How we cite our quotes: (Book.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
But although the beauty of her body and face surpassed that of practically all other women in her time, even more so did the excellence and subtlety of her mind surpass and exceed those of others. (1.42.1)
Christine is quick to praise a woman for her beauty. But she always makes sure to emphasize inner beauty over outer beauty. The most important thing to de Pizan is intelligence—she was herself an extremely well educated woman.
Quote #5
She was quite ugly, for she had an extra row of teeth—a monstrosity—but she was so well loved by her father that she never left his side, whether in prosperity or in misfortune. (2.8.1)
It's sad that de Pizan calls a woman a monstrosity because of her appearance… although an extra row of teeth sounds pretty shark-like. de Pizan is also quick to say that this woman should be admired for the loyalty she showed to her father in difficult times. One might think that de Pizan could have left the whole "monstrosity" thing out altogether, but at least she didn't nickname her Shark Week.
Quote #6
[She] cut her long golden brown hair—the most beautiful adornment of women—in order to look like a man. (2.14.1)
Some women in history had so much bravery that they cut their hair in order to look like men. They did this either to fight in wars or to go into monasteries to serve God. The important thing here is that they transcended their appearances in order to do good things.