What is the setting of "Magdalena Looking"?
Delft; a manufactoring city on the Schie River in the Netherlands.
Who is the main character in "Magdalena Looking"?
Magdalena Elisabeth Vermeer. She is 13/14 with a sister who is older by 11 months at 15 years of age.
Why did the author decide to write "Magdalena Looking"?
she wanted to write about a girl who wanted to paint but was stuck washing and mending. She was also inspired by the paintings of Vermeer.
Who was Magdalena's father in real life?
A seventeenth century Dutch painter. His name was Johannes Vermeer.
What is the full title of the novel "Magdalena Looking" is a part of?
"The Girl In the Hyacinth Blue"
What does Magdalena's mother not want her to do?
Go to the century posts where guards smoking tobacco are located and men who made catcalls at her
What do wishes mean to Magdalena?
They have the power to "knock the breath out of you". She describes them as feeling "throbbing and strong" or "keen and bright; like a firefly"
How big is Magdalena's family?
13 people in all. One brother is dead (he owed money to the apothecary), leaving her lots of baby brothers and sisters. Both her parents (mother Catharina) are alive and live with her. Some of her siblings names are Geertruida (little sister with blond hair), Maria (15). Their grandmother is named Maria.
What is Magdalena's family's financial situation?
Bad, they owe the grocer and baker money. Sometimes Magdalena's dad pays with paintings. He recently wasted money on a new iceboat.
What was Magdalena's biggest wish?
to paint
How does Magdalena feel about her father?
She is a bit afraid of him. But she loves him and loves what he can do.
What is it like when Magdalena's father decides to paint her?
She was watching her siblings and yelling but then he stops her. He sits her down and tells her mend as he paints her.
Does Magdalena think she is pretty?
No she thinks she is ugly and it is the reason her father never paints her.
What happens after they move in with their grandmother?
Her father loose's the will to paint. Mother sells off all his brushes and he takes to the sick bed.
What was Magdalena's family like after she married?
She married a saddlemaker named Nicolaes, moved to Amsterdam and had a child called Magarite (died of fever).
What was it like for Magdalena to go to the auction?
It was a trip down memory lane, where a younger version of herself held still in time.
How does the story end?
Magdalena follows the family who buys her painting out she ends up in the rain and contemplates the life of the paintings and the feelings the artist captures.
What is the conflict in Magdalena looking?
she doesn't feel wanted by her father. she wants the freedom to paint but her father doesn't see her capable of doing that.
What is one of the main themes of Magdalena Looking?
women's independence
Why is the painting coming back up for sale a conflict?
she wants memories from her childhood, the painting is tied to the relationship she had with her father.
what point of view is this story?
third-person limited and a bit omniscient
What held Magdalena back from painting?
history and women's place in her setting. if she could paint she would paint women doing things not stuck in little rooms.
