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i loved this. it really made me think about reading as an act done by women plus the paintings were beautiful

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I'm glad you enjoyed it! And yes, the paintings are beautiful, but I think Monet's 'Springtime'/ 'The Reader' is my favourite. Do you have a favourite of the ones included in the post?

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mine is ‘The Reading Girl’ !!

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Beautiful beautiful essay! I had always thought of the books in Monet’s pieces as being a prop of the rich, but it unfortunately makes much more sense that it’s just another medium for women to be objectified :/ I’d be interested to see how women reading are portrayed in paintings around the world too, and if the artists see women in the same way!

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Thank you for commenting! Yes, Monet's work does seem to focus solely around upper class life and tastes, hence the objectification of women that Victorian culture centered around. And yes, a deeper study into how women are portrayed around the world would make a great post- I'll get on that :)

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a bit laborious cause of the size, but pleasant so far (30% in), hope you're enjoying it as well X

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I get what you mean, I've just finished volume 1 and yet the end is not in sight. But keep me updated :)

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beautiful essay, and i am reading anna karenina too!

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Thank you! And how are you finding the book?

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