Mathéolus
De Pizan uses a text written by Mathéolus, a thirteenth-century French cleric, as the catalyst for the construction of the City of Ladies. While the text is a historically real book called Liber lamentationum Matheoluli, it also has a metaphorical value in the novel. Mathéolus and his arguments against women represent the patriarchal society that Christine de Pizan lived in during this medieval period. Thus, though de Pizan takes issue with Mathéolus in particular, it is misogyny in general that Christine and the Ladies seek to combat.
Great Cities
When the three Ladies talk with Christine about the new city, they compare it to other ancient cities and societies hailed as being the epitome of civilization. These comparisons emphasize the important role that the City of Ladies will play in shaping society. In one instance, the founding of the City of Ladies is likened to the founding of the city of Troy. Just like Troy marked the beginning of an ancient and powerful civilization, the three women suggest that the City of Ladies will mark the beginning of a better time for the women living amongst patriarchal constraints.
Roses
At one point in the text, Christine mentions that the ancient Roman writer Cato compared women to roses. The reason behind this comparison was that women were beautiful, like the flower on a rose, but they also possessed threatening "thorns." This simile continued to be used in literature well into the nineteenth century as a means of highlighting women's beauty and, according to male writers, inherent untrustworthiness or desire to wound.
Knowledge
During her discussion with Lady Reason, Christine asks Reason to tell her about women who were educated intellectuals. Notably, Lady Reason catalogues these women by associating them with magic and supernatural powers. In this way, Lady Reason uses a metaphor to suggest that knowledge is power – a concept that is often repeated aphoristically today.
The Foundation of the City
Christine builds the foundation for the City of Ladies through her conversation with Lady Reason, who tells her of all the women who have served as excellent and formidable rulers over the course of history. This catalogue serves as the base of the allegorical City of Ladies, rendering the "foundation" a metaphor for the moral character on which the city will be founded.
