Girl with a Pearl Earring

One of my best friends and I love to watch Jane Austen-y movies together. From sixth grade on, I became obsessed with Pride and Prejudice or The Importance of Being Earnest, and my friend quickly fell in love with them when I introduced them to her about 2 years ago. Since then, we make a point of watching these movies together. One day, on iTunes, I got a bit carried away watching movie trailers, clicking through the "related movies" section, until I found a trailer for Girl with a Pearl Earring. I eagerly texted my friend after watching it, knowing this was one we had to watch. It turned out, she had it sitting in her basement, so we started watching it one day.

It was confusing, sort of boring, and practically a silent movie, there was so little dialogue. We stopped about halfway through, and next to nothing had happened. So we left it, not continuing for months afterwards.

Then, about a week ago, I was looking for a good book to read during school finals, and while browsing the family bookshelf, Girl with a Pearl Earring caught my eye. I took it for finals, and quickly finished it. It's the story behind the famous Vermeer painting, of the girl and the circumstances which led to her being painting. It's a quiet story, so I suppose the absence of dialogue in the movie fits, and a well crafted and imagined one. The problem exists in the hinge of the story: that Griet, the "girl with a pearl earring," and her master, Vermeer, have a special, almost romantic relationship.

They barely talk: she's a serving girl in his household, he's a painter who works all day in a locked room. She feels a special connection to him and his paintings, an awe of his brilliance, which is entirely understandable since he's Vermeer, of course. But for some unexplainable and odd reason, Vermeer also is attracted to her. How is it possible that Vermeer would take an active interest in the feelings and thoughts of a normal servant girl, not really out of the ordinary, all before painting her? Griet's feelings of admiration are understandable, her slight crush on him excusable, but Vermeer's interest in Griet as anything other than a painting subject: that is where the story loses it's grip on reality. And that's a shame, because the relationship between Griet and Vermeer is one on which the story hinges.

The other problem with the story is that it's just that: a story. I finished having read an interesting story, but wondering what the point was. What moral was there to be drawn from this book? Don't be seduced by your master? Marry for security and don't bother with love? There is no great theme in this book or purpose other than simply the story, and that is definitely the book's worst failing. This book will not change anyone's life; it won't leave the reader thinking afterwards; it won't speak to the deeper humanity within us. As my father and our family friend are always saying, "Good books tell the truth about the human condition." What does this book say about the human condition? I found nothing. So, I have to conclude that this is not a good book.

Additionally, I haven't finished the movie yet, though it isn't promising. We'll see if it's better than the book, although movies rarely are. And though I didn't learn anything or think deeper about this book, I did learn exactly what not to write, and how careful the balance between a good story and a true story must be walked.