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Idolatry: A Romance

by Julian Hawthorne (1846–1934)

  • Free to read
  • 5 hours to read
  • 34 chapters
  • Reading level: 7th grade

"Idolatry: A Romance" by Julian Hawthorne is a novel written in the late 19th century. The story appears to explore themes of destiny and identity, revolving around intriguing characters such as Doctor Hiero Glyphic and Balder Helwyse. As the narrative unfolds, it hints at the significance of the enchanted ring and the intersecting lives of its characters, suggesting a rich tapestry of romance and philosophical inquiry. At the start of the book, we are introduced to a hotel in Boston through a detailed description and whimsical narrative voice. The scene sets the stage for the intertwining lives of Doctor Hiero Glyphic and Balder Helwyse, whose fates are implied to hang on a seemingly trivial matter—their entries in a hotel register. The narrative quickly transitions into a dreamlike exploration of Doctor Glyphic's past, revealing his connection to the mystical diamond ring he wears. This magical ring serves as a central motif, operation as a talisman that links the characters' past and present, hinting at deeper themes regarding memory and the choices that shape one's destiny. As the reader is drawn into this romantic tale, they are invited to ponder the complexities of human connections and the longing for understanding across the bounds of time and circumstance.

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  • Fiction

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Chapter I

THE ENCHANTED RING.

One of the most imposing buildings in Boston twenty years ago was a granite hotel, whose western windows looked upon a graveyard. Passing up a flight of steps, and beneath a portico of dignified granite columns, and so through an embarrassing pair of swinging-doors to the roomy vestibule,—you would there pause a moment to spit upon the black-and-white tessellated pavement. Having thus asserted your title to Puritan ancestry, and to the best accommodations the house afforded, you would approach the desk and write your name in the hotel register. This done, you would be apt to run your eye over the last dozen arrivals, on the chance of lighting upon the autograph of some acquaintance, to be shunned or sought according to circumstances.

Let us suppose, for the story's sake, that such was the gentle reader's behavior on a certain night during the latter part of May, in the year eighteen hundred and fifty-three. If now he will turn to the ninety-ninth page of the register above mentioned, he will remark that the last name thereon written is, "Doctor Hiero Glyphic. Room 27." The natural inference is that, unless so odd a name be an assumed one, Doctor Glyphic occupies that room. Passing on to page one hundred, he will find the first entry reads as follows "Balder Helwyse, Cosmopolis. Room 29."

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Contents

Show all 34 chapters
  1. Front Matter
  2. Chapter I
  3. Chapter II
  4. Chapter III
  5. Chapter IV
  6. Chapter V
  7. Chapter VI
  8. Chapter VII
  9. Chapter VIII
  10. Chapter IX
  11. Chapter X
  12. Chapter XI
  13. Chapter XII
  14. Chapter XIII
  15. Chapter XIV
  16. Chapter XV
  17. Chapter XVI
  18. Chapter XVII
  19. Chapter XVIII
  20. Chapter XIX
  21. Chapter XX
  22. Chapter XXI
  23. Chapter XXII
  24. Chapter XXIII
  25. Chapter XXIV
  26. Chapter XXV
  27. Chapter XXVI
  28. Chapter XXVII
  29. Chapter XXVIII
  30. Chapter XXIX
  31. Chapter XXX
  32. Chapter XXXI
  33. Chapter XXXII
  34. Chapter XXXIII

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About this edition

This free edition of Idolatry: A Romance by Julian Hawthorne comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #16283, released 2005-07-13. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Science-Fiction & Fantasy, Romance, Novels, American Literature.

Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).

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