Incipit and Explicit

Incipit refers the first words of a text; the explicit are the lines that conclude the work (but can be followed by a colophon) (Brown, 1994, 72 and 56). The incipit of the Bancroft Library’s copy of Les Epistres sur le Roman de la Rose reads, “Cy commencent les epistres du debat sus le Romant de la Rose entre notables persones Maistre Gontier Col General Conseillier du Roy nostre Sire Maistre Jehan Johannes Prevost de Lisle et Christine de Pizann. La premiere epistre a sa Royne de France,” or “Here begin the epistles about the debate between such notable persons Master Gontier Col General Conseillier our King Sir Jean Johannes Prevost of Lisle and Christine de Pizann. The first letter to the King of France…” In these opening lines Christine de Pizan situates her work as a response and debate.

Photocopy of the Incipit from the Bancroft manuscript

Alluding to Roman de la Rose, she positions herself as critic of the text and offers her opinion via her correspondence with notable people. In this first letter, she explains her purpose for writing:

My venerated Lady, if you will honor me by hearing them, you will see the
diligence, desire, and will with which I defend myself as much as I can against dishonorable opinions, and where I defend the honor and praise of women (which many clerics and others make a point of diminishing in their works; this ought not to be tolerated, nor is it sustainable). And as weak as my position may be in pronouncing such accusations against such skilled masters, I am motivated by truth.

“Motivated by truth” and carried by her pen, Pizan begins her text with a powerful rebuttal of the misogynistic claims of Roman de la Rose. The first sentence of this text is in bright red ink (it is rubricated), but it contains no decorations and it is not written in a special font.

The manuscript does not end in such a powerful tone. The explicit of the manuscript is but the closing of Christine’s last letter, “vuielle toy et tous ceuls par especial qui amient [sc]ience et noblece de bonnes meurs enluminer de si vraye clarte que estre puisset conduis a la ioye celestielle. Amen. Script et compleit par moi Christine de Pizan le iie jour d’Octobre l'an mil iiiie et ii. Ta bien vueillant amie de [sc]ience Christine.” These concluding lines, which include no decorations, color, or special markings, simply remark that the letter was written by Christine de Pizan on October 2, 1402.



Quote from: "Now I Want You to Bring Forth New Books Which... Will Present Your Memory,” December 13, 2009. Retrieved February 26, 2010, from http://home.infionline.net/~ddisse/christin.html