Southwestern University will host Suzanne Savoy as she performs “Je Christine: A Medieval Woman In Her Own Words” on Monday, April 24, at 5 p.m. in the Mood-Bridwell Atrium. The event is free and open to the public.

Christine De Pizan, medieval woman, lived in France in the late 1300s and early 1400s. She was a feminist hundreds of years before the term was even coined. Savoy, who portrays Christine De Pizan, points out that the she is certainly not a household name, but probably should be.

CHRISTINE DE PIZAN

Christine De Pizan (1364 - C.1429) was born in Venice. From the age of five she lived in Paris, as her father had been summoned by King Charles V to act as his medical and astrological advisor. De Pizan was encouraged to love learning by her father and had access to the royal library. Widowed at the age of twenty-five and with a family to support, De Pizan achieved notice by writing poems for the nobility. When she publicly entered into a famous literary debate concerning a controversial book, The Romance of the Rose, her position as an important scholarly voice was secured.

During a time of war, plague, and political upheaval, De Pizan’s written counsel became increasingly valued by the royal family. She published her own books, employing scribes, illuminators, and book-binders. Her many works cover a range of styles: love poetry, allegory, biography, educational treatises, public correspondence, spiritual writings, and a heroic poem dedicated to Joan of Arc, who was De Pizan’s contemporary. The City of Ladies and The Book of Three Virtues stood in defense of women’s worth five centuries before feminism became a recognized cause. The Book of Deeds of Arms and of Chivalry, a manual on preparation for battle and on the laws and philosophy of war is still referenced at military academies.

SUZANNE SAVOY

Suzanne Savoy is an educator and a veteran of stage and screen. To learn more about her extensive on-screen and voice-over work, visit IMDB. She currently recurs as DNC Chairwoman Patricia Whittaker on House of Cards and is in production for the feature film Untouchable.

Past stage projects have been the creation, design, and direction of productions based on classical literature: The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Labors of Herakles, Areito (tales from the Taino tradition), and The Adventures of Lancelot. Savoy spent ten years designing for the acclaimed New York City touring company The Shakespeare Project and created and ran their education program.

SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

Southwestern is a selective, nationally recognized undergraduate liberal arts and sciences university located in Georgetown, Texas. Established in 1840, it is the first institution of higher learning in Texas. Southwestern’s residential campus offers a true liberal arts education with small classes and numerous collaborative undergraduate research opportunities. Its academic offerings include Paideia, an innovative and interdisciplinary approach to study, and close faculty-student collaboration. Students volunteer in the community at more than twice the national average and our scholar-athletes compete on one of 20 NCAA Division III varsity teams. For more information, visit www.southwestern.edu.