The Marble Faun


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(3.2 stars; 19 reviews)

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

01 - Chapter I: MIRIAM, HILDA, KENYON, DONATELLO 12:04 Read by grayeul
02 - Chapter II: THE FAUN 13:57 Read by grayeul
03 - Chapter III: SUBTERRANEAN REMINISCENCES 13:41 Read by grayeul
04 - Chapter IV: THE SPECTRE OF THE CATACOMB 20:40 Read by Lars Rolander (1942-2016)
05 - Chapter V: MIRIAM'S STUDIO 25:49 Read by Amy Gramour
06 - Chapter VI: THE VIRGIN'S SHRINE 24:08 Read by Lars Rolander (1942-2016)
07 - Chapter VII: BEATRICE 18:18 Read by Lars Rolander (1942-2016)
08 - Chapter VIII: THE SUBURBAN VILLA 16:17 Read by Lars Rolander (1942-2016)
09 - Chapter IX: THE FAUN AND NYMPH 19:06 Read by Lars Rolander (1942-2016)
10 - Chapter X: THE SYLVAN DANCE 16:13 Read by Lars Rolander (1942-2016)
11 - Chapter XI: FRAGMENTARY SENTENCES 17:00 Read by Lars Rolander (1942-2016)
12 - Chapter XII: A STROLL ON THE PINCIAN 33:07 Read by Lars Rolander (1942-2016)
13 - Chapter XIII: A SCULPTOR'S STUDIO 22:19 Read by Lars Rolander (1942-2016)
14 - Chapter XIV: CLEOPATRA 18:26 Read by Lars Rolander (1942-2016)
15 - Chapter XV: AN AESTHETIC COMPANY 24:18 Read by Lars Rolander (1942-2016)
16 - Chapter XVI: A MOONLIGHT RAMBLE 24:23 Read by Lars Rolander (1942-2016)
17 - Chapter XVII: MIRIAM'S TROUBLE 17:59 Read by Lars Rolander (1942-2016)
18 - Chapter XVIII: ON THE EDGE OF A PRECIPICE 18:06 Read by Terry Goodyer
19 - Chapter XIX: THE FAUN'S TRANSFORMATION 9:20 Read by Terry Goodyer
20 - Chapter XX: THE BURIAL CHANT 13:46 Read by Terry Goodyer
21 - Chapter XXI: THE DEAD CAPUCHIN 18:53 Read by Lars Rolander (1942-2016)
22 - Chapter XXII: THE MEDICI GARDENS 14:46 Read by LizMourant
23 - Chapter XXIII: MIRIAM AND HILDA 27:48 Read by LizMourant
24 - Chapter XXIV: THE TOWER AMONG THE APENNINES 18:34 Read by LizMourant
25 - Chapter XXV: SUNSHINE 28:09 Read by LizMourant
26 - Chapter XXVI: THE PEDIGREE OF MONTE BENI 22:39 Read by Amy Gramour
27 - Chapter XXVII: MYTHS 18:12 Read by Amy Gramour
28 - Chapter XXVIII: THE OWL TOWER 14:18 Read by Amy Gramour
29 - Chapter XXIX: ON THE BATTLEMENTS 23:38 Read by Lars Rolander (1942-2016)
30 - Chapter XXX: DONATELLO'S BUST 15:42 Read by Lars Rolander (1942-2016)
31 - Chapter XXXI: THE MARBLE SALOON 19:52 Read by Amy Gramour
32 - Chapter XXXII: SCENES BY THE WAY 23:24 Read by Amy Gramour
33 - Chapter XXXIII: PICTURED WINDOWS 16:23 Read by Amy Gramour
34 - Chapter XXXIV: MARKET-DAY IN PERUGIA 12:37 Read by Amy Gramour
35 - Chapter XXXV: THE BRONZE PONTIFF'S BENEDICTION 16:14 Read by Amy Gramour
36 - Chapter XXXVI: HILDA'S TOWER 14:50 Read by Amy Gramour
37 - Chapter XXXVII: THE EMPTINESS OF PICTURE GALLERIES 18:21 Read by Tim Ferreira
38 - Chapter XXXVIII: ALTARS AND INCENSE 16:39 Read by Tim Ferreira
39 - Chapter XXXIX: THE WORLD'S CATHEDRAL 14:39 Read by Tim Ferreira
40 - Chapter XL: HILDA AND A FRIEND 24:05 Read by Lars Rolander (1942-2016)
41 - Chapter XLI: SNOWDROPS AND MAIDENLY DELIGHTS 19:50 Read by Lars Rolander (1942-2016)
42 - Chapter XLII: REMINISCENCES OF MIRIAM 18:39 Read by Lars Rolander (1942-2016)
43 - Chapter XLIII: THE EXTINCTION OF A LAMP 20:50 Read by Lars Rolander (1942-2016)
44 - Chapter XLIV: THE DESERTED SHRINE 22:37 Read by Lars Rolander (1942-2016)
45 - Chapter XLV: THE FLIGHT OF HILDA'S DOVES 20:22 Read by Lars Rolander (1942-2016)
46 - Chapter XLVI: A WALK ON THE CAMPAGNA 17:33 Read by Lars Rolander (1942-2016)
47 - Chapter XLVII: THE PEASANT AND CONTADINA 22:24 Read by Lars Rolander (1942-2016)
48 - Chapter XLVIII: A SCENE IN THE CORSO 19:09 Read by Lars Rolander (1942-2016)
49 - Chapter XLIX: A FROLIC OF THE CARNIVAL 24:02 Read by Lars Rolander (1942-2016)
50 - Chapter L: MIRIAM, HILDA, KENYON, DONATELLO 28:51 Read by Lars Rolander (1942-2016)

Reviews

READ ONCE! I AM GLAD THAT I DID! BUT NEVER AGAIN


(3.5 stars)

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!


(5 stars)

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!

Good book.


(4 stars)

Beautiful descriptions. the narrators were overall good, but there was one who mispronounced a lot of words. Despite it all, an enjoyable experience.


(1 stars)

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.