Rappaccini's Daughter

Rappaccini's Daughter is a short story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, first published in 1844. The story takes place in Padua, Italy, and centers around a young man named Giovanni Guasconti who becomes enamored with his neighbor, Beatrice Rappaccini. Beatrice is the daughter of a brilliant scientist, Dr. Rappaccini, who has been experimenting with poisonous plants and their effects on humans. As Giovanni becomes more involved with Beatrice, he begins to realize that she has been poisoned by her father's experiments and is herself poisonous to others. The story explores themes of love, obsession, and the dangers of scientific experimentation. It is considered one of Hawthorne's most famous and well-regarded works, and has been adapted into various forms of media, including opera and film.

"Nor did he fail again to observe, or imagine, an analogy between the beautiful girl and the gorgeous shrub that hung its gem-like flowers over the fountain; a resemblance which Beatrice seemed to have indulged a fantastic humor in heightening, both by the arrangement of her dress and the selection of its hues."

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.