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The Good Wife's Guide (Le Ménagier de Paris): A Medieval Household Book
In the closing years of the fourteenth century, an anonymous French writer compiled a book addressed to a fifteen-year-old bride, narrated in the voice of her husband, a wealthy, aging Parisian. The book was designed to teach this young wife the moral attributes, duties, and conduct befitting a woman of her station in society, in the almost certain event of her widowhood and subsequent remarriage. The work also provides a rich assembly of practical materials for the wife's use and for her household, including treatises on gardening and shopping, tips on choosing servants, directions on the medical care of horses and the training of hawks, plus menus for elaborate feasts, and more than 380 recipes.
The Good Wife's Guide is the first complete modern English translation of this important medieval text also known as Le M'nagier de Paris (the Parisian household book), a work long recognized for its unique insights into the domestic life of the bourgeoisie during the later Middle Ages. The Good Wife's Guide, expertly rendered into modern English by Gina L. Greco and Christine M. Rose, is accompanied by an informative critical introduction setting the work in its proper medieval context as a conduct manual. This edition presents the book in its entirety, as it must have existed for its earliest readers.
The Guide is now a treasure for the classroom, appealing to anyone studying medieval literature or history or considering the complex lives of medieval women. It illuminates the milieu and composition process of medieval authors and will in turn fascinate cooking or horticulture enthusiasts. The work illustrates how a (perhaps fictional) Parisian householder of the late fourteenth century might well have trained his wife so that her behavior could reflect honorably on him and enhance his reputation.
The Good Wife's Guide is the first complete modern English translation of this important medieval text also known as Le M'nagier de Paris (the Parisian household book), a work long recognized for its unique insights into the domestic life of the bourgeoisie during the later Middle Ages. The Good Wife's Guide, expertly rendered into modern English by Gina L. Greco and Christine M. Rose, is accompanied by an informative critical introduction setting the work in its proper medieval context as a conduct manual. This edition presents the book in its entirety, as it must have existed for its earliest readers.
The Guide is now a treasure for the classroom, appealing to anyone studying medieval literature or history or considering the complex lives of medieval women. It illuminates the milieu and composition process of medieval authors and will in turn fascinate cooking or horticulture enthusiasts. The work illustrates how a (perhaps fictional) Parisian householder of the late fourteenth century might well have trained his wife so that her behavior could reflect honorably on him and enhance his reputation.
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1846
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
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December 23, 2018This is a medieval household manual written by an aged husband for the benefit of his very young wife so that once he's dead and she is remarried her next husband will be suitably impressed with her domestic expertise. At least that is what the author tells us in his prologue.
The book is divided into three parts. The first deals with the appropriate virtues that a medieval bourgeois wife should cultivate, generally supported by stories, like that of Griselda as a grisly example of an obedient wife(a story which you might recall from The Decammeron or The Canterbury Tales).
The second part deals with how to run a household. The perennial problems of where to hire your varlets (but take care to hire only the peaceful and debonnair) , what to do with young servant girls who swear (forbid it) are coupled with evergreen gardening advice: in rainy weather it is good to plant but not to sow, for the seed sticketh to the rake.
The third part deal with cooking and is full of the type of the recipes that begin 'first take your chicken and slit it's throat, then pluck it'. It was from this book that I learnt that you could cook your rice or pasta in chicken stock. Suddenly, I too could cook like it was 1393. Admittedly the author was unfamiliar with the Knorr stock cube (plucking generally not required) and they probably would not have approved of sparing the labour of the kitchen personal, but it pleased me. And I learnt that Blancmange was originally a savoury dish.
The book is divided into three parts. The first deals with the appropriate virtues that a medieval bourgeois wife should cultivate, generally supported by stories, like that of Griselda as a grisly example of an obedient wife(a story which you might recall from The Decammeron or The Canterbury Tales).
The second part deals with how to run a household. The perennial problems of where to hire your varlets (but take care to hire only the peaceful and debonnair) , what to do with young servant girls who swear (forbid it) are coupled with evergreen gardening advice: in rainy weather it is good to plant but not to sow, for the seed sticketh to the rake.
The third part deal with cooking and is full of the type of the recipes that begin 'first take your chicken and slit it's throat, then pluck it'. It was from this book that I learnt that you could cook your rice or pasta in chicken stock. Suddenly, I too could cook like it was 1393. Admittedly the author was unfamiliar with the Knorr stock cube (plucking generally not required) and they probably would not have approved of sparing the labour of the kitchen personal, but it pleased me. And I learnt that Blancmange was originally a savoury dish.
March 18, 2012
Interesting 14th century household book written by an 'old man' (age unknown) for his teenage bride. He knows a lot about gardening, cookery and the price of everything.
Don't think I'd make a good medieval wife: I am disobedient, have 'hair like a lion' (yes), I walk in a mannish fashion (i.e. with my eyes facing forward, not down), I'm prone to ribald talk and drunken behaviour, and I often eat before terce.
Don't think I'd make a good medieval wife: I am disobedient, have 'hair like a lion' (yes), I walk in a mannish fashion (i.e. with my eyes facing forward, not down), I'm prone to ribald talk and drunken behaviour, and I often eat before terce.
September 29, 2018
This is one English translation of Le ménagier de Paris, a household manual supposedly written in the fourteenth century by an aging knight for his fifteen year old wife. It includes numerous recipes but also all manner of advice and insight into the life (especially in Paris) of the time. Some readers may just want to read through the menus provided for different meals, or the instructions for organizing two weddings. Overall, for anyone with an interest in medieval Paris, there are endless riches here.
November 6, 2020
I’m saying I’ve done this now although I am constantly dipping in an out of it. It’s an incredible read for someone who is interested in the era , with tips on gardening , cooking, and housekeeping that can be used even today. The text is full of every aspect of wifery of the time, though, with hard to stomach stories of obedience and expectations of household maintenance. Lots of fun in its presentation, especially when you think of the time it was being written. This is an invaluable translation and resource for those of us are interested in the period.
October 21, 2019
Another text required for class...but still, fascinating reading!
November 20, 2023
This a really readable translation of a fascinating text. Some of the initial commentary was a bit wordy and dense, but overall it was really interesting and I learned a lot.
August 24, 2021
Pros: faithful translation that mentions prior work done on the text, lots of textual notes and introductory pieces to help with comprehension, lots of interesting information about life in the middle ages
Cons: medieval writing tends to be dry and I found it hard to read more than a few pages at a time without a break
This is a translation of the French medieval household book Le Ménagier de Paris. It consists of an introduction, which includes background information, what life was like in Paris at the time of it’s writing, and a gloss of the Tale of Griselda. The text itself consists of several parts talking about good conduct (prayer, behaviour, dress, chastity, virtues & vices, obedience to one’s husband, etc), horticulture, choosing servants, hawking, menus, and recipes. There are introductory passages every few sections so you have a good idea of what the book will discuss next, as well as excellent page notes (many of which detail translation decisions) and a very useful glossary of culinary terms to help with the last 2 sections of the book and a bibliography.
The premise of the text is that of an older husband writing a book for his new young wife so that she will be properly trained and able to manage a household for her second husband after the author’s death. The book goes into a fair amount of detail regarding some items (there are a lot of recipes and detailed information on the virtues & vices, breaking down the various ways people sin and how it’s important to confess). There are also some long morality tales about how it’s important to obey one’s husband and be long-suffering, even if your husband tries your patience or tests you.
I found it very interesting what a woman in 14th C Paris was expected to know, even if it’s unknown if the author’s ‘young wife’ actually existed. The cooking section mentioned where to buy certain ingredients and how much they cost. The hawking section was very detailed about how much work was involved, all of which had to be done by the person intending to fly the hawk (so servants couldn’t train the bird for you). The moralistic tales are fairly long winded and get boring after a while. The Tale of Griselda is kind of infuriating as a modern reader and even the author’s response to it implies he doesn’t agree with the husband’s actions, but thought it was worth including anyway.
I wish the author had finished his planned book and included the games and entertainments he’d intended. I think those might have been quite interesting to learn about.
There’s a lot of great information here, but you’ll probably have to read it in small doses to stay engaged. The translators did a fantastic job of keeping the language easy to understand, but medieval texts tend to be on the dry side.
Cons: medieval writing tends to be dry and I found it hard to read more than a few pages at a time without a break
This is a translation of the French medieval household book Le Ménagier de Paris. It consists of an introduction, which includes background information, what life was like in Paris at the time of it’s writing, and a gloss of the Tale of Griselda. The text itself consists of several parts talking about good conduct (prayer, behaviour, dress, chastity, virtues & vices, obedience to one’s husband, etc), horticulture, choosing servants, hawking, menus, and recipes. There are introductory passages every few sections so you have a good idea of what the book will discuss next, as well as excellent page notes (many of which detail translation decisions) and a very useful glossary of culinary terms to help with the last 2 sections of the book and a bibliography.
The premise of the text is that of an older husband writing a book for his new young wife so that she will be properly trained and able to manage a household for her second husband after the author’s death. The book goes into a fair amount of detail regarding some items (there are a lot of recipes and detailed information on the virtues & vices, breaking down the various ways people sin and how it’s important to confess). There are also some long morality tales about how it’s important to obey one’s husband and be long-suffering, even if your husband tries your patience or tests you.
I found it very interesting what a woman in 14th C Paris was expected to know, even if it’s unknown if the author’s ‘young wife’ actually existed. The cooking section mentioned where to buy certain ingredients and how much they cost. The hawking section was very detailed about how much work was involved, all of which had to be done by the person intending to fly the hawk (so servants couldn’t train the bird for you). The moralistic tales are fairly long winded and get boring after a while. The Tale of Griselda is kind of infuriating as a modern reader and even the author’s response to it implies he doesn’t agree with the husband’s actions, but thought it was worth including anyway.
I wish the author had finished his planned book and included the games and entertainments he’d intended. I think those might have been quite interesting to learn about.
There’s a lot of great information here, but you’ll probably have to read it in small doses to stay engaged. The translators did a fantastic job of keeping the language easy to understand, but medieval texts tend to be on the dry side.
September 7, 2016
The vagaries of history are often quite interesting. That it has given us two home economics books separated by over two thousand years is even more delightful. Hesiod's "Works and Days" of the 700s BCE is quite simply one of the first complete and personal works of Western civilization. While "The Goodman of Paris" from 1393 is of unknown authorship, it is even more beautifully personal. Both books are guides to the proper maintenance of the homestead.
Hesiod's writes from the perspective of the landed peasant emerging from the Grecian Dark Ages and aims directly to the heart of the struggle for survival in a changing world. The object of his pontification is his never-do-well brother who has managed to mismanage his land inheritance from his father's estate. Hesiod's home is also his agricultural estate and his only domestic means of survival. He is a frugal, gods-fearing, and pragmatic farmer with little regard or need for the sins of the city. But Hesiod is not a naive bumpkin - in times of need his has left his small village for the greater world in search of monies through the toil at oars of commerce and warfare.
The Goodman of Paris on the other hand is a man of substance, an haute bourgeoisie in the capital of Medieval France balanced between High Gothic and the Black Death and social instability. His focus is directing his new and young wife in how to manage her domestic duties efficiently and effectively. Unlike Hesiod, his approach is not confrontational but loving. There is an overlying tenderness that is refreshing in our era of nuclear-exploding families and much wisdom to be considered for our own domestic tranquility.
For anyone who wants to enter the world of the past both these works are as close as one can get. You will be enveloped in the thoughts and feelings of the men of these eras and discover how little in some ways the nature of man has changed despite the technologies surrounding us.
Hesiod's writes from the perspective of the landed peasant emerging from the Grecian Dark Ages and aims directly to the heart of the struggle for survival in a changing world. The object of his pontification is his never-do-well brother who has managed to mismanage his land inheritance from his father's estate. Hesiod's home is also his agricultural estate and his only domestic means of survival. He is a frugal, gods-fearing, and pragmatic farmer with little regard or need for the sins of the city. But Hesiod is not a naive bumpkin - in times of need his has left his small village for the greater world in search of monies through the toil at oars of commerce and warfare.
The Goodman of Paris on the other hand is a man of substance, an haute bourgeoisie in the capital of Medieval France balanced between High Gothic and the Black Death and social instability. His focus is directing his new and young wife in how to manage her domestic duties efficiently and effectively. Unlike Hesiod, his approach is not confrontational but loving. There is an overlying tenderness that is refreshing in our era of nuclear-exploding families and much wisdom to be considered for our own domestic tranquility.
For anyone who wants to enter the world of the past both these works are as close as one can get. You will be enveloped in the thoughts and feelings of the men of these eras and discover how little in some ways the nature of man has changed despite the technologies surrounding us.
June 17, 2012
I had thought this book would be something else. I was expecting more of a lighthearted explanation to a new bride of the middle ages. Instead it was a more in-depth and serious detailed account of how the bride should act, with many bible stories as illustrations of the behavior. Not really for me, really more for a person studying this time period or maybe women's roles throughout the ages something like that.
August 27, 2013
This book has 2 authors & the listing only mentions one. Christine M Rose is co-author. Fascinating glimpse into 14th century rules for female behavior (and male dominance), whether this is "history" or fiction.
January 31, 2012
French Domestroy with receipes.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews