The Scarlet Letter (Paperback)
| Author: Nathaniel/ Harrison Hawthorne | Introduction: Kathryn Harrison |
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Product Details:
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Modern Library
ISBN-10: 0679783385
ISBN-13: 9780679783381
Sku: 30635053
Publish Date: 4/10/2007
Pages:
304
Age Range:
NA
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| A stark and allegorical tale of adultery, guilt, and social repression in Puritan New England, "The Scarlet Letter" is a foundational work of American literature. Nathaniel Hawthorne''s exploration of the dichotomy between the public and private self, internal passion and external convention, gives us the unforgettable Hester Prynne, who discovers strength in the face of ostracism and emerges as a heroine ahead of her time. As Kathryn Harrison points out in her Introduction, Hester is "the herald of the modern American heroine, a mother of such strength and stature that she towers over her progeny much as she does the citizens of Salem." |
Annotation:
Hawthorne's classic novel of guilt and redemption in pre-Revolutionary Boston provides vivid insight into the social and religious forces that shaped early America. A woman named Hester Prynne, having become pregnant while her husband was apparently lost at sea, is publicly shamed by being forced to wear a scarlet letter "A" across her chest at all times. Despite the torment and humiliation of the Puritan villagers, Hester refuses to identify the father of her daughter, Pearl, who becomes the flesh and blood symbol of her infidelity. Unbeknownst to the rest of the village, Hester's husband returns to take up residence in Boston under the assumed name of Roger Chillingworth, and he begins nurturing thoughts of revenge. Meanwhile, Hester's only supporter is a minister named Arthur Dimmesdale, who suffers terribly from a mysterious ailment. Eventually, Hester, Pearl, Chillingworth, and Dimmesdale will come to realize that the weight of a public sin becomes easier to tolerate over time, while the burden of hidden guilt becomes so heavy that it will eventually crush the bearer.
Hawthorne's classic novel of guilt and redemption in pre-Revolutionary Boston provides vivid insight into the social and religious forces that shaped early America. A woman named Hester Prynne, having become pregnant while her husband was apparently lost at sea, is publicly shamed by being forced to wear a scarlet letter "A" across her chest at all times. Despite the torment and humiliation of the Puritan villagers, Hester refuses to identify the father of her daughter, Pearl, who becomes the flesh and blood symbol of her infidelity. Unbeknownst to the rest of the village, Hester's husband returns to take up residence in Boston under the assumed name of Roger Chillingworth, and he begins nurturing thoughts of revenge. Meanwhile, Hester's only supporter is a minister named Arthur Dimmesdale, who suffers terribly from a mysterious ailment. Eventually, Hester, Pearl, Chillingworth, and Dimmesdale will come to realize that the weight of a public sin becomes easier to tolerate over time, while the burden of hidden guilt becomes so heavy that it will eventually crush the bearer.
Author Bio
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne lived much of his life in Concord, Massachusetts, where he was briefly at Brook Farm, the experimental transcendental community. One of his ancestors was a judge in the Salem witchcraft trials and became the model for the accursed founder of "The House of the Seven Gables". Hawthorne traveled extensively in Italy and set "The Marble Faun" there. His novels, particularly his most famous work, "The Scarlet Letter", made his reputation, but he is also considered a master of the short-story form.
Praise
Atlantic Monthly
"THE SCARLET LETTER has the charm of unconsciousness; the author did not realize while he worked, that this 'most prolix among tales' was alive with the miraculous vitality of genius. It combines the strength and substance of an oak with the subtle organization of a rose, and is great, not of malice aforethought, but inevitably." - Julian Hawthorne April 1886
"THE SCARLET LETTER has the charm of unconsciousness; the author did not realize while he worked, that this 'most prolix among tales' was alive with the miraculous vitality of genius. It combines the strength and substance of an oak with the subtle organization of a rose, and is great, not of malice aforethought, but inevitably." - Julian Hawthorne April 1886
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