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Forbidden Fruit: the History of Women and Books in Art

Author: Christiane Inmann
Publisher: Prestel Art
$25.00 Cloth (216 p.)
ISBN: 9783791340777
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Reviewed by Marcia Lusted, Statusing

In an age where there are more female readers than male readers, it’s difficult to imagine a time in history when women reading for pleasure was an activity that was frowned upon, forbidden, or at best required that their reading be closely scrutinized. At the same time, the role that books played in women’s lives was often depicted in art, leaving a traceable record of how important books were in an earlier time and place.

In her book Forbidden Fruit: the History of Women and Books in Art, Christiane Inmann has taken this pairing of books and art as they relate to women’s history and created a chronology that shows the evolution of books and reading in the lives of women. In four sections, spanning antiquity to the twentieth century, Inmann first explores the role of books in women’s lives, and then illustrates the era with accompanying works of art that portray women with books or in the act of reading. The result is a wonderful combination of literary and visual history, with the art illustrating and emphasizing the social trends discussed in the writing. It is an education in portraiture as well, as books come to represent certain qualities that the artist wished to emphasize in his or her subject. As the books read by women move from religious devotionals to pure entertainment, their role in portraiture changes: from an indication of piety, intellect, or a symbol of wealth and status, to a more everyday role as a leisure activity or an element of the setting. The reproductions of the artwork are beautiful, from images of the poet Sappho on a wall fresco in Pompeii to a Roy Lichtenstein Pop Art portrait of a woman reading.

The cultural history of women and books is fascinating reading in itself, but by combining this history with art, the book becomes a visual feast as well as a readable chronicle. Whether it is closely read or just browsed through, it’s a very satisfying experience.