Blithedale Romance, The

Blithedale Romance, The, romance by Hawthorne, published in 1852. Blithedale was suggested by Brook Farm, and the character Zenobia by Margaret Fuller, while Miles Coverdale is a fictional self‐portrait.

Coverdale visits Blithedale Farm, near Boston, a socialized community for the betterment of mankind. He meets Silas Forster, a farmer, and his wife; Zenobia, a passionate and queenly woman; Hollingsworth, a former blacksmith, who brings his sledgehammer method to bear upon the evils of society but lacks the spark of spiritual light; and Priscilla, a delicate girl said to be a city seamstress. Zenobia and Priscilla both fall in love with Hollingsworth, who, however, loves mankind in the aggregate too fiercely to be gentle to individ‐uals. Returning to the city, Coverdale meets the people of the community in a different atmosphere. Zenobia is again a wealthy woman of fashion, and actually Priscilla's half‐sister, although this remains unknown. Priscilla falls under the mysterious influence of the mesmerist Westervelt, from whom she is rescued by Hollingsworth, and upon their return to Blithedale Hollingsworth gives his love to Priscilla, although he has previously wooed Zenobia to get money for his philanthropic work. Unable to bear defeat, Zenobia drowns herself. Hollingsworth marries Priscilla, but his energy and peace of mind are lost, and Priscilla is now the sole prop of his broken spirit. Coverdale remains skeptical concerning human progress.