TheMarbleFaun:Or,TheRomanceofMonteBeni,also
knownbytheBritishtitleTransformation,wasthelast
ofthefourmajorromancesbyNathanielHawthorne,and
waspublishedin1860.TheMarbleFaun,writtenon
theeveoftheAmericanCivilWar,isset
inafantasticalItaly.Theromancemixeselementsof
afable,pastoral,gothicnovel,andtravelguide.Miriam
isabeautifulpainterwithanunknownpast.Miriam
ispursuedbyamysterious,threateningmanwhois
her“evilgenius”throughlife.Hildaisaninnocent
copyist.