The Artist of the Beautiful by Nathaniel Hawthorne (1844): A Review
Title : The Artist of the Beautiful Author : Nathaniel Hawthorne Publication Yea r: 1844 Rating : ⭐⭐ Genre : Short story, Allegory, Fantasy, Proto-Science Fiction Let’s begin with what I appreciated: the story’s exploration of the artist, artistic creation, and the struggle to bring an imagined object into existence. Unfortunately, it began to lose me when it moved toward spirituality and the idea of creating art that possesses some mysterious life force. I have nothing against fictional characters attempting to create life. In fact, I enjoy a mad scientist gradually losing control of both the experiment and the plot. Victor Frankenstein is one of my favourites, despite his extraordinary talent for annoying me. Owen, however, is a different kind of creator. His artistic vision is entangled with spirituality, unrequited love, disappointment, and the death and resurrection of his creative spirit. It was all very symbolic and meaningful, but my patience was occasionally elsewhe...
