The Lives of the Muses demolishes the feminist stereotype of the muse as a passive beauty put on a pedestal and oppressed by a male artist. What do the nine muses chosen by Francine Prose have in common They were all beautiful, or sexy, or gifted with some more unconventional appeal. All loved, and were loved by their artists, and inspired them with an intensity of emotion akin to Eros. For these artists, the love of-or for-their muses provided an element essential for the melding of talent and technique necessary to create art. This book explores the lives of Alice Liddell who inspired Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, the imperious Gala Dali, the talented photographer Lee Miller, the ballerina Suzanne Farrell, among others.