tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1441164155286448763.post3490857054963793163..comments2024-03-25T18:27:37.374+00:00Comments on The Kissed Mouth: The Mirror of Men’s Eyes Delights Me LessKirsty Stonell Walkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08342964877965021654noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1441164155286448763.post-35944217128451990952016-06-12T14:09:50.264+01:002016-06-12T14:09:50.264+01:00There's been an awful lot written about the fi...There's been an awful lot written about the figure of the double in the fin-de-siecle but personally I like to think of it in terms of "the crisis of the subject" - as in the acceptance or resistance in the face of the vanishing of the discreet, continuous and substantial self (but there certainly are plenty of other ways to look at it!). <br />What I find interesting in the case you picked (mirrors) is that the double is "reified", mediated through an object rather than through dream/madness/apparitions etc. This seems to capture well the aestheticist ambivalence towards the rising tides of consumerism! Bertrandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03676406538698739300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1441164155286448763.post-33379370496250489742012-01-04T05:07:11.870+00:002012-01-04T05:07:11.870+00:00Still love this post. And in going back over it, I...Still love this post. And in going back over it, I think the girl in <em>A Bunch of Blue Ribbons</em> is giving herself a bit more of an assessing eye than the other examples here. She looks to me like she's actively using the mirror to adjust her appearance, rather than passively admiring it. It's a startling contrast.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12521352135257689565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1441164155286448763.post-38494209257630648922011-10-16T07:31:52.870+01:002011-10-16T07:31:52.870+01:00Thank you Lisa, and yes, I agree, my glances in th...Thank you Lisa, and yes, I agree, my glances in the mirror are rarely met with sighs of joy. I remember looking in the mirror as a child and wondering what I would like like as an adult, but now I wonder why I didn't look in the mirror with delight when I was young. It's a complicated relationship to be sure...Kirsty Stonell Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08342964877965021654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1441164155286448763.post-48585049931527013772011-10-15T22:08:36.519+01:002011-10-15T22:08:36.519+01:00A mirror does make it easier to see what you are d...A mirror does make it easier to see what you are doing with your hair and the funny thing is that I usually think of mirrors as a way to look at what is wrong with you and not what is right. But the Victorians did not have retin-a or botox or any of those anti wrinkle products. I am always looking at myself critically, wondering what new sign of age I will find. When I was young, I was only concerned with acne. The thought of just staring at myself like my old cockatiel used to do with his little mirror never entered my mind, although he was awfully cute with orange cheeks.Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02915245260689642750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1441164155286448763.post-63141381088977085812011-10-15T14:20:55.892+01:002011-10-15T14:20:55.892+01:00I thought this was an interesting reflection (groa...I thought this was an interesting reflection (groan):<br /><br />http://www.modernmythology.net/2010/04/gazing-in-mirror.html<br /><br />I wonder why Victorian mirrors were covered or draped when mourning. I think I read somewhere that a small rip was made in clothing to negate vanity at this time. The whole subject is absolutely fascinating.Hermeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00968366076064269729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1441164155286448763.post-38033640146607106452011-10-15T12:31:06.725+01:002011-10-15T12:31:06.725+01:00I know, I know, so many mirrors. The more I wrote...I know, I know, so many mirrors. The more I wrote, the more I feared I was digging myself an endless trench and we'd all be here until Christmas. It's very odd how obsessed the Victorians were by girls in front of mirrors, it seemed to tap into so much fear and wonder for them.Kirsty Stonell Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08342964877965021654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1441164155286448763.post-62478696237598721422011-10-15T10:56:12.361+01:002011-10-15T10:56:12.361+01:00Fascinating Kirsty but I think there is a lot more...Fascinating Kirsty but I think there is a lot more to mirrors; Alice and even the witch in Cinderella. Great pictures again. Look forward to part II.Hermeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00968366076064269729noreply@blogger.com