Chanting the Feminine Down (excerpt #3)
She read Boccaccio’s “Famous Women” slowly, taking in all the stories of the mythical heroines, reflecting on their successes and failures, and their wisdom and humanity. She was taking notes and taking names in her journal.
Colette could readily imagine a chorus of women dressed in long silk tunics and, shielded by a membrane that allowed their voices to be heard, to sing their ancestry, down through the ages, down through time. They sounded sweeter than angels.
Boccaccio provided the marching orders. Colette read along with him, making marks in the text that would find their way into her heart. She stayed absolutely true to his words, moving her lips in wonder as she read.
Boccaccio praised his teacher Petrarch for writing about famous men. The student expressed surprise that so little attention had been given to women who had accomplished great things. He suggested that women, because they are softer by nature, should be praised even more than men for their accomplishments. His focus would not be on the righteous Christian and Hebrew women who prepared themselves for everlasting glory. Their die was cast. Their everlasting repose in the bosom of Christ was assured. He would travel with the pagan women who had a keen desire to seek the fleeting glories of this world, whether through sex, bribery, and even virtues that are worthy of the blessed saints.
Boccaccio’s women lived by wit and invention. The Sicilian queen Ceres invented agriculture, tamed oxen and was elevated to goddess by her people. Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, invented the chariot and the number system. She also invented a way to extract olive oil. His women seemed ready to take over the world.
Colette felt early on that this was becoming her story, too. She would read, write and re-imagine the various pagan tales.
