*3.5 stars*

Pushed me to know (and learn) more…

I had no idea what to expect of this book. The cover caught my eye and the blurb intrigued me but other than that I went in with eyes and mind wide open. A good thing since, with a range of topics and details, it didn’t intimidate me until I started reading…

I felt like I needed a lot more knowledge to truly ‘get’ what was discussed here. I understood - at a higher level, perhaps but I became lost in references to material I had heard of but not necessarily was familiar with. So many experts and texts I may have heard of, or dabbled in a bit, but again, not to the depth I needed to, to understand their impact on these topics.

I want to get a better understanding of, and appreciation for, these Muses and I need to broaden my reading horizons to do that.

a lively and original collections of photographs and essays.

Very interesting subject, and a very appealing cover! I really enjoyed the author's set up for the various chapters and how she interwove Shakespeare, Ovid, and other literary figures into an overarching commentary on the academic humanities. My favourite chapter was, of course, Fig Leaf!