Very much so - it is an open question. What are we looking for?
How about this? There are original versions of works by Christine de Pizan. And there are subsequent versions of her books by male scribes / authors(?). Are there reputed to be any potential 'gender' differences found here?
The probability of female authorship obviously was restricted. Yet the Pizan publication of 1405 is so close to where the VMs parchment dates start - and from there we have another 30 plus years. It would seem that the possibility of female authorship would be somewhat advantaged during the same time as which the VMs was most probably created. Just saying.
I've long felt that the VMs 'green' bathers had a certain similarity to the bathing Muses in Pizan's 'Book of the Queen'. Of course it is quite a trick to draw nine women in a pool and then disguise it. If you draw nine bathing Muses, there they are. If you want them to be seen, no problem. But it you want them to be hidden and escape notice, what can you do? Make more groups of bathers with differing numbers of women per group. This works so well that the significance of the number nine almost disappears. How is the significance recovered? Through the requirement of pairing - the Biblical law of Deuteronomy. Ask the ladies in the pool of sixteen for nine volunteers to move to the left. Please raise your hands to mark the separation.
How about this? There are original versions of works by Christine de Pizan. And there are subsequent versions of her books by male scribes / authors(?). Are there reputed to be any potential 'gender' differences found here?
The probability of female authorship obviously was restricted. Yet the Pizan publication of 1405 is so close to where the VMs parchment dates start - and from there we have another 30 plus years. It would seem that the possibility of female authorship would be somewhat advantaged during the same time as which the VMs was most probably created. Just saying.
I've long felt that the VMs 'green' bathers had a certain similarity to the bathing Muses in Pizan's 'Book of the Queen'. Of course it is quite a trick to draw nine women in a pool and then disguise it. If you draw nine bathing Muses, there they are. If you want them to be seen, no problem. But it you want them to be hidden and escape notice, what can you do? Make more groups of bathers with differing numbers of women per group. This works so well that the significance of the number nine almost disappears. How is the significance recovered? Through the requirement of pairing - the Biblical law of Deuteronomy. Ask the ladies in the pool of sixteen for nine volunteers to move to the left. Please raise your hands to mark the separation.