Nathaniel Hawthorne's final novel, The Marble Faun has often been described as his best work from a literary perspective. The description of Rome and its art is so detailed and full of passion that travelers have taken to using this novel as a tour guide through the eternal city. This detailed analysis of art that takes up long passages of the book is, however, not able to steal the focus of the intricate human story evolving in the background. The characters are carefully chosen. The slightly older artist who is in search of inspiration; his careless and rich Italian friend; the two art students that could not be different in character, one mysterious and passionate, the other a true image of innocence.
Throughout the novel, the interaction, the feelings of love and lust between these characters is what has enchanted readers for over a century now. The story is often seen as a case study on the human mind, on the effects of love and tragedy on the human psyche. The way the characters act and how their behavior changes after the central climax in the book is truly remarkable. Hawthorn used the symbolism of Greek and Roman mythology to draw parallels between the art, the stories and the characters present in the book. The intricacies of this marriage of different genres, namely the novel and the physical art, are remarkably well put together.
The Marble Faun should be read by anyone interested either in psychology or art, or just those that have a special connection to Rome. The writing shows a clear love connection to the eternal city and its millennia old history. The analysis of the human psyche is as striking as are the remarks on society. Nathaniel Hawthorne created a troupe of characters that truly allow him, an artist, to see the world through the eyes of other artists.
