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The Marble Faun

by Nathaniel HAWTHORNE (1804 - 1864)

37 - Chapter XXXVII: THE EMPTINESS OF PICTURE GALLERIES

The Marble Faun is Hawthorne's most unusual romance. Writing on the eve of the American Civil War, Hawthorne set his story in a fantastical Italy. The romance mixes elements of a fable, pastoral, Gothic novel, and travel guide. In the spring of 1858, Hawthorne was inspired to write his romance when he saw the Faun of Praxiteles in a Roman sculpture gallery. The theme, characteristic of Hawthorne, is guilt and the Fall of Man. The four main characters are Miriam, a beautiful painter who is compared to Eve, Beatrice Cenci, Lady Macbeth, Judith, and Cleopatra, and is being pursued by a mysterious, threatening Model; Hilda, an innocent copyist who is compared to the Virgin Mary; Kenyon, a sculptor, who represents rationalist humanism; and Donatello, the Count of Monti Beni, who is compared to Adam, resembles the Faun of Praxiteles, and is probably only half human. (Summary by Wikipedia)

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Listen next episodes of The Marble Faun:
38 - Chapter XXXVIII: ALTARS AND INCENSE , 39 - Chapter XXXIX: THE WORLD'S CATHEDRAL , 40 - Chapter XL: HILDA AND A FRIEND , 41 - Chapter XLI: SNOWDROPS AND MAIDENLY DELIGHTS , 42 - Chapter XLII: REMINISCENCES OF MIRIAM , 43 - Chapter XLIII: THE EXTINCTION OF A LAMP , 44 - Chapter XLIV: THE DESERTED SHRINE , 45 - Chapter XLV: THE FLIGHT OF HILDA'S DOVES , 46 - Chapter XLVI: A WALK ON THE CAMPAGNA , 47 - Chapter XLVII: THE PEASANT AND CONTADINA , 48 - Chapter XLVIII: A SCENE IN THE CORSO , 49 - Chapter XLIX: A FROLIC OF THE CARNIVAL , 50 - Chapter L: MIRIAM, HILDA, KENYON, DONATELLO