Pulling petals off La Rose: Christine de Pizan and the invention of literary history

If Christine de Pizan invented the job of writer, it is possible that she also invented literary history, being perfectly conscious of the power of published opinions. This article explores the way in which Christine perceived the porous boundary between literary critique and literary history, through analyzing the first French literary feud, which she herself provoked then published in 1401: the epistolary debate on the Roman de la Rose.