ABSTRACT
The Queen's Manuscript is a superbly illustrated collection of 30 texts written, organized, and planned by Christine de Pizan. One segment, the Jeux à vendre, has been dismissed as a gratuitous display of poetic virtuosity. Conversely, Lori J. Walters argues that this little cycle is central to interpreting the didactic agenda of the entire anthology. Jeux, a form of verbal jousting, were popular at the French court; by refashioning them, Christine challenges the fin'amors trope of service to the lady and exposes the dangers of erotic love. Christine proposes dedication to higher loves − family, country, and God − all of which unite in the service owed to yet another lady: France's queen. Walters offers additional evidence by comparing the iconography of the Queen's Manuscript to that of the Duke's Manuscript (Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, MS fr. 836), both of which graphically depict the social and political admonishments of Christine's texts. Thus, the Jeux à vendre can be better understood as an empowering exercise for women to hone their intellectual and rhetorical skills.
