Genre
Romance Novel
Setting and Context
Fantastical version of Rome, Italy
Narrator and Point of View
Third person narration, travel guide-like
Tone and Mood
The novel has a mysterious tone mixed with a gothic mood
Protagonist and Antagonist
The four characters Kenyan, Miriam, Hilda and Donatello are the protagonists. While the mysterious pursuer is negatively connoted, the true antagonist of the book are the main character's emotions.
Major Conflict
The major conflict of the novel can be found in Donatello's lack of self control when it comes to his emotions towards Miriam.
Climax
The climax of the novel is the murder on top of Capitoline hill.
Foreshadowing
The comparison of Donatello to the marble statue foreshadows his reckless and emotional behavior later on.
Understatement
The book does not utilize understatement a lot, as most of the action is described in some form of metaphorical hyperbole.
Allusions
Throughout the novel, allusions to all kinds of mythological and historical figures and events are made. This happens mainly through the description and strategic placement of art and its meaning to the characters.
Imagery
The novel is strong in using imagery of the historical city of Rome. The tower of Hilda, or the nighttime excursion to the Capitoline hill conjure up images of a gothic and intriguing city. Additionally, the whole novel references and describes different art pieces, using their image as a metaphor for some action or reaction within the group.
Paradox
The reaction of Donatello to his crime, as well as Hilda's reaction to it, can be seen as paradoxical. The former is described as a representation of a faun, who would not be affected by murder, the latter is not directly involved and goes crazy over it.
Parallelism
Within the allusions to different art pieces and historical figures, the novel parallels its characters to these figures. Each of the four main characters is paralleled to some historical or mythological individual.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
The title of the book can be seen as a metonymy, as the marble faun is used as a representation of the whole ancient art history and the connected mythology.
Personification
In their metaphorical existence, the four main characters personify extreme human traits. Miriam is the femme fatale of all ages, Kenyon the rational thinker. Hilda is innocence and religion, while Donatello is more than just a human.
