PERFORMANCES OF

THE BOOK OF POISSY

 

UPCOMING DATES

Nov 3, 2026  Wells School of Music,

   West Chester University, PA 

 

​PAST DATES

Lewes Public Library Pavilion Theatre

Mostly Medieval Festival at

       Western Michigan University in 

       conjunction with the International

       Congress ofnMedieval Studies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Suzanne Savoy performs staged readings of The Book of Poissy, her translation of Christine de Pizan's Le Livre du Dit de Poissy. The 2,075-line poem, written and published in 1400 CE, is edited to a 90-minute performance accompanied by contemporary lute music and a vibrant slide show. 

 

The Book of Poissy is a love-judgment poem in the style of Machaut. Christine cleverly uses the courtly form to question chivalric practice and its effect on women's lives and well-being. The first third of the poem describes an excursion Christine and her noble friends make to the Royal Priory of St. Louis at Poissy to see her daughter. The remainder of the poem is devoted to an argument between two of Christine's companions, who compare their love affairs. The listener is asked to choose which of them is most tragic. Christine slyly leaves another question hanging in the air: Which is a better choice for women, a courtly love life under the expectations of chivalric code or  a contemplative life in a religious order?

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The slide show includes contemporary illuminations, current photos of the priory ruins at Poissy, flora and fauna mentioned in the dit, and images of people and events in the story. 

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Audience encounter follows. Ms. Savoy is also available for classroom visits and discussion.​​ She is currently preparing the full translation of Poissy for print publication and an audiobook.

 

Please use the contact form on the home page for more information about performances of The Book of Poissy.​​