Forbidden fruit

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Throughout history, extraordinary women have introduced others to the liberating world of literature. This cross-cultural account highlights the achievements of women writers and educated women, complemented by stunning reproductions of artworks that reflect their contributions and environments. It examines the social roles of portraits depicting women reading and the types of literature they engaged with, while tracing the evolution of women's access to education and literature across various cultures and eras. The narrative unfolds chronologically, beginning in ancient civilizations such as Mesopotamia, Greece, and China, and progressing through the Middle Ages and Renaissance Europe to modern England and America. Readers encounter profiles of influential figures like Ban Zhao, Murasaki Shikibu, Christine de Pisan, Jane Austen, the Brontë sisters, Phillis Wheatley, and Harriet Beecher Stowe. Artworks featuring women reading span from Pompeii frescoes to significant pieces by renowned artists such as Hans Holbein, Thomas Gainsborough, Thomas Eakins, Winslow Homer, Gustav Klimt, Edvard Munch, Roy Lichtenstein, Balthus, and Gerhard Richter. The result is a beautifully illustrated cultural history of women and reading, as captivating and inspiring as the achievements it celebrates.