L’Épistre au Dieu d’amours

L'Épistre au Dieu d'amours, or "Letter to the God of Love," is a work by Christine de Pisan written in 1399. It is an allegorical poem that defends women against the satirical and misogynistic portrayal found in Jean de Meun's influential work, the Roman de la rose.12

In her "Letter to the God of Love," Pisan directly addresses the deity of love, criticizing how love poetry and popular literature have unfairly depicted women. She argues that men, through their writings, have created a false and negative image of women, leading to widespread prejudice. Pisan's work is considered an early and significant contribution to the "Querelle des Femmes," a literary debate concerning the status and treatment of women. This poem foreshadows her later, more extensive defense of women in works like The Book of the City of Ladies.12