Description

In this gothic, exotic tale, Nathaniel Hawthorne weaves together innocence and guilt, art and crime, and new America and old Europe. Three young, naïve American artists take up residence in Italy, and their group includes the beautiful painter Miriam, the Puritan copyist Hilda, and the sculptor Kenyon. The group strikes up a friendship with the Italian, faun-like man Donatello, who falls in love with Miriam. Miriam, however, has her own secret, and the striking architectural beauty of her surroundings is thrown into stark relief by the presence of a mysterious stalker. One night, Donatello sees this shadowy man approach Miriam, and coming forward to defend her, he commits a serious crime. Miriam and Donatello undertake this unforgiveable act in the gloomy depths of an Italian catacomb, but the naïve Hilda witnesses them, leading her to feel depressed and guilty. As the sumptuous, festive atmosphere of Rome shifts to a more gothic mood, the group struggles with the aftermath of what Miriam and Donatello have done. Part romance, part travel narrative, and part thriller, The Marble Faun is an intricate meditation on sinfulness and humanity.

About the Author

Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) was a pivotal figure in American literature, part of the innovative and imaginative group of writers and thinkers who brought about the "American Renaissance" of the nineteenth century. Born in New Hampshire, Hawthorne was raised by his mother and other relatives after his father died while overseas. Hawthorne was sent to college, but preferred his family home. Once he returned there after graduation, he retreated to his own quarters and dabbled in writing, although he did not publish any of these early pieces. After marrying, Hawthorne brought his family to Massachusetts, where he held a steady job at the Salem Custom House to make ends meet. In later years Hawthorne again took up writing and published his masterpiece, The Scarlet Letter, in 1850. The novel was well-received, and Hawthorne's legend as a master of fiction had been established. He went on to write such classics as The House of the Seven Gables and The Marble Faun, continuing to earn the favor of the American and international reading public. To this day, Hawthorne's works are beloved for their unique and haunting nature, exploring both dark and lighter aspects of American history, psychology, and landscape.

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Opening Lines (Experimental)

Four individuals, in whose fortunes we should be glad to interest the reader, happened to be standing in one of the saloons of the sculpture-gallery in the Capitol at Rome. It was that room (the first, after ascending the staircase) in the centre of which reclines the noble and most pathetic ...