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With exception to his friend Melville, many of Hawthorne's contemporaries, especially the
English, criticized Hawthorne's writings. It wasn't until decades later, when a
scholar resurrected Hawthorne from the dusty shelves of forgotten lore, that Hawthorne's
works began to appeal to the literary world . Coincidentally, The Marble
Faun (1860) and it's romantic overtones conveniently signify the close of what many
considered romantic tendencies in American literature. Hawthorne writes in his Preface,
"romance and poetry, like ivy, lichens, and wall-flowers, need Ruin to make them
grow." Civil War, because of its full destructive course from prelude to
aftermath, profoundly altered the American literary consciousness. The Civil War in
a sense ruined American romantic inclinations. The task for twenty-first century
readers then becomes one of recovery. As readers, we are to salvage The
Marble Faun from the ruins. Some critics have remarked that
although The Marble Faun is seldom read today, it was the closest thing to a
bestseller Hawthorne ever created. This status, however, conflicted with the opinions of
scholars and critics during his time. Hawthorne's detailed passages and
descriptive narrative of Rome, Italy intrigued his readers. But those descriptions
were precisely what annoyed his critics. It was even predicted by a New York Times
reviewer that the novel would moderately serve as a tourist guidebook of Rome.
Millicent Bell writes in his The Marble Faun and the Waste of History
(1999) "Modern critics have usually been dismissive of the work's travelogue
aspect." Bell's position, however, differs with that of many modern
critics. Hawthorne's extensive descriptions of squares, towers, museums, vineyards,
cathedrals, catacombs, and hills serve a "poetic function" in helping us
understand the novel and appreciate its allure. Bells goes on the write: |
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Yet for a long time after 1860, when Hawthorne's romance was published,
visitors
were likely to retrace his characters' itinerary. They would make directly for the
Capitoline Museum to see the statue referred to in Hawthorne's title and
check out
those pointed ears, which are suspected, too, on the statue's lookalike, the young
Italian, Donatello. They would go into the catacombs of Saint Calixtus (where
Hawthorne's Americans first see the mysterious pursuer of their friend, the
Englishwoman Miriam), stop to identify "Hilda's Tower" in the Via dei Portoghesi,
or try to see the Beatrice Cenci in the Palazzo Barberini. (Bell)For several decades, The Marble Faun brought to Rome
both curious visitors and Hawthorne scholars. Rome has even hosted conference on
Hawthorne. Reading The Marble Faun means to see, learn, and ponder the
attractions of this city. Consequentially, visiting, witnessing, and experiencing
the historic attractions detailed by Hawthorne can become an essential part of reading the
novel.
Modern technology
has contributed to our understanding of the The Marble Faun. Presently,
travel mobility enables sightseers, scholars, and romantics to conveniently view for
themselves the places described by Hawthorne. But our increased ability to enjoy
Rome's sights firsthand doesn't stop at modern aviation. No, as subjects of the
information age, we can embark on other forms of exploration as well. This sight is
dedicated to understanding The Marble Faun in as much a way as modern information
will presently allow. Of course we aren't without its limitations. For will we
ever be able to see the Virgin statue exactly as Hilda did in her tower? Bell writes
about the differences and challenges present day readers may have with experiencing Rome.
Few besides Hawthorne scholars are likely to come to Rome with any
intention
of repeating the touristic experience of his characters. Though most of the artworks
and monuments among which those imaginary visitors wandered have not moved
from their posts, they have become thoroughly familiar in an age of package-tours,
and the scene around them has changed a great deal. (Bell)
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