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The War of the Worlds: Manse

For some years Hawthorne lived in Concord, Massachusetts, in the old Manse, and wrote "Mosses from an Old Manse," "Twice Told Tales" and "Grandfather's Chair." He joined the Brook Farm colony at West Roxbury, but found that the conditions there suited neither his taste nor his temperament, and he remained but one year.

On a European visit he spent some time in Italy, and during his stay there he sketched out one elaborate work, and prepared it for the press while living in Leamington, England. This was "The Marble Faun," the English edition of which was known as "Transformation, or the Romance of Monte Beni." The sole idea of "The Marble Faun" is to illustrate the intellectually and morally awakening power of a sudden, impulsive sin committed by a simple, joyous, instinctive "natural man." The whole group of characters is imagined with a view to the development of this idea.

Some other stories of Hawthorne are "The Blithedale Romance," "The Wonder Book," "The Snow Image." "Septimus Felton" and "The Dolliver Romance" were left unfinished at the author's death. He died at Plymouth, New Hampshire, on the 19th of May, 1864, and five days later was buried at Sleepy Hollow, a beautiful cemetery at Concord where he used to walk under the pines when living at the old Manse. Over his grave is a simple stone, inscribed with the single word, "Hawthorne."