The Marble Faun
Nathaniel Hawthorne
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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) (16 hr 12 min)
Chapters
Reviews
READ ONCE! I AM GLAD THAT I DID! BUT NEVER AGAIN
Avid Listener
This is a work which can only truly be appreciated in retrospect. It is often tedious, but always informative. Without the intoductory summary and the last ten minutes of the last chapter, the reader would be at sea. The travalogue of Rome and its ancient art treasures is vintage Hawthorne, but he seems to feel that Rome is the "INFERNAL" city.
Great Read!
Mick
Love this book! Well read! Gothic Fiction like this is an acquired taste, not for everyone. The in-sight to this periods thoughts and language is very worthwhile. Don't be put-off by review trolls that don't have the patience to appreciate and contemplate this style of work!
Christine Elizabeth Mistretta
This has to be by far the WORST recording of the English language available anywhere!!! How in god's name could the work of so brilliant an author as Hawthorne be left in the hands of such terrible readers??? Their mind bending mispronounciation was SO bad, that I couldn't stop pounding my fists on the steering wheel, and HAD to shut it off to keep from having a stroke. if there could be a -30 stars rating, I would still feel like I was giving this recording too much credit.