Jean le Fèvre, however, surprised at the success of the Lamentations in strengthening the hold of the philosophy of life taught in the Roman de la Rose, or feeling that this vivid presentation of the evils of the married state was considerably overdrawn, tried to stem the tide of feeling by writing a refutation of the Lamentations, which he called the Livre de Leesce.[4] This praiseworthy attempt failed completely, and the book against which it was directed, in spite of the attacks of Christine de Pizan,[5] who saw its real character, became more and more popular.
The influence of the Roman de la Rose is evident in the Roman de Fauvel[6] (which is likewise composed of two independent parts) particularly in its satires on the different classes of society and in its general pessimistic outlook upon life; and is still more strongly seen in the Registre of Gilles li Muisis.[7]
This Benedictine abbot was a great admirer of the famous romance, and traces of the thought contained therein may be plainly seen in his long arraignment of conditions then existing, as compared with the ætas dorea, which to his old man’s fancy had existed when he was a youth.
Eustache Deschamps (1338?-1415) naturally belongs on the side of Jean de Meung (whose disciple he may be said to be) with numerous ballades and his long poem against marriage, Le Miroir de Mariage.[8] In the works of Deschamps we find the epicureanism combined with the gift of genuine satire that we notice in the work of his master. Le Miroir de Mariage is not mentioned here, however, because it had a direct bearing upon our controversy. It seems not to have been known to Christine de Pizan or to her allies. It does nevertheless afford additional evidence of the far-reaching influence of the Roman de la Rose.
We remark that up to this point the great popularity of the Roman de la Rose had carried everything before it. Its influence upon literature was supreme. It was the masterly work which terminated the middle ages. But there was to be a reaction against its doctrines and we come now to the first public challenge of the work of Jean de Meung, at the beginning of the fifteenth century.
Christine de Pizan was not the first woman to resent the insinuations against the feminine sex contained in many parts of the Roman de la Rose, if we are to believe the rather doubtful legend[9] concerning the ladies of the court who were going to whip the author, but she is certainly the first woman-writer to champion publicly the cause of her sex, insulted, as she believed, by the ungallant Jean de Meung. She is still as interesting to us by her character, her fate, and the influence of her spirit on her time, says Wieland in a little known essay,[10] as she once was to her contemporaries by her personal qualities and her works. In 1399 she wrote her Epistre au dieu d’Amours[11] (which for convenience of reference we call document I of the debate) which asks, why is it that women, formerly so esteemed and honored in France, are now attacked and insulted not only by the ignorant and base, but also by the educated, the noble, the priestly classes?
This poem naturally encountered opposition among the partisans of Jean de Meung, but Christine found powerful allies in Jean Gerson, Chancellor of the University of Paris, Guillaume de Tignonville,[12] Prévôt de Paris, and Marshal Boucicault.
The last named, indeed, who had just returned from his successful campaign in the East, founded in 1399 an order of knighthood expressly for the defence of women, called “l’écu verd à la dame blanche.”[13]
A little later, February 14, 1400, St. Valentine’s day, a number of great lords and poets assembled in the hôtel of the Duc de Bourgogne in Paris and founded an extensive organisation called the “Cour Amoureuse,”[14] to honor ladies and cultivate poetry. All classes of society were represented in the six hundred members whose names have come down to us.[15] We are perhaps especially interested in noticing the names of Gontier Col, and his brother Pierre Col, probably the foremost disciples (with Jean de Montreuil) of Jean de Meung.
One year to the day after the formation of the “Cour Amoureuse,” Christine de Pisan wrote her Dit de la Rose[16] (document II). In this she seems to be conscious (probably from support given her by the “Cour Amoureuse” and by the queen) of having an established position as a defender of her sex.