Rappaccini's Daughter is Nathaniel Hawthorne's interpretation of the Biblical tale of the Garden of Eden written i9n Genesis. The connection between the two accounts lies in Hawthorne's masterful use of symbolism, diction, and theme. While retelling the original story, he injects mal...

It is a year of our Lord 1352, on the twentieth day of the month of October. It was a sunny and steady day. Normally Genoa gets cold and miserable at this time of the year, but today, probably, God sends a pitch of mercy to our devastated land. It is quiet around. At any given moment I would have be...

In Europe during the Middle Ages, being dominated by an evil entity was a terrifying possibility, especially for the pious. Emerging science was overshadowed by the Catholic religious conformity attempting to control social and economic upheavals of burgeoning nations claiming divine right. An inten...

Saint Francis of Assisi Saint Francis of Assisi was born in 1182, the only son of Pietro Bernardone, a wealthy cloth merchant of central Italy. Peitro gave his son the name of Giovanni at baptism, though he afterwards changed it to Francesco, perhaps in honor of his trading in France. Pietro's...