| Title | : | Rappaccinis Daughter |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1419143956 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781419143953 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 48 |
| Publication | : | First published December 1, 1844 |
Rappaccinis Daughter Reviews
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What a classic gothic gem! Giovanni studies in Padua and meets Beatrice, the beautiful daughter of Dr Rappaccini (an obsessed scientist with a fatal love for science). Every day they meet in the doctor's garden. But it is a very special garden, an "Eden of poisenous flowers". Beatrice seems to be immune against the poisenous flowers surrounding her, Giovanni on the other hand already feels the impact of the fatal flowers on himself. Is there a cure against the deadly threat? Prof Baglioni, a competitor of the critically seen Rappaccini, gives Giovanni an antidote (Collin's vase). Will it lead to a happy ending? Beatrice is a femme fatale in the truest sense of the word. I absolutely loved the storytelling, the allusion to the Garden of Eden, the dualism of science vs nature, the frame story. It's a compelling classic you shouldn't miss. Absolutely recommended!
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Rappaccini's Daughter, Nathaniel Hawthorne
The story is set in Padua, Italy, in a distant and unspecified past, possibly in the sixteenth century, after the Paduan Botanical Garden had been founded.
Giovanni Guasconti, a young student recently arrived from Naples, Southern Italy, to study at the University of Padua, is renting a room in an ancient building that still exhibits the Coat of Arms of the once-great, long since extinct Scrovegni family.
Giovanni has studied Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy and remembers that an ancestor of the Scrovegni, Reginaldo degli Scrovegni, appears in Dante's Hell, as a usurer and a sinner against Nature and Art.
From his quarters, Giovanni looks at Beatrice, the beautiful daughter of Dr. Giacomo Rappaccini, a botanist who works in isolation.
Beatrice is confined to the lush and locked gardens, which are filled with exotic poisonous plants grown by her father.
Having fallen in love, Giovanni enters the garden and secretly meets with Beatrice a number of times, while ignoring his mentor, Professor Pietro Baglioni, who is a rival of Dr. Rappaccini and warns Giovanni that Rappaccini is devious and that he and his work should be avoided.
Giovanni notices Beatrice's strangely intimate relationship with the plants as well as the withering of fresh regular flowers and the death of an insect when exposed to her skin or breath.
On one occasion, Beatrice embraces a plant in a way that she seems part of the plant itself; then she talks to the plant, "Give me thy breath, my sister, for I am faint with common air." ...
تاریخ نخستین خوانش روز بیست و سوم ماه آگوست سال 2004میلادی
عنوان: دختر راپاچینی؛ نویسنده: ناتانیل هاوثورن؛ م‍ت‍رج‍م: ب‍ه‍رام ف‍دائ‍ی‍ان؛ تهران، گفتمان؛ 1381؛ در 64ص؛ شابک 9646984843؛ موضوع داستانهای کوتاه از نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده 19م
ناتانیل هاوثورن (زادهٔ روز چهارم ماه ژوئیه سال 1800میلادی – درگذشتهٔ روز نوزدهم ماه می سال 1864میلادی) نویسنده ی برجسته ی «ایالات متحده آمریکا»، متولد شهر «سیلم، ماساچوست» که در دوره ای کنسول «ایالات متحده آمریکا» در «انگلستان» نیز شدند؛ جد او «جان هاثورن (بدون حرف دبلیو)» قاضی فعال در جریان محاکمات جادوگری در «سیلم» بود، که هیچگاه از کارهای گذشته خود عذرخواهی نکرد؛ به همین برهان «ناتانیل» حرف «دبلیو (و)» به فامیلی خود افزودند تا رابطه ی خویشاوندی خود را با جد خویش پنان نگاه دارند؛ ایشان در سال 1864میلادی در «پلیموث نیوهمپشایر» درگذشتند؛ ایشان برای نگارش داستانهای کوتاه خویش نامدار هستند؛
داستان کوتاه «دختر راپاچینی»، درباره ی دختری زیبا و جوان، در باغی مسموم است، باغی که فضایی سیاه و ابهام آمیز دارد؛ پدرِ «بئاتریس»، پروفسور «راپاچینی»، اهل «پادووا»، دخترش را از کودکی، در میان گیاهان، و گل‌های کشنده ای، که خودش آنها را آفریده، و بزرگوار کرده تا به او موهبتی ناباورانه هدیه نماید؛ موهبتی که هیچ نیرویی نتواند نابودش کند؛ جوانی «جیووانی» نام، راز باغ را نمیداند، زیبایی‌های شکوهمند و دوستی «بئاتریس» با گل‌ها، او را شیفته میکند؛ «جیووانی» به آهستگی از طبیعت کشنده ی باغ آگاه می‌گردد، اما بی‌اعتنا به هشدارهای «باگلیونی»، رقیبِ «راپاچینی»، باز هم به همان باغ می‌رود، و «بئاتریس» را پی میگیرد، تا جایی که خود او هم توانایی کشنده ی «بئاتریس» را به چنگ می‌آورد؛ هنگامی که از میزان آلودگی خودش و «بئاتریس» آگاه می‌گردد، از «بئاتریس» میخواهد، تا پادزهر تهیه شده ی «باگلیونی» را، با همدیگر بنوشند؛ نخست «بئاتریس» جام را می‌نوشد، و از آنجا که زهرْ پیشین همان زندگی بوده، پس پادزهرش بایستی مرگ باشد؛ داستان با فریاد‌های پیروزمندانه ی «باگلیونی» به پایان میرسد: «راپاچینی! راپاچینی! این نتیجه نهایی آزمایش شماست؟»؛
این داستان غنی، تاریک و مرموز، هنر «هاوثورن» را، در تاثیرگذارترین، و شکوفاترین حالتش نشان می‌دهد؛ تجمل کشنده ی باغ، و زیبایی پر زرق و برق و مرگبارش، به شگفتی کنار هم چیده شده اند؛ نشانه های فزاینده ی مرگ و میر گل‌ها، کشنده بودن «بئاتریس»، و سرانجام خود «جیووانی»، که در برابر شک و تردیدهای ذهن خویش تسلیم راهنمایی شوم «باگلیونی» می‌گردد
داستان «دختر راپاچینی» را، می‌توان داستانی سمبلیک دانست؛ آیا این باغ مرگ‌بار همان «باغ عدن» است؟ «راپاچینی» آدم است یا خدا؟ شیطان چگونه به آن باغ راه پیدا میکند؟ اما در اینجا نمی‌خواهیم وارد این گفتمان شویم؛ آنچه روشن است اینکه در این داستان نیز توانایی کشنده بودن علم و هنر ناخوشایند است، می‌توان «راپاچینی» را افزون بر دانشمندی دیوانه بودن، هنرمند هم دانست: کسی که زیبایی مرگ‌باری میآفریند، و در پایان و پس از دست‌کاری زندگی انسان‌ها، همانند یک هنرمند، به آنها نگاه میکند؛ همانند هنرمندی است که همه ی زندگیش را برای برداشتن یک عکس، یا ساختن یک مجسمه بگذرانده است، و اکنون در پایان راه به آنها زل زده، و از پیروزی خویش خشنود است
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 01/06/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی -
Book Review
3+ of 5 stars to
Rappaccini's Daughter by
Nathaniel Hawthorne. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” many characters suffer from moral ambiguity. Thus, readers of this story often have a hard time discerning which characters are “good” and which ones are “evil.” Hawthorne specifically creates these twists in his masterpiece “Rappaccini’s Daughter” to provide his readers with mysterious, dramatic, and multi-dimensional characters who are never strictly good or solely evil. When characters are strictly one-sided, readers automatically feel hatred or love for the characters, and the story’s plot becomes predictable.
If the plot of a story becomes predictable, then the entire story becomes dull and flat. This predictability occurs as a result of characters with one-sided and insipid personalities. Eventually, readers know exactly what to expect, and are not happy when there are no big surprises or sneaky twists. However, when an author creates characters who have both good and evil qualities, (s)he produces a mind-blowing story in which there is no predicting what the characters will do or how the story will end. For example, in “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” Baglioni says and does many different things that send chills up the readers’ spines. Although Baglioni is gentle and kind when he gives an antidote to Giovanni, he is not completely innocent. He has an extreme hatred for Beatrice and her father Rappaccini. Baglioni feels that the two garden dwellers are extremely corrupt people who are only in Padua to destroy the society. When Hawthorne creates these two sides to Baglioni, making him a pivotal part of the action, he shows that almost anything could happen in the story. It isn’t as if Baglioni is simply a kind old man who would do anything for his fellow man; Baglioni could do anything from breaking into a murderous outrage to leaving Giovanni suffer the consequences for pursuing Beatrice without the knowledge of who she is really. However, readers are thrown a very unpredictable ending where Baglioni is concerned. After his antidote has killed Beatrice, Baglioni shouts out “in a tone of triumph mixed with horror,” which shows that he feels both victorious over the supposedly evil Rappaccini and scared that he has killed a woman. This ending raises many questions: Did Baglioni purposely try to end the curse by killing Beatrice? Was his antidote an accidental death for the poor woman? Was it a combination of both fear and hope in Baglioni’s mind? The turbulent description of Baglioni leaves the readers wondering who he really is, which in turn, makes the readers then wonder how the story will end. There is no foreshadowing in the story about Baglioni being the one to give the antidote to Beatrice, either saving her or killing her. The shady areas of his character help give the plot an aura of mystery so that the story is unpredictable. Hawthorne purposely intends to challenge the readers as to which characters are good and which are evil so that he can hold their attention, keep them guessing and keep them thirsting for more.
When Hawthorne challenges his readers about the characters’ virtues, he takes advantage of the opportunity to give the characters multi-faceted layers, thus creating more than one-side to their views on good and evil. However, with one-dimensional personalities, characters tend to do the same thing all the time. If they are totally evil, then the readers most likely hate the characters. On the other hand, the characters can also be extremely “good,” which annoys readers. Readers don’t particularly care for goody-two-shoes. Also, when a character thinks on the same track all the time, readers might begin to like that character and only root for him/her, all the while missing the point of the story. In “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” the characters of Rappaccini and Beatrice both trouble the audience. No one is one hundred percent positive of either of their innocence or their deception. As a result, readers are enthralled by the story, constantly in wonder as to whether Rappaccini planned the whole poisonous game. Also, Beatrice seems to have a shady side in which she is either in on the game or completely oblivious to it. “Hawthorne’s wife asked him how it would end, whether Beatrice was to be a demon or an angel? Hawthorne replies, with some emotion, ‘I have no idea!” (Mack 97). Even Hawthorne wasn’t sure until the end how he wanted the characters to turn out. In the end, one never knows. It’s up to an individual’s interpretation of “good” and “evil.”
When it comes to distinguishing between “good” and “evil” among the characters in Hawthorne’s short story “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” readers have difficulty. Hawthorne uses Beatrice, Baglioni, and Rappaccini to show how multi-faceted characters create suspenseful, dramatic, and enigmatic story. When a character is totally one-dimensional, readers often dislike them and the plot is unpredictable. Rita K. Gollin, a noted scholar, sums it up best by telling all Hawthorne readers that “he makes [his audience] probe beneath surface appearances and permits no simplistic judgments: characters are not simply good or bad but mixed. [Readers need to] evaluate them in terms of their interfusion of mind, heart, and imagination, and what they nurture or destroy” (Lauter 2115).
About Me
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at
https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by. -
3.5 stars. I hadn't heard of this particular story by Nathaniel Hawthorne until I read Theodora Goss' 2017 novel
The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter, a fantasy set in the Victorian era which includes Beatrice Rappachini as one of its cast of characters (along with a couple of Dr. Jekyll's daughters, a woman created by Dr. Frankenstein, and a cat-like woman from the island of Dr. Moreau. Quite the cast!). Since I was familiar with all of the source literature for all of those characters except Beatrice, I thought I owed it to her to check out her in the original story.
Giovanni Guasconti is a handsome young man studying at the University of Padua. His living quarter look out over a lush but ominous garden belonging to a Dr. Rappaccini. While Giovanni is gazing out, the doctor's daughter appears in the garden:Soon there emerged from under a sculptured portal the figure of a young girl, arrayed with as much richness of taste as the most splendid of the flowers, beautiful as the day, and with a bloom so deep and vivid that one shade more would have been too much. She looked redundant with life, health, and energy... Yet Giovanni's fancy must have grown morbid while he looked down into the garden; for the impression which the fair stranger made upon him was as if here were another flower, the human sister of those vegetable ones, as beautiful as they, more beautiful than the richest of them, but still to be touched only with a glove, nor to be approached without a mask.
Beatrice has been living among her father's poisonous plants for so long that she's been imbued with their poison - normal plants wither when she breaths on them, and there's something very odd about her breath ...
But Giovanni can't resist the beauty of Beatrice, and manages to find a way into the garden to strike up a relationship with her. She's as kind and intelligent as she is beautiful. His landlord, Professor Baglioni, warns him about Beatrice and her garden - both are lovely but poisonous to ordinary men - but Giovanni isn't of a mind to listen. Perhaps Professor Baglioni may have an answer for Giovanni, but can the professor be trusted?
"Rappacchini's Daughter" was published in 1844, and it has the detailed, stylized writing of the time, which can get a little hard to wade through. It's an interesting allegory of good and evil, the poisonous Garden of Eden, and the quest for knowledge - but at what cost? The key characters in this story all have both a good and a darker side to them, but it comes out in different ways for each character. As usual with Hawthorne, there's a lot of symbolism, and a strong moral to the tale.
I was a little startled to find that Beatrice and her lover get a far different ending in this original tale than in Goss' Alchemist's Daughter.
"Rappaccini's Daughter" is free to read online (or download) as part of this story collection
here at Project Gutenberg. -
First published in the United States Magazine and Democratic Review (December, 1844), "Rappaccini's Daughter" is not only one of Hawthorne’s most characteristic stories, but also one of his best. Its eponymous heroine is a beautiful and innocent young girl who is also—quite literally—poison, and thus it embodies the Hawthorneian themes of flawed beauty, the inextricable bond between good and evil, and the naive and vicious hubris of the human intellect, which presumes to separate the two.
Hawthorne had discovered an ancient tale in some old author—it can be found both in Robert Burton and in Thomas Browne—of a beautiful woman sent to Alexander the Great by an Indian prince, a woman weaponized by being “nourished with poisons from her birth upward, until her whole nature was so imbued with them, that she herself had become the deadliest poison in existence.” Hawthorne, in his genius, created a situation both more poignant and morally repulsive. The godling who creates this creature is Rappaccini,a scientist specializing in poisons, and the woman he transforms is his own daughter Beatrice, as baleful as she is beautiful. Then Hawthorne places his Eve in a corrupt paradise, an enclosed garden full of beautiful and aromatic plants, each as deadly as the young girl who looks after them.
Hawthorne, unlike most other allegorists, is subtle and shifting in his use of imagery. All the men of the story: her monomaniacal father, his envious rival Baglioni, even her lover Giovanni, are compromised by evil. The only real innocent in the story is the lethal young lady herself:"I would fain have been loved, not feared," murmured Beatrice, sinking down upon the ground.--"But now it matters not; I am going, father, where the evil, which thou hast striven to mingle with my being, will pass away like a dream--like the fragrance of these poisonous flowers, which will no longer taint my breath among the flowers of Eden. Farewell, Giovanni! Thy words of hatred are like lead within my heart--but they, too, will fall away as I ascend. Oh, was there not, from the first, more poison in thy nature than in mine?"
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Nathaniel Hawthrone kinda snapped with this one
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Interesting story! If I give too much away, I will take away some of the interest and fun and enjoyment in reading the book so I shall shut my pie-hole. Except to say that it took place in Padua Italy and there is a luxuriant garden involved as well as a beautiful damsel. I did learn from reading the foreword by Simon Schama that Ralph Waldo Emerson kicked Hawthorne out of his house (The Manse) near Boston for not paying rent. I also learned that he went to Bowdoin College, and one of his friends and classmates was Franklin Pierce who became the 14th President of the United States. And he knew Elizabeth Peabody who founded the kindergarten movement in America, and he married her sister (Sophia). So there. 🙃
There were two other short stories in this Hesperus Collection, ‘Young Goodman Brown’ (3 stars) and ‘A Select Party’ (not rated although I will say I didn’t understand any of it and it was not a fun read).
Reviews (don’t read until after you read the short story...the story was 43 pages in my Hesperus edition):
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https://thisismytruthnow.com/2017/05/...
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https://medium.com/@a0976217616/revie... -
Normally, I’m not a huge Hawthorne fan. I read The Scarlet Letter in high school because I had to do so. In the end, I did like the book. It’ll never be one of my favorite pieces but it is a great one to discuss and analyze. I read Young Goodman Brown and was not similarly moved. I figured Hawthorne wasn’t my cup of tea.
After reading Goss’ The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter, I was intrigued by the story of Beatrice Rappaccini. As I was stuck in jury duty and I had already finished my other novel, I figured I would give the short story a go. I’m so glad I did!
It is beautifully told - perhaps I like Hawthorne when he’s less verbose. It’s a quick story that races to introduce us to Giovanni and Beatrice. Giovanni sees Beatrice in her father’s garden and falls for her...sort of. It’s not love, even he admits this. It’s more like attraction. He’s a butterfly who is attracted to a Venus fly trap. Giovanni learns quite a bit about Beatrice and her father, a doctor who does experiments with plants. Even in such a short piece, Hawthorne is able to focus on the two young people and get to the heart of who they are. The fact the story is from Giovanni’s point of view allows the reader to go on his quest with him. It’s the ending that makes your heart just break for Beatrice. So few lines dedicated to her, yet the piece does her character justice.
Rappaccini’s Daughter is an interesting, gothic tale that will make you ponder gender issues, love/attraction, and the power we all have to hurt one another. -
Not my kind of stories. I think I am done with this author.
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Q: Giovanni still found no better occupation than to look down into the garden beneath his window. (c)
Morale: careful with leisure, sometimes working might be a healthier alternative to looking down in the garderns.
I love Hawthorne. So, even with some things reading a bit on the unintendedly comical side, this still is 5 stars.
Q:
a voice as rich as a tropical sunset (c)
Q:
the privilege of overlooking this spot of lovely and luxuriant vegetation. It would serve, he said to himself, as a symbolic language, to keep him in communion with Nature. (c)
Q:
there were ugly recollections connected with his first glimpses of the beautiful girl; he could not quite forget the bouquet that withered in her grasp, and the insect that perished amid the sunny air, by no ostensible agency save the fragrance of her breath. (c) Now, that must have been some fragrant breath!
Q:
“There was an awful doom,” she continued...
“Was it a hard doom?” asked Giovanni (c) Robot talk))) Written way before robots were a concept.
Q:
Signor Giovanni, I will stake my life upon it, you are the subject of one of Rappaccini's experiments!(c) -
4.5
Rappaccini's Daughter is a truly enchanting story. Set in Italy the story revolves around Giovanni and his fascination with the beautiful Beatrice, daughter of the mysterious Rappaccini, and the lush neighboring garden. The tale is a juxtaposition of the beauty of the natural world and the cold ambition of a scientist. The story was riveting, and Hawthorne's writing is superb. -
If you like gothic horror and tragic love then this short story is for you!
ولی قلم هاوثورن عجب چیزیه.... * __ * -
Diese Erzählung aus dem Jahr 1844 eröffnet die Anthologie
Evil Roots: Killer Tales of the Botanical Gothic. Andernfalls wäre ich wohl nie auf sie gestoßen bzw. hätte auch keine Lust gehabt, etwas von Hawthorne zu lesen, dessen Romane mich nicht mitgerissen haben.
So allerdings war ich vollkommen überrascht von ihrer literarischen Qualität. -
It was on the last page that I realised nothing in this story was as it seemed, even the hero, Giovanni Guasconti, is flawed.
Most of the action in this story takes place in a private garden. To me the garden starts of as a place of beauty, full of colour and sweet-smelling fragrances. Hawthorne left me with the impression that this was a safe place, bathed in light and hope. However, as the story unfolds a darker wilder spirit slowly emerges and reveals itself.
The final twist in the tale is when I realised that as good as Giovanni’s intention were to save his love from her father’s grip, in the end what let him down were his own preconceptions of what is good and what is bad.
The cleverness of this tale is it looks easier to read than it really is. It’s loaded with symbolism, so no surprise at the end there is a moral but not in the way I expected. To me light and dark were spun on their head, it was almost like Hawthorne was pointing out that nothing is as simple as it looks. -
A little slow at times, but Hawthorne's imagination is notable. The title story (one of three) is like a cross between Shakespeare and Poe. Another Beatrice story! Giovanni Guasconti is drawn into a toxic relationship with the beautiful Beatrice.Quoting words from the story, it is "a wild offspring of both love and horror that had each parent in it." Wonderful writing that lasts through the ages! The second story was a real treat,'Young Goodman Brown' is about a young man's internal battle as he resists being drawn into pagan rituals held in the dark forest outside Salem. It was a perfect story to start this Halloween season!
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This is one of those lovely Hesperus editions. I have a number on my bookshelves; small, handy little volumes of authors' little known other works. This consists of three short stories by Hawthorne. The title story is a weird fairy tale of a beautiful but poison ridden garden cared for by an equally beautiful young woman who has imbibed the poisons and therefore is a perfect fly swat as all she need do is breathe on any thing and within a short while it withers or drops like a stone from the air. Other aspects of the story are concerning our judging on appearances, what can be our arrogant misuse of nature and the implications on love of trust and sacrifice. Odd but challenging. The second story is set in 'Scarlet Letter' country and puritans here frolic and ally themselves with the devil or do they? Is this another case of misreading and misunderstanding? Did the hero dream it all? Whatever is the truth, Hawthorne chillingly tells us that all is changed from that day on. The third and final story is wonderful and very funny. The description of a party gathered in a castle built in the air complete with all the guests that frequent such fancies and lovely images of the castle itself lit by moonlight gathered from the earth which would otherwise go unnoticed. Moonlight dappling a small pool in the middle of a wood; wasted in seclusion but gathered to be used for this imagined party. Three odd stories but each, being so short, being well worth the effort
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Als Pflanzenliebhaberin im Allgemeinen und Liebhaberin von Giftpflanzen im Besonderen, konnte ich gar nicht anders als diese kleine Gothic Novelle genial zu finden.
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I remember reading this in Mrs. Ramsey's 11th grade English class. Another great, if less popular, classic by Hawthorne. Surprisingly dark, too.
This is what I remember from 30+ years ago (no cheating, I promise!): a man who loves his little daughter terribly gives her tiny doses of different poisons, with the purpose of building up her immunity against the many dangers of the natural world. By the time she's older, she falls in love with a young man but she's now poisonous to the touch, and a brush of her skin can kill him. Whatever shall they do?!
**If that isn't really the plot, somebody let me know - thanks**
Man, I can't believe I forgot all about this little gem until tonight. This is one of Hawthorne's many excellent short stories and as much as I loved them as a teenager, I should invest in a quality comprehensive collection of them. Good stuff! -
The Garden of Eden, Dante's Inferno,Shakspeare's poetic writing plus Poe's tragedy
Rappaccini's Daughter tells the story of a young man named Giovanni who comes to Padua to pursue a University education and takes a room in an old mansion overlooking a beautiful garden ,where he spies the daugther of Signor Giacomo Rappaccini, a doctor who distils the plants from his garden into medicines , as strikingly beautiful as the plants around her, ,Rappaccini's daughter like Dante's beloved;is named Beatrice.
“There is something truer and more real, than what we can see with the eyes, and touch with the finger.”
in addition to Chekhov's short stories this one is also one of the best ones i've read . It was strange,dark,magical,tragic,thrilling , haunting and full of symbolism . I admired the writing and the descriptions,the narration was flawless .I will surely opt for more titles by Nathaniel Hawthorne ,this one is so unique and genius. Totally gonna re-read it . -
“There is something truer and more real, than what we can see with the eyes, and touch with the finger.”
Such a weird story. A poison princess ends up dying herself. -
While I am not in the habit of reviewing individual short stories, this is almost novella-length anyway and is one of my all-time favorites. Someone should publish it in a lavish illustrated edition: I imagine mixed media, photos of floral tendrils and marble ruins that frame sketchier figure drawing and landscapes, probably in oil pastels. Alternately, I could see puppets being involved.
The story is prefaced by a self-parodic author biography, in which Hawthorne, in a fit of Romantic irony, Frenchifies himself as M. de l’Aubépine, emphasizing his outsider's perspective on an America too controlled by Puritan and mercantile values to reward his dreamy and proto-decadent sensibility. I will spare the reader my identification with Hawthorne's difficulties—well, almost, but the following so well describes one of my own problems that I have to quote it:As a writer, he seems to occupy an unfortunate position between the Transcendentalists (who, under one name or another, have their share in all the current literature of the world) and the great body of pen-and-ink men who address the intellect and sympathies of the multitude. If not too refined, at all events too remote, too shadowy, and unsubstantial in his modes of development to suit the taste of the latter class, and yet too popular to satisfy the spiritual or metaphysical requisitions of the former, he must necessarily find himself without an audience, except here and there an individual or possibly an isolated clique.
When Hawthorne says that the Transcendentalists "under one name or another, have their share in all the current literature of the world," I believe he means to identify them with literary avant-gardes in general. It is as difficult today as it was in Hawthorne's time, in my experience, to find a publisher for fiction that neither announces a radical intention on its surface (a gesture I find facile and overdone—how many more novels do we need with no paragraph breaks or with numbered sections à la Wittgenstein?) nor provides all the traditional satisfactions of the mainstream and popular (which would of course be a far too conventional thing to do for any writer interested in the possibilities of form).
The words "Aubépine" and "Hawthorne" both refer to a flowering plant. Hawthorne himself added the "w" (for "writer"?) to his family name, granting himself a floral appellation in an attempt to expiate the Puritanical crimes against nature and pleasure committed by the witch-hunting Hathornes.
In this particular tale, flowers are at issue: set in Renaissance Italy, "Rappaccini's Daughter" tells of a young man named Giovanni who comes to Padua to study and takes an apartment overlooking a garden where he spies a beautiful maiden named, like Dante's beloved, Beatrice. Alas, as the tale unfolds, we learn that Beatrice has been turned by her scientist father into an ambulatory poison flower, contaminating Giovanni through his very love of her. Aubépine, the self-mocking preface tells us, has "an inveterate love of allegory," and this tale's allegory seems clear enough at first: men, whether Dante or Rappaccini, make women into angels or demons, pure flowers or poison ones, and then hold them responsible for it despite their lack of control in the matter. As Beatrice tells Giovanni at the conclusion, "' Oh, was there not, from the first, more poison in thy nature than in mine?'" She's not wrong: his obsessive voyeurism and idealism draws him into a relationship with her, and his refusal to countenance anything less than spiritually beatified in that relation causes him to fall prey to her father's machinations and then to blame her for the poison with which the old scientist has corrupted her. Allegorically, then, we have a prophetically feminist statement from an author better remembered for complaining about the female authors who were his more successful rivals.
I'm not sure, though, that finding a satisfyingly "progressive" thesis is the only way to read this strange story. First of all, it should be admitted that the story is strange; apparently based on an ancient tale that Hawthorne found in Burton, its depiction of a mad scientist turning his daughter into a super-villain was pulpy enough to inspire both DC and Marvel comics to create characters based on Beatrice,
according to Wikipedia. And Hawthorne, perhaps more like both Giovanni (the voyeur of the garden) and Rappaccini (the master of the garden) than he lets on, enjoys himself amid the floral perfumes, creating an aesthetic and sensory prose that in its near opiation looks forward to Pater, Huysmans, and Wilde:Giovanni still found no better occupation than to look down into the garden beneath his window. From its appearance, he judged it to be one of those botanic gardens which were of earlier date in Padua than elsewhere in Italy or in the world. Or, not improbably, it might once have been the pleasure-place of an opulent family; for there was the ruin of a marble fountain in the centre, sculptured with rare art, but so wofully shattered that it was impossible to trace the original design from the chaos of remaining fragments. The water, however, continued to gush and sparkle into the sunbeams as cheerfully as ever. A little gurgling sound ascended to the young man’s window, and made him feel as if the fountain were an immortal spirit that sung its song unceasingly and without heeding the vicissitudes around it, while one century imbodied it in marble and another scattered the perishable garniture on the soil. All about the pool into which the water subsided grew various plants, that seemed to require a plentiful supply of moisture for the nourishment of gigantic leaves, and, in some instances, flowers gorgeously magnificent. There was one shrub in particular, set in a marble vase in the midst of the pool, that bore a profusion of purple blossoms, each of which had the lustre and richness of a gem; and the whole together made a show so resplendent that it seemed enough to illuminate the garden, even had there been no sunshine. Every portion of the soil was peopled with plants and herbs, which, if less beautiful, still bore tokens of assiduous care, as if all had their individual virtues, known to the scientific mind that fostered them. Some were placed in urns, rich with old carving, and others in common garden pots; some crept serpent-like along the ground or climbed on high, using whatever means of ascent was offered them. One plant had wreathed itself round a statue of Vertumnus, which was thus quite veiled and shrouded in a drapery of hanging foliage, so happily arranged that it might have served a sculptor for a study.
As in so much of Hawthorne's writing, an ineliminable Puritan sense of guilt runs under the aesthetic pleasure, creating a powerful sense of irony. The story is both a richly lurid tale of sin and a self-critique—recalling Calvinist self-examination and anticipating the postmodern progressivism that is that Calvinism's legacy—for writing such a wicked thing at all. -
DO YOU LIKE GOTHIC HORROR WITH HINTS OF MYTHOLOGY?
DO YOU ENJOY TRAGIC LOVE STORIES?
If yes, then this short story is for you.
Rappaccini's Daughter by
Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of the best short stories I’ve read in ages. The prose is beautiful, haunting and magical; it stays with you for a long time even after the story is done. I was fascinated by the descriptions of the lush gardens, the comparisons of flowers to gems and water to diamonds.‘There was one shrub in particular, set in a marble vase in the midst of the pool, that bore a profusion of purple blossoms, each of which had the luster and richness of a gem; and the whole together made a show so resplendent that it seemed enough to illuminate the garden, even had there been no sunshine.
Seriously, can anyone resist that flowery prose? I, for one, most definitely cannot!
I can quite easily picture the setting: Giovanni, a young medical student in medieval Padua, Italy, lodged in the strange quarters of the elusive botanist, Dr. Rappaccini, with no-one for company save the toothless old dame, Lisabetta and the beautiful, extraordinarily perfect daughter, Beatrice.
But alas, what seems to be perfect never is so. Beatrice captures Giovanni’s fancy almost immediately. Her slender visage, intoxicating perfume and exquisite beauty seem too unnatural; Giovanni finds himself unearthing sinister explanations for the events he witnessed in the garden.‘Nor did he fail to observe, or imagine, an analogy between the beautiful girl and the gorgeous shrub that hung its gem-like flowers over the fountain; a resemblance which Beatrice seemed to have indulged a fantastic humor in heightening, both by the arrangement of her dress and the selection of its hues. Approaching the shrub, she threw open her arms, as with a passionate ardor, and drew its branches into an intimate embrace; so intimate, that her features were hidden in its leafy bosom and her glistening ringlets all intermingled with the flowers.’
Is her beauty real? Is her perfection tangible? Or is it the result of something else? Could it perhaps be the result of the inhumane experiments of the half-crazed botanist?‘… Giovanni, at his lofty window, rubbed his eyes, and almost doubted whether it were a girl tending her favorite flower, or one sister performing the duties of affection to another.’
Before he can stop himself, Giovanni finds himself in equal awe and fear of the mysterious, yet innocent Beatrice. She’s kind and understanding and attractive, and as human as can be. Yet, insects die mysteriously around her. Fresh flowers wither and droop in her presence. The poisons produced by the ‘evil’ botanist have imbibed themselves within her.‘… in his right hand, the very hand which Beatrice had grasped in her own, when he was on the point of plucking one of the gem-like flowers. On the back of that hand there was now a purple print; like that of four small fingers, and the likeness of a slender thumb upon his wrist.’
Here the reader sympathizes with Giovanni’s internal conflict; the several ominous suspicions ringing in his own head, the well-meaning warnings given to him by his father’s close aide, Dr. Baglioni, a medical man himself, but to no avail.‘Blessed are all simple emotions, be they dark or bright! It is the lurid intermixture of the two that produces the illuminating blaze of the infernal regions.’
As the story progresses, I think it’s possible to predict the outcome; yet, I found myself desperately hoping for an alternative ending, but unfortunately had to resign myself to what was going to happen.
The author indicates the selfishness of the three men here: Dr. Rappaccini in his obsessive experimentation, Giovanni for his lust and curiosity and Dr. Baglioni for his professional rivalry towards Rappaccini.
In trying to ‘protect’ his beautiful daughter from the evils of the world, Rappaccini turns her into a poisonous, ambulant flower; only to be feared, never to be loved. He also turns Giovanni, hoping that his daughter would find someone to live with forever, indirectly condemning them both to an accursed life. Beatrice’s body might have been poisonous, but her heart was as human as Giovanni’s. Maybe even more so. As she tells him in the end,“Thy words of hatred are lead within my heart- but they too will fall away as I ascend. Oh, was there not, from the first, more poison in thy nature than in mine?”
Giovanni too, in spite of claiming to be in love with Beatrice, is quick to jump to hasty conclusions, demonstrating that his love for her was ridden with doubt and mistrust. Finally, Dr. Baglioni, who in the name of saving an innocent soul from the clutches of a mad scientist, ends up taking the life of another.
There are several references to other works of literature, notably, Dante’s Divine Comedy, wherein, Beatrice, the love of Dante’s life died while still young and John Milton’s Paradise Lost. Rappaccini’s garden is referred to as the Eden of the present world, so I’m thinking there might be allusions to Rappaccini being Adam and Beatrice Eve.
Another interesting fact is the traditional story of a poisonous maiden being derived from Indian Mythology (apparently mentioned in Chanakya’s Arthashastra too) which I was happy to discover. The Visha Kanyas were young women used as assassins against powerful enemies, notably Alexander the Great, during the Mauryan empire. Their blood was supposed to be made poisonous, by exposing them to low intensity poisons from a very young age. Any contact would be lethal to other humans.
So, ultimately I enjoyed this piece of art considerably, as well as the tiny amount of research that it led me to.
ALL LOVERS OF LITERATURE OUT THERE: YOU WILL LOVE THIS. -
Υπέροχο μικρό διαμαντακι !!
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Πολύ όμορφο διήγημα της ρομαντικής περιόδου!
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İnanılmaz bir öykü. Nefes kesen bir ritim. Farklı bir Romeo Juliette yorumu. Çok etkilendim.
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One of Hawthorne's classic stories, I read this for the first time in high school. Great for Halloween time!
Listened on
Forgotten Classics (episode 1) and
episode 2). -
Was Nathaniel Hawthorne describing a jeweler and his daughter, or a mad botanist and his "experiment"? Either way, descriptions are absolutely lush with comparisons of petals to gems, blossoms to rubies, and water to diamonds. The garden that Giovanni sneaks a peek at is filled with beautiful flowers, and there is one in particular that emits a potently fragrant and suspiciously alluring scent. This purple planted wonder is tended to by Rappaccini's beautiful daughter, Beatrice, who treats it with the utmost reverence and love. Of course, Gio's lovestruck and goes into stalker mode and bribes his way into finding the secret passage into the garden and woos said girl with a bouquet of flowers which withered ASAP, (and he also witnesses a lizard and an insect that keel over when coming into contact with her, hmmmm SUSPICIOUS) but of course if you're absolutely smitten with love, details, details, you know? Recommended for those who love reading flowery language (yes, pun intended) and sad love stories.
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A story originating from Nathaniel Hawthorne's
Mosses from an Old Manse: Padua, Italy; a young and beautiful girl in a garden filled with poisonous plants; a young man arrives! An intriguing setup! Definitely a charming and powerful story with a somewhat predictable ending. However, Hawthorne's writing was extremely delightful. Quickly browsing through some of the other tales in his
Tales and Sketches made me realize that Hawthorne is well worth exploring!
3.5/5
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Reading this as Halloween fare on Forgotten Classics, thanks to a listener's request.
Here is
Part I.
Followed by
Part II.
ALSO, discussed:
Good Story 194. Julie can't find all her pink ribbons. Scott's whirling, whirling, whirling in a circle. They've got a bad feeling about this. -
I only realized this short story existed after I was explaining the plot of
A Fierce and Subtle Poison to an English teacher who said it sounded an awful lot like it. How would I know, right? So I read the 20-page short story and duh, Mabry even takes the TITLE for her book from the short story!
An engaging and dark story with a lot of the heaviness of narration that Hawthorne had as a writer in the 1800s, but I was engaged and entranced to discover what was going to happen with Beatrice and Giovanni.
