The Blithedale Romance is a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, published in 1852. The story takes place at the fictional Blithedale farm, a utopian community founded on the principles of simplicity and equality. The main character, Miles Coverdale, is a young man who becomes involved with the Blithedale community and its members, including the charismatic and mysterious Hollingsworth, the beautiful and enigmatic Zenobia, and the troubled and enigmatic Priscilla.
At the beginning of the novel, Coverdale arrives at Blithedale with the intention of joining the community and living a simple, agrarian life. He is drawn to Hollingsworth, who is the leader of the community and a philanthropist with a grand vision for improving the world. Coverdale is also attracted to Zenobia, a beautiful and intelligent woman who is a member of the community. However, he soon discovers that Zenobia is involved with Hollingsworth, and that she has a complex and troubled past.
As Coverdale becomes more involved with the community, he begins to question the motivations and ideals of its members. He becomes disillusioned with Hollingsworth's grandiose plans and begins to see him as more of a manipulator than a philanthropist. He also becomes increasingly drawn to Priscilla, a timid and enigmatic woman who is mistreated by the other members of the community.
The Blithedale Romance is a complex and layered novel that explores themes of utopianism, power dynamics, and the nature of human relationships. Through the characters of Coverdale, Hollingsworth, Zenobia, and Priscilla, Hawthorne delves into the complexities of human nature and the ways in which people can be influenced by the ideals and desires of others. Ultimately, the novel serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of utopian thinking and the importance of individual freedom and self-determination.
The Blithedale Romance Plot Summary
Buy Study Guide Miles Coverdale The narrator of the work, and possibly a stand-in for Hawthorne himself, Coverdale is a fervent adherent to Blithedale's cause, and begins the narrative full of hope about the experiment. Click on a plot link to find similar books! He is a failed poet, and a failed utopian experimenter. In fall, it concludes with the mutilated, marbled, rigid corpse of Zenobia. She is identified by an exotic flower in her hair. He promises to keep Priscilla safe and his words appear to give Priscilla the strength to defy Westervelt. GradeSaver, 22 October 2015 Web.
The Blithedale Romance: Summary & Analysis
She leans in close for him to look into her eyes and all he says he sees is a sprite. It is the simplest thing in the world, with you, to bring a woman before your secret tribunals, and judge and condemn her, unheard, and then tell her to go free without a sentence. Nathaniel Hawthorne was actually born Nathaniel Hathorne without the W , but he changed it early in life to distance himself from his ancestors. These writings aimed to demonstrate the principles of the early nineteenth-century movement. Coverdale mourns that Blithedale proved to be such a failure. He promises to uncover the secret behind the Veiled Lady who has made regular public appearances alongside a magician. You are a better masquerader than the witches and gipsies yonder; for your disguise is a self-deception.
The Blithedale Romance
He can tell Hollingsworth and Zenobia are friends no longer, and they engage a few more allusive, pointed word. He sees her and Hollingsworth exchange a gesture. Hollingsworth was modeled on both Horace Mann, an educational reformer, and poet-philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson. Zenobia's End Miles Coverdale wakes around midnight. Finally she sits up, deathlike in her pallor. Westervelt attends the funeral. Many years later Coverdale confesses in his written account that he loved Priscilla.
Zenobia Character Analysis in The Blithedale Romance
And when her passionate womanhood, as was inevitable, had discovered its mistake, there had ensued the character of eccentricity and defiance, which distinguished the more public portion of her life. . During his sickness, he develops a closeness with Hollingsworth, who cares for him. His project to build the edifice truly did consume him and ruin lives in the process, as Coverdale often chides him. . After a confrontation, Priscilla and Hollingsworth walk off together, and Zenobia tells Coverdale that Hollingsworth has killed her then drowns herself in the pond.
