Building the ideal city: Female memorial praxis in Christine de Pizan's Cite des Dames

Studies in the Literary Imagination, Spring 2003 by McCormick, Betsy

With the first phase of building complete, Droitture steps in to continue the construction of the mnemonic city's loci by creating its buildings. Droitture informs Christine that she has already assembled a quantity of "belles reluysans pierres plus precieuses que autres nulles" (787; "beauti- ful and shining stones more precious than any others"; 99) for Christine to arrange along a specific line laid down by Droitture's ruler and instruc- tions. She provides Christine with yet another allegorical building tool, the mortier ou cornat (786; "mortar of her ink bottle"; 99) to be used in con- junction with the truelle de ta plume ("trowel of her pen"). The consider- able emphasis on prudence continues in this next section, whose exempla counterargue two predominant anti-feminist stereotypes: first, that women are imprudent and untrustworthy and, second, that daughters are less worthy than sons. As a result, the subject for the loci that form the city's buildings shifts from women's accomplishments and deeds to their prudent devotion and fidelity. Droitture explains that her first stones are the sibyls and female prophets; as exemplars of prudent wisdom and fore- sight, they demonstrate that God has entrusted his secrets to faithful and devoted women. The remaining exempla in this section demonstrate women's superior capacity for filial piety. Again, vivid imagery is used to help fix these loci within the system: for example, Droitture describes Dryptina, a loyal daughter to her father, as moult diffourme (809; "a monstrosity"; 809) because she had an extra row of teeth. But perhaps the most vivid image in this series of loci is the last in the construction of the city's buildings, the Roman woman who breastfeeds her imprisoned mother. Significantly, Christine has changed the gender of the parent from the orig- inal story here so that the woman suckles her imprisoned mother rather than her father, further enhancing this story's pro-feminist interpretation. With this highly visceral image, Droitture concludes the construction of the buildings and of the series of loci, which began with Raison's statue of Semiramis.

With the completion of the city's foundation, wall, and buildings, the series of loci is established; in the second half of the Cite, these loci must be stocked with the agent images of the architectural mnemonic. Accordingly, Droitture explains that she will people this city so that its buildings do not become vague ne vuide (814; "vacant and empty"; 116), since the fundamental purpose of any architectural mnemonic is to create a specifically ordered space to hold ideas in memory. Droitture further explains that this city has a certain purpose, having "la propriete de cest ouvraige que les possessarresses n'en pourront estre deboutees" (815; "a special property that its owners cannot be expelled"; 117); if properly memorized, these agent images and their system will remain perpetually in the minds of the readers, the owners of this city. Because these exempla form the active impressions of the architectural mnemonic, their subject shifts from women's capabilities to women's active conduct and behavior. Droitture relates exempla that counter anti-feminist depictions of female vice by demonstrating female chastity and constancy. The agent images in these exempla reinforce wise and virtuous action by providing prudent and ethical examples for the female reader's memory system. As Droitture explains, the citizens of this city will be bonnes preudesfemes (816; "women of good character"; 117) because the ethical memory trained and rein- forced by this system will guide their ethical behavior. Therefore, this metaphorical citadel will serve as the site for the nouvel royaume de Femenie (815; "New Kingdom of Femininity"; 117) where "assez souffira pour tousjours mais de cellas que ores y mettrons" (815; "those whom we now place here will suffice quite adequately forever"; 17).