For much of recorded history women have been a muted group - their stories untold, their lives deemed relevant only in relation to the men around them. Biologically equipped to be the bearers of children and guarantors of the perpetuation of the species, women's intellectual and creative capabilities were for centuries unexplored and unfulfilled. However, women have long featured in the arts as inspirations for creative men.
The nine Muses of ancient Greece established a starting point. As embodiments of creativity in the arts and sciences, they were demi-goddesses. The life-giving attributes of womanhood were symbolised in their personifications of different aspects of the arts according to the cultural priorities of the time.
I'm fascinated by the rôle of the Muse over the last two millennia, and have focused on nine human Muses, represented variously in literature, poetry, music and art. These nine are my own choices out of the many women who have fuelled creativity in gifted men, and I recognise that this is a personal selection manifested by my own particular preoccupations and preferences. But theirs are the lives and ideas I want to reawaken from the shadows of history.
My book examines the historical background against which each Muse lived, then focuses more generally on the lives of women at the time, highlighting examples from a selection of women during each era whose lives and ideas were in some way remarkable.
The life of the male protagonist relating to each Muse is then also explored, with an account of his actions and achievements.
Finally, each episode ends with an account of the Muse herself, concluding the section with an imagined realisation of her beliefs, thoughts, feelings and persona.
My book aims to make a new and useful contribution to the ever-developing aspects of feminism past and present.
