Farewell to the Muse: Love, War and the Women of Surrealism

Farewell to the Muse: Love, War and the Women of Surrealism
by Whitney Chadwick

Discussion Questions

1.  What was the male Surrealists' opinion of women? (p. 18)

2.  How did Valentine Penrose disagree with the Surrealists' beliefs about sex and sexuality? (p. 47)

3.  What is amitié amoureuse and how can it be applied to relationships discussed in the book? (p. 56)

4.  What is the role of culinary description in Leonora Carrington's writing? (p. 84)

5. What are some of the dualities at play in the photograph of Frida Kahlo and Jacqueline Lamba on page 104?

6.  How is Frida Kahlo's painting The Bride Frightened By Seeing Life Opened, 1943, a symbol of the relationship between Frida and Jacqueline Lamba? (p. 163)

7.  What beliefs aligned Claude Cahun and Suzanne Malherbe with Surrealism? (p. 169)

8.  What did Valentine Penrose and Lee Miller have in common and how did they differ? What allowed the two women to coexist domestically? (p. 200, p. 218)

9.  How did each of the women in the book embrace Surrealism? How did Surrealism become a part of their work and/or life? (p. 226)