Education of a Christian Woman by Juan Luis

Education of a Christian Woman by Juan Luis Vives Pages 254 -293 By: Kehly Williams and Lynn Tyacke

Ch. 9: How She Should Behave At Home • Governing a household = family prosperity and happier marriages • Woman must behave similar to how she would in public sphere • All household problems and discrepancies fall upon the woman • A woman should not be extravagant with husband’s money

Ch. 10: Children & the Care That Must be Taken of Them • Having no children means one is “exempted from an incredible burden and fatigue” (265) • Women at fault for being sterile and having ‘evil children’ (267) • Raising a child: be cautious in showing affection, discipline whenever necessary

Ch. 11: On the Twice-Married and Stepmothers • Don’t reference past husband too much or compare to current husband (283) • Women should keep emotions under control • Stepmothers must love their stepchildren as their own

Ch. 12: How She Will Behave With Her Relatives and In-laws • Married woman “will be more dutiful toward her in-laws than toward her own blood relations” (287) • It is of highest importance to seek love of husband’s relatives • Married woman must appreciate the love between her husband his mother

Ch. 13: How She Will Behave With Her Married Son or Daughter • Daughter should be at least 17 years at marriage • Father has greatest control/judgement in their children's’ marriage • Once marriage occurs, daughter “belongs” to son-in-law, the mother no longer has the same control (293)

Questions 1) 2) 3) What kind of relationship does Vives encourage between maidservants and women in the household (pg. 255)? Do you agree or disagree with his opinion of this relationship? On page 259 Vives alludes to the idea that if women servants do not conform to these recommendations set out for them that they will “consume their lives in the misery of servitude, hated and despised by all”. Do women already experience this regardless of whether or not they conform to these specific rules? Why or why not? Compare and contrast some of Vives’s ideas on how a woman should act in public in comparison to the domestic sphere. Do you notice any major differences or similarities between the two spheres?

Questions con’t 4) 5) 6) List some of the things that Vives thinks parents should and should not do when raising a child (270 -275). Do agree with any of them? Why or why not? What are your thoughts on Vives’s portrayal of children? What role do you think women’s virtue of chastity have on his feelings towards women bearing children? On page 276, Vives provides a rare glimpse into his personal life when he says “[n]o mother loved her son more dearly than my mother loved me. But no son felt less loved by his mother than I”. What are your feelings towards this passage? Do you find yourself agreeing more with his opinion when given a personal account?