Girl In Hyacinth Blue

Girl in Hyacinth Blue

• Genre: Fiction; historical
• Originally Published: 1999
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 950L; college/adult
• Structure/Length: 8 chapters; approximately 196 pages; approximately 5 hours on audio
• Protagonist/Central Conflict: The central conflict of the story revolves around the discovery of a lost painting, supposedly by Vermeer, and its impact on the lives of various individuals throughout history. The novel explores the history of this painting, its journey through different hands, and the profound effect it has on those who encounter it. The book is structured as a series of interconnected stories set in different time periods and featuring different characters.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Loss, longing, and the passage of time; adultery; the Holocaust; enslavement; murder, including that of an infant

Susan Vreeland, Author

• Bio: Born 1946; died 2017; contemporary American author known for her historical fiction novels; passionate about art and often incorporated art-related themes into her works
• Other Works: The Passion of Artemisia (2002); The Forest Lover (2004); Luncheon of the Boating Party (2007); Clara and Mr. Tiffany (2011)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:

• The Different Facets of Love
• The Power of Art
• Discovering the Meaning of Life in Its Moments

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Teaching Guide, students will:

• Develop an understanding of the artistic and historical contexts related to the Dutch Golden Age of art in the 17th century, which impacts the development and reception of the painting in both The Netherlands and the Western world.
• Analyze paired texts and other brief resources to make connections via the text’s themes of The Different Facets of Love, The Power of Art, and Discovering the Meaning of Life in Its Moments.
• Draft and share an original piece of creative writing revealing more of the painting’s journey that demonstrates an understanding of the characterization, setting, and plot development, based on text details.
• Analyze and evaluate plot and character details to draw conclusions in structured essay responses regarding the structure of reverse chronology, the role of gender in the novel, and other topics.