The Marble Faun

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Marble Faun, published in 1860, is a romance novel set in Rome that intertwines art, sin, and moral ambiguity through four central characters: the enigmatic painter Miriam, the pure copyist Hilda, the sculptor Kenyon, and the faun-like Italian nobleman Donatello. The plot pivots around a murder when Donatello hurls Miriam’s sinister stalker from a cliff, sparking profound guilt and transformation among the group, as Hawthorne probes themes of innocence lost, the fall from Edenic purity, and the enriching potential of experience amid Rome’s ancient decay. Contrasting Puritan restraint with Catholic sensuality, the narrative unfolds against Italy’s cultural backdrop, leaving readers to ponder whether crime elevates the soul or stains it irreparably.