The Lives of the Muses

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In the classical world, the muses were the nine daughters of Zeus who inspired creative individuals to produce remarkable works. Francine Prose highlights the significance of real women who inspired greatness, presenting them as more than mere catalysts deserving recognition for their contributions. Each chapter serves as a mini-biography, exploring the lives of these women and their relationships with male artists. For instance, memoirist Hester Thrale's letters to Samuel Johnson influenced his later works, while Alice Liddell, the inspiration for Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, navigated her independence from the author. Yoko Ono emerges as a muse and artist in her own right, whose avant-garde tendencies were sometimes blamed for John Lennon’s musical decline. Prose includes both well-known figures like Suzanne Farrell, who collaborated with George Balanchine, and lesser-known women such as Lou Andreas-Salomé, who had ties to Nietzsche and Freud. The book delves into how these women motivated men of achievement, often at the cost of their own recognition, and examines the lasting consequences of their roles in the creative process.