The Scarlet Letter
by Nathaniel Hawthorne
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Book Summary Information
Author: Nathaniel HawthorneEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-04-11
ISBN: 1442140712
Number of pages: 130
Publisher: CreateSpace
Book Reviews of The Scarlet Letter
Book Review: In The High Puritan Style- Again
Summary: 5 Stars
I started off a review of the more famous of 19th American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne's short stories by noting that the old social democratic literary critic and editor of "Dissent", Irving Howe, once noted that Mark Twain, and his post-Civil War works represented a dramatic break from the Euro-centric ante bellum American literary establishment. And on this question I agree with him. As I do on his choice of Nathaniel Hawthorne as an exemplar of that tradition. Certainly his most famous work, "The Scarlet Letter", reflects that European influence, and is justly place in the pantheon of that handful of important works that emerged in the early days of the American Republic.
One of the of clearest links the ante bellum American literary establishment and the European tradition, especially from the English tradition was the need to pose and resolve some high moral question. And of course what is simpler to do that go back to the stark and isolated foundations of the white American tradition, the Puritan tradition. I know that if I were a writer and I wanted to dramatically portray the effects that physically isolated (and isolating) religiously-driven communities have on the individual, and on individual choice, those Puritan settlements from Cape Cod to Salem on the coast of Massachusetts in the 1600s would, at least get my serious consideration.
So that, in part is what drives the action (if one can use that term usefully here) of a woman (naturally) banished from the tight-knit community (or so they claimed) by running off and having an affair with Mr. X. Now today that would create in the reader nothing but a big yawn, and maybe some spicy gossip, but hardly banishment, and hardly the necessity to wear a badge of courage sewn on your dress. Except maybe today one would advertise that status and place a video on "YouTube". And that is my moral point.Hester Prynne did not deserve the social opprobrium of the religious fundamentalists of her day. But old Hawthorne did a great service by creating a masterpiece to point out that moral ambiguity and dilemma back in the days.
Summary of The Scarlet Letter
"The Scarlet Letter" is a timeless tale of passion and revenge, guilt and grace, sin and redemption. It cemented Nathaniel Hawthorne's reputation as America's greatest writer of fiction. This is a beautiful, new, top-quality edition of Hawthorne's masterwork.Classics Books
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