Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Thinking back to when you first started the book, what were your expectations based on the allegorical dream-vision frame? Did the idea of building a city with the three Virtues engage you, and did you find it an effective way to structure the argument?

2. The book was written as a direct response to similar catalogues that were used to slander women, like Boccaccio’s Concerning Famous Women. How did you respond to the book’s structure as a catalogue of exemplary women? How does Christine de Pizan’s approach change the purpose and feel of this literary form?

3. Which of the many stories Christine uses to build her city was the most memorable or surprising to you, and why did it stand out?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Christine’s father supported her education, while her mother believed she should focus on traditional women’s work. When have you felt a similar tension between personal fulfilment and meeting the social or familial expectations placed upon you? How did you resolve this?

2. The book traces the narrator’s shift in self-esteem. Think about a powerful narrative you’ve encountered in a book, film, or online that changed the way you perceived yourself? What did you learn?

3. Lady Reason encourages Christine to trust her own experience and judgment over the opinions of respected authors. Think of a time when your own observations clashed with what an authority figure or established text claimed was true? What did you do in response, and why?

4. The book champions virtues like loyalty, chastity, and steadfastness. What virtues do you think apply to modern life and how, if at all, do you try to apply these yourself?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. Christine wrote her book in 1405 to combat a long tradition of literary misogyny. Where do you see similar battles over harmful narratives taking place today, whether they concern gender, race, or other aspects of identity?

2. What does the text suggest about the motivations behind slander and prejudice? Do the reasons Lady Reason gives for why men attack women still feel relevant in explaining the origins of hateful rhetoric today? If so, why do you think Christine’s narrative didn’t have the effect of breaking down misogyny?

3. Christine used the tools of scholarly authority against her opponents. In what ways can marginalized groups today use the established systems, language, and tools of the dominant culture to argue for their own liberation?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. What do you make of the story of Griselda? Though presented as an example of supreme constancy, her endurance of her husband’s cruelty can be unsettling for modern readers. What do you think Christine’s purpose was in including this story, and does it successfully prove her point?

2. Christine often retells and reinterprets stories from classical and biblical sources to emphasize female virtue. Think about a figure like Dido, Medea, or even Eve. How is their story reshaped to serve a new purpose within the City of Ladies?

3. In later life, Christine wrote a poem celebrating Joan of Arc. How do the stories of warrior women in The Book of the City of Ladies prefigure her treatment of this real-world heroine?

4. The book progresses from celebrating worldly achievements in Part 1 to spiritual fortitude in Part 3. What is the effect of this narrative order?

5. Christine offers direct advice to women in her final chapter on how to live virtuously and defend their honor. Which of her recommendations felt surprisingly modern, and which felt most tied to her own time?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Imagine you are directing a short animated film explaining the concept of the book to a new generation of readers. Which story would you choose to feature as the main example, and how would you visually represent the “act of building” the city?

2. Who are some historical or contemporary women you would nominate to be residents of a modern-day City of Ladies, and what virtues do they represent for you?

3. At the end of the book, Christine addresses her female readers directly. If you could write a similar closing address to a contemporary audience, what would your main message be?