Artemisia knew herself so well and I, at twenty-one, did not, had not, settled on the governing narrative of my life. Had not yet realized the folly of governing narratives.
-- Narrator (Italy, 2000 paragraph 1)

Importance: This quote gives us insight not only into Artemisia's character, but also the character of the narrator. Popkey's narrator admires Artemisia's beauty and confidence, but more than that, she admires and craves her self-knowledge. The way Artemisia tells the narrator her story, with such poise and hermeneutic energy, is mesmerizing. Only in her early twenties, the narrator hardly knows who she is, let alone what she wants, or what she should want. Popkey will explore the theme of narrative one's life throughout the novel; this is quote is a foreshadowing of the tension driving the whole novel.

We told ourselves she must have known what she was getting herself into. We told ourselves she was an adult, and sure the...
-- Older blonde graduate student (Ann Arbor, 2002 paragraph 2)