Harems of the Mind: Passages of Western Art and Literature (edit title)

Fascinating and mysterious, the idea of the harem long captured the imagination of the West. This book examines the surprising variety of European artistic expression inspired by the Muslim practice of concealing their women from the eyes of alien men. The book provides a rich account of the changing perceptions of the harem from the late seventeenth to the early twentieth century and demonstrates the persistence of myth and stereotype.