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The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe: The Toronto Series
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The Boke of the Cyte of Ladyes

The Boke of the Cyte of Ladyes

Brian Anslay's Translation of 1521 in Modernized English

by Christine de Pizan

Edited by Christine Reno and Karen Robertson

Translated by Brian Anslay

Series: The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe: The Toronto Series

344 Pages, 6.00 x 9.00 in, 19 color plates and 1 halftone

Paperback
9781649591166
Published: December 2024

$61.95

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Description
Contents
Authors
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An early Tudor translation of the Cité des dames, a crucial argument written by Christine de Pizan on the importance of women.

Christine de Pizan's defense of women against centuries of misogyny, Cité des dames, was the only work of literature translated into English by Brian Anslay, an administrator in the household of King Henry VII. While numerous manuscripts were held in royal and aristocratic libraries, Anslay’s printed translation enabled a broader range of readers to appreciate the arguments for female rule crucial to the reigns of Mary I and Elizabeth I. Anslay’s translation also played a key role in the late-nineteenth-century revival of interest in Christine. This modernization of Anslay’s Tudor English makes his translation accessible to contemporary readers while preserving the rhythms of early Tudor prose. It includes an extensive introduction and notes highlighting both the history of the language and the cultural references embodied in the text.

Acknowledgments
Illustrations
Abbreviations

INTRODUCTION
The Other Voice
Life and Works of Christine de Pizan
Christine de Pizan’s City of Ladies
Brian Anslay, Henry Pepwell, and Richard Grey, Third Earl of Kent
Brian Anslay’s Translation
Editorial Principles and Practices

THE BOOK OF THE CITY OF LADIES
Opening Rubric
Table of Contents, First Part
Prologue of the Printer
The First Part
Table of Contents, Second Part
The Second Part
Table of Contents, Third Part
The Third Part

Glossary

Bibliography
Index

Christine de Pizan (c.1365–c.1431) was the first professional European woman of letters.

Christine de Pizan (c.1365–c.1431) was the first professional European woman of letters. Brian Anslay (d. 1536) was a trusted member of the royal household of Henry VII. Christine Reno is professor emerita of French and Francophone studies at Vassar College. Karen Robertson is a senior lecturer emerita of English and women’s studies at Vassar College.

Christine Reno is professor emerita of French and Francophone studies at Vassar College.

Karen Robertson is a senior lecturer emerita of English and women’s studies at Vassar College.

Brian Anslay (d. 1536) was a trusted member of the royal household of Henry VII.

"Christine Reno and Karen Robertson present a deft transcription into modernized early modern English of Brian Anslay’s 1521 translation from Middle French of Christine de Pizan’s celebrated Cité des dames, first produced in manuscript around 1405. Anslay’s translation is an invaluable resource for studies of Christine and her legacy, for discussions of gender and authority in late medieval and early modern England and Europe, and for translation and the history of the book. The volume includes a concise introduction and useful glossary, while the text is accompanied by ample notes that explicate the mythological and historical personages who populate the City of Ladies. This important book is a delight to read and will inspire future work on Christine." ~Roberta L. Krueger, Burgess Professor Emerita of French and Francophone Studies, Hamilton College