Eyes of Love: The Gaze in English and French Paintings and Novels 1840-1900

Eyes of Love argues against a widely held theory about "the gaze" – that women are merely passive erotic objects, while men are active erotic subjects.

"Stephen Kern focuses our attention on eyes and the meaning they convey. This simple idea, here brilliantly developed, uncovers patterns of composition which unite the French Impressionists with late Victorian artists."—The Independent