THE BOOK OF THE COURTESANS~
Susan Griffin's THE BOOK OF THE COURTESANS is a must possess! I love the quotes and intend to post an excerpt here so the curious might realize this book's reference potential.
Her Garter Belt, p.88
"The spirit of lingerie is fashion and this phenomenon becomes even more interesting when along with the dress codes it reverses received ideas." --Marie Simon, LES DESSOUS
If story tells one story, lingerie provides the tale with another layer of meaning. When a woman strips away her outer clothing, lingerie is what remains. Providing an architectural foundation for every erotic facade, the practical structures that hold up breasts, mold hips and bellies, and smooth legs are also signs in themselves. Beneath more muted, somber modest shades and fabrics, suddenly we find red or black or purple, framing all the forbidden sights with silk and lace. As a woman undresses, a froth of sensuousness suddenly appears close to the skin, steamy with sweat and secretions.
No wonder then that lingerie is not meant to be displayed in public. But at the end of the Second Empire, that is exactly what La Belle Otero did. The photograph is sepia-toned yet clear. With both hands she pulls each side of a split skirt apart to reveal her garter belt for the camera. Her expression goes beyond brazenness. As her chin tilts up in the smile of a trickster, Otero has all the elan of a pilot in the early days of flying--dashing, daring, impressively insouciant, ready to ascend. (read more on p. 89)
The Pleasure of the Eyes, p. 57
"What poet would dare, in depicting the pleasure caused by the appearance of a great beauty, separate the woman from her dress." --Charles Baudelaire, THE PAINTER OF MODERN LIFE
Beauty: Ancient Recipes, p. 55
The arts of women have employed to create beauty are ancient. The hetaerae of Greece, women who were priests and courtesans at the same time, were also healers. They were known to use herbal formulas devised to nourish skin and hair, as well as sustains the viatality which is so much a part of beauty. That during the Renaissance courtesans also used such recipes must have contributed to the perception that, like many women who were herbalists, they were practicing witchcraft. Among courtesans, the recipes were often handed down from mother to daughter. PietroAretino depicts this transmission in his Dialogues, in which he renders a fictional account of a Renaissance courtesan he calls Nanna. Though he wraps his description in misogynistic judgements, he has preserved a portrait for us of an old craft. By his own account, he was well familiar with courtesans and their skills. (read more on p. 55)
So, what do I think is important to glean from such a book as Griffin's? Metacommunication. This book is about the power of beauty. This book is about how we communicate with beauty--symbolism and implication. One of the examples that pops right into my head is the heroine, Danielle, in EVER AFTER during the scene where she's donning the courtesan's expensive dress and shoes. But the shoes are too big... Da Vinci spots her peasant shoes immediately beneath her gown when he first encounters Danielle. Her shoes give him the wrong message. But everyone else is watching what's going on between the prince and Danielle during their aggressive discussion. Her clothing gets her what she needs to save the man she meant to save. Read Griffin's book carefully. Outfits are as complex as dance. ~Skhye
Dare to walk in their footsteps...
"FORBIDDEN ETERNITY ... spine-tingling suspense. The story is dynamite; it explodes off the pages and leaves you breathless for more." ~Tulip, LASR
"... a unique blend of mystic Medieval Gothic and romance…and a true blood-curdling thriller." THE SPELL OF THE KILLING MOON ~Snapdragon, LASR
"Arthur is a masterpiece..." HE OF THE FIERY SWORD's King Arthur ~Diane Mason; The Romance Studio
Time Guardian books in print
Time Guardian books in e-format
www.timeguardians.com
www.skhyemoncrief.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skhyemoncrief/
Her Garter Belt, p.88
"The spirit of lingerie is fashion and this phenomenon becomes even more interesting when along with the dress codes it reverses received ideas." --Marie Simon, LES DESSOUS
If story tells one story, lingerie provides the tale with another layer of meaning. When a woman strips away her outer clothing, lingerie is what remains. Providing an architectural foundation for every erotic facade, the practical structures that hold up breasts, mold hips and bellies, and smooth legs are also signs in themselves. Beneath more muted, somber modest shades and fabrics, suddenly we find red or black or purple, framing all the forbidden sights with silk and lace. As a woman undresses, a froth of sensuousness suddenly appears close to the skin, steamy with sweat and secretions.
No wonder then that lingerie is not meant to be displayed in public. But at the end of the Second Empire, that is exactly what La Belle Otero did. The photograph is sepia-toned yet clear. With both hands she pulls each side of a split skirt apart to reveal her garter belt for the camera. Her expression goes beyond brazenness. As her chin tilts up in the smile of a trickster, Otero has all the elan of a pilot in the early days of flying--dashing, daring, impressively insouciant, ready to ascend. (read more on p. 89)
The Pleasure of the Eyes, p. 57
"What poet would dare, in depicting the pleasure caused by the appearance of a great beauty, separate the woman from her dress." --Charles Baudelaire, THE PAINTER OF MODERN LIFE
Beauty: Ancient Recipes, p. 55
The arts of women have employed to create beauty are ancient. The hetaerae of Greece, women who were priests and courtesans at the same time, were also healers. They were known to use herbal formulas devised to nourish skin and hair, as well as sustains the viatality which is so much a part of beauty. That during the Renaissance courtesans also used such recipes must have contributed to the perception that, like many women who were herbalists, they were practicing witchcraft. Among courtesans, the recipes were often handed down from mother to daughter. PietroAretino depicts this transmission in his Dialogues, in which he renders a fictional account of a Renaissance courtesan he calls Nanna. Though he wraps his description in misogynistic judgements, he has preserved a portrait for us of an old craft. By his own account, he was well familiar with courtesans and their skills. (read more on p. 55)
So, what do I think is important to glean from such a book as Griffin's? Metacommunication. This book is about the power of beauty. This book is about how we communicate with beauty--symbolism and implication. One of the examples that pops right into my head is the heroine, Danielle, in EVER AFTER during the scene where she's donning the courtesan's expensive dress and shoes. But the shoes are too big... Da Vinci spots her peasant shoes immediately beneath her gown when he first encounters Danielle. Her shoes give him the wrong message. But everyone else is watching what's going on between the prince and Danielle during their aggressive discussion. Her clothing gets her what she needs to save the man she meant to save. Read Griffin's book carefully. Outfits are as complex as dance. ~Skhye
Dare to walk in their footsteps...
"FORBIDDEN ETERNITY ... spine-tingling suspense. The story is dynamite; it explodes off the pages and leaves you breathless for more." ~Tulip, LASR
"... a unique blend of mystic Medieval Gothic and romance…and a true blood-curdling thriller." THE SPELL OF THE KILLING MOON ~Snapdragon, LASR
"Arthur is a masterpiece..." HE OF THE FIERY SWORD's King Arthur ~Diane Mason; The Romance Studio
Time Guardian books in print
Time Guardian books in e-format
www.timeguardians.com
www.skhyemoncrief.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skhyemoncrief/
Oh yeah, this definitely looks like a must-get. Very cool quotes. Ah, my poor purse, my poor deprived purse!
***Amen! I just try not to go in the bookstore these days. All I see is more must buys! ~Skhye
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Sounds like my kind of book!
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