threatened, and the royal family was consumed with greed, ambition, and internecine warfare. The editor also places the Book of the Body Politic in the context of Christine’s other works, including the Book of the City of Ladies and the Book of the Three Virtues, suggesting that her political treatise was intended as a “mirror for princes” for the young Louis of Guyenne, then heir to the throne of France. She also discusses Christine’s writing style, and briefly summarizes the contents of each of the three books.

Cataloger: MCB