The Marble Faun: Or the Romance of Monte Beni (Centenary Edition IV of the Works of Nathaniel Hawthorne) (Cnetenary Edition of the Works of Nathaniel Hawthorne) (Volume 4) 1st Edition

I got this book for my High School AP English class it was a good book but I didn't have an appreciation for it until after I was done with the class. As I look back now it was a very interesting book.

Nathaniel Hawthorne and his family lived for several years in Italy, and his experiences there inspired him to write The Marble Faun, or the Romance of Monte Beni. Published in 1860, it became his best selling novel, but few readers today have ever heard of it, much less read it. The book opens in 19th century Rome, where a group of friends, three American artistic types and one Italian, are enjoying an idyllic summer in each other's company. Donatello is a young Italian count, who very much resembles Praxiteles' faun statue, and he falls hard for the enigmatic Miriam, who harbors an unhappy secret. The sculptor, Kenyon, loves Hilda, an ethereal copyist who, like a medieval princess, resides in an ancient tower, where she keeps the light burning at the Virgin's shrine, surrounded by doves. One beautiful evening, a very personal murder occurs, and the foursome's idyll is shattered. They separate, each one grappling with the sense of guilt that destroys their happiness and their innocence.As the title suggests, The Marble Faun is a romance, but, typical of Hawthorne, a dark and brooding one. Being a product of his times and his religious upbringing, Hawthorne could resist inserting a tedious amount of philosophical contemplation, perhaps to highlight the moral symbolism that permeates the story. More pleasing is the time he devoted to describing the landscapes, monuments, art, and street life of Rome and the Tuscan countryside. There are even a few magical elements as well, such as the wine that is made on Donatello's estate that cannot fail to impart happiness to the drinker. While this region has undoubtedly changed since Hawthorne's tour, nearly everything that he referred to remains to be viewed to this day.The Marble Faun demands patience from its readers, but take it slowly (I needed the entire summer!) and your perseverance is rewarded. But be forewarned: the friends are reunited at book's end, and the final chapter is bittersweet.

_The Marble Faun_ concerns three young American artists, Miriam, Hilda and Kenyon, and their Italian faun-like friend, Donatello, whose characters are transformed while on their stay in Rome, the Eternal City. _The Marble Faun_ is very reminiscent of Henry James' novella, "Daisy Miller," where a young and innocent American woman falls under the deleterious spell of this European city. In fact, Hilda, while visiting one of its art galleries is warned by an old German artist to go back to America soon "or you will go never more...The air has been breathed too often, in so many thousand years, and is not wholesome for a little foreign flower like you, my child, a delicate wood-anemone from the western forest-land." Hilda witnesses a serious crime being committed by Donatello and Miriam (supposedly, neither of whom would have done so were it not for the evil influence of Rome's atmosphere) and becomes overwhelmed from ensuing feelings of guilt and depression. Despite her Puritan heritage, Hilda is compelled to unburden herself by seeking confession with a Catholic priest, who suggests that she convert to Catholicism. Hilda seriously considers, but decides to resist this transformation.Hawthorne spends much of the novel in describing in detail Rome's architecture, its art galleries, churches, and its many other landmarks and shrines. When relevant to the story--especially in the author's depiction of the catacombs (from whence Miriam and Donatello commit their unforgivable deed), sunlight streaming through a church's stained glass windows, the extinction of a legendary flame standing before a lofty shrine, and the majestic bronze statue of a pope stretching out his hand in benediction--the effects are quite wonderful. However, a sizable portion of the novel is merely endless travelogue, which seriously detracts from this fairly well-told gothic romance. I did very much like Hawthorne's portrayal of carnival-time in Rome towards the end of the book, and the author's conversation with Kenyon and Hilda at the novel's conclusion is quite charming.

I started the Marble Faun twice: The first time was kind of a slog before my trip to Rome. The instant I got back home drom the trip I started all over again and I felt I was reading a completely different book! It was an absolute joy to tour that wonderful ancient/Christian/Renaissance city with Hawthorne as my guide. After all, Rome hasn't changed THAT much since the mid-19th century, and it's been a tourist attraction forever. Be sure to read this book with the Internet close at hand, or sitting in the public library, or at least a decent pictorial tour book of Rome at hand. (If you google the words `rome art lover' you will find a website that answered most of my questions.) You'll want to see exactly what Hawthorne is talking about. The writing just drips with metaphor and symbolism, ie Corrupt, eroding Europe vs. American Purity/Puritanism. Hawthorne references history, specific artworks, architecture, myth, literature to describe (I wouldn't say flesh out) out his 4 characters--three young American expat artists, and their Italian friend--and the intrigue that manages to take them all over the city and on a trip beyond the walls. I loved Hawthorne's broodings all the things I loved about Rome, in particular a visit to Saint Peter's by an innocent Protestant who has witnessed a murder by her friends. Another highlight: the guilty parties' reaction when, creeped out by something they see in the Capuccine Church, they flee down to that amazing crypt...During his characters' walk through the Forum, Hawthorne ruminates on why the ancient past in Rome seems so much more recent than, say, the Middle Ages do in England. I could go on and on. I did not find the solution to the mystery of the plot at all satisfying, but I forgive Hawthorne this once and have even vowed to re-read the Scarlet Letter, which I didn't enjoy in HS.

A Good book