Taming the Sculptress: Roman Beauty and Marble Love in Alcott’s Art Tales

In her feminization of Hawthorne’s famous Italian tales, Alcott made of her talented heroines not only objects but subjects of their art. The excellent training of many of her aspiring women sculptors follows the Oedipal patterns which oppressively dominate Nathaniel Hawthorne’s own Roman artworld....

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Main Author: Daniela Daniele
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: European Association for American Studies 2022-10-01
Series:European Journal of American Studies
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Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/18932
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author Daniela Daniele
author_facet Daniela Daniele
author_sort Daniela Daniele
collection DOAJ
description In her feminization of Hawthorne’s famous Italian tales, Alcott made of her talented heroines not only objects but subjects of their art. The excellent training of many of her aspiring women sculptors follows the Oedipal patterns which oppressively dominate Nathaniel Hawthorne’s own Roman artworld. Being victimized by a Puritan ideal of beauty that no living body could equal, Alcott’s feminized versions of The Marble Faun allude to the American colony of women sculptors led by the actress Charlotte Cushman, whose extraordinary accomplishments in the arts challenged the patriarchal demands of the male gaze.
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spelling doaj-art-561116db014d4a10818d8954d30ee7252025-01-06T09:08:17ZengEuropean Association for American StudiesEuropean Journal of American Studies1991-93362022-10-0117310.4000/ejas.18932Taming the Sculptress: Roman Beauty and Marble Love in Alcott’s Art TalesDaniela DanieleIn her feminization of Hawthorne’s famous Italian tales, Alcott made of her talented heroines not only objects but subjects of their art. The excellent training of many of her aspiring women sculptors follows the Oedipal patterns which oppressively dominate Nathaniel Hawthorne’s own Roman artworld. Being victimized by a Puritan ideal of beauty that no living body could equal, Alcott’s feminized versions of The Marble Faun allude to the American colony of women sculptors led by the actress Charlotte Cushman, whose extraordinary accomplishments in the arts challenged the patriarchal demands of the male gaze.https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/18932Nathaniel HawthorneMay Alcott NierikerCharlotte CushmanAmerican literary sculptors in RomeLouisa May Alcott’s art narrativesHarriet Goodhue Hosmer
spellingShingle Daniela Daniele
Taming the Sculptress: Roman Beauty and Marble Love in Alcott’s Art Tales
European Journal of American Studies
Nathaniel Hawthorne
May Alcott Nieriker
Charlotte Cushman
American literary sculptors in Rome
Louisa May Alcott’s art narratives
Harriet Goodhue Hosmer
title Taming the Sculptress: Roman Beauty and Marble Love in Alcott’s Art Tales
title_full Taming the Sculptress: Roman Beauty and Marble Love in Alcott’s Art Tales
title_fullStr Taming the Sculptress: Roman Beauty and Marble Love in Alcott’s Art Tales
title_full_unstemmed Taming the Sculptress: Roman Beauty and Marble Love in Alcott’s Art Tales
title_short Taming the Sculptress: Roman Beauty and Marble Love in Alcott’s Art Tales
title_sort taming the sculptress roman beauty and marble love in alcott s art tales
topic Nathaniel Hawthorne
May Alcott Nieriker
Charlotte Cushman
American literary sculptors in Rome
Louisa May Alcott’s art narratives
Harriet Goodhue Hosmer
url https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/18932
work_keys_str_mv AT danieladaniele tamingthesculptressromanbeautyandmarbleloveinalcottsarttales