Women Trying To Politely End Conversations With Men In Western Art History

mm yes

this anecdote is so much more interesting than my needlework, thank you

i hope someone beats you to death with your own walking stick

please go on

that’s very interesting

oh, that’s very interesting

THAT’S very interesting

that’s VERY interesting

that’s very INteresting

THAT’s VEry INteresting

i can’t reach my book without having to talk to him

no, please, drink

your mouth must be so thirsty from telling all these dour stories

it’s

it’s bad for your health to tell so many stories out of your mouth without putting something back in your mouth in exchange

so you should drink quietly for at least as long as you were talking to me

for your health

for your mouth health

have lunch outside, i said

surely they won’t follow us outside, i said

we could serve lunch in our own graves and they’d still lift up the tombstones to tell us about the act of the exchequer court

“That sounds like a very difficult job. How ever do you manage?”

thank christ that should buy me at least a half an hour

no man in the world has ever disagreed when a woman says his job sounds difficult

backing away?

i’m not backing away

maybe you’re the ones who are

forwarding toward

maybe that’s what’s going on

oh darling i’d love to sit and join you

but as you know i have a

terrible

sitting condition

as do all the women in my family

so instead i have to stand and also leave

oh, shitting fuck

Cora’s already pretended to fall asleep

now all I can use is smile and pull the “oh, you” elbow to the chest and hope i push him hard enough he gets the picture

“Hahahahaha, oh, you, Jeremy!”

girls, quiet

laughter only disorients and frightens it

you could startle him into rearing up and flying right off the piano bench

no, that’s horses

oh, you’re quite right

are you sure you couldn’t sing a little bit louder, Robert?

yes it’s such a lovely song

couldn’t you sing it just a little bit more loudly for us

triple hells, this wall still isn’t high enough

what’s that, darling?

i said

damn this cursed wall that separates me from you

if it weren’t for this wall i could be in your arms listening to your ideas and opinions about things all the time

instead of alone

in these beautiful woods

with a basket of flowers,

by myself

enjoying the quiet

enjoying?

hating this beastly quiet

which i hate

as I was saying, if Roger thinks I’m going to sign it, he’s got another thing bloody well coming –

oh, no

what is it?

David, darling

i think i’ve got another attack of hysteria coming on

shall I call the doctor?

no

just leave me

leave me to my hysteria bench

isn’t there something i can do?

no

i wouldn’t want you to catch it

is hysteria contagious?

can’t take the risk of finding out, David

can’t be too careful

you’ll have to tell someone else this very interesting story while I wait for my hysteria to pass

oh, how INTERESTING

yes, how INTERESTING

that sounds so INTERESTING, doesn’t it, Claudine?

oh my yes, i’m extraordinarily INTERESTED in it

DO GO ON

yes please, go on, do

it’s so terribly interesting