De Institutione Feminae Christianae: Liber Primus : Introduction, Critical Edition, Translation and Notes (Selected Works of Jl Vives) (v. 1)

This is a critical edition of the Latin text of Book I of the "De Institutione Feminae Christianae" of Juan Luis Vives together with facing English translation. The work was written in 1523 and dedicated to Catherine of Aragon for the instruction of her daughter Princess Mary. It was later thoroughly revised and the changes introduced are of great interest for the history of the text. The "De Institutione" is considered to be the most important treatise of the Renaissance on the education of women, cited and imitated throughout the sixteenth century. Although Vives sometimes betrays traditional attitudes towards the status of women, he gives expression to many liberalizing humanistic ideas. In all, it is a clear public acknowledgment of women's probity, dignity and capability for learning.