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The Scarlet Letter (1850)

by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Karin Jacobson (Editor)

Other authors: See the other authors section.

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31,68333767 (3.38)2 / 946
Set in the harsh Puritan environment of 17th century Boston, The scarlet letter describes the plight of Hester Prynne, an independent-minded woman who stands alone against society. Having given birth to a child after an illicit affair, she refuses to name the father and is forced to wear the letter "A" for adulteress embroidered on her dress.… (more)
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  1. 134
    The Crucible by Arthur Miller (SandSing7, Morteana)
  2. 114
    The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (chrisharpe)
  3. 20
    The Scarlet Letter [1995 film] by Roland Joffé (Waldstein)
    Waldstein: Fascinating interpretation. Very free and very different. Really an independent work of art. If not superior to the novel, certainly not inferior to it either. Good script, excellent cast, beautiful music.
  4. 20
    Kamouraska by Anne Hébert (charlie68)
  5. 31
    Elective Affinities by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (LCBrooks)
    LCBrooks: Allows for interesting comparisons on the subject of double marriage.
  6. 21
    Blood and Guts in High School by Kathy Acker (alaskayo)
    alaskayo: Contains a lot of parallels between the two heroines. Acker's '77 novel also contains a scathing deconstruction of Hawthorne's the Scarlet Letter somewhere down the line. If you haven't heard of her, take note. She's worth the attention.
  7. 21
    Too Late the Phalarope by Alan Paton (aulsmith)
    aulsmith: Sex and guilt in Calvinist cultures.
  8. 11
    Elsie Venner A Romance of Destiny by Oliver Wendell Holmes (Midnightdreary)
    Midnightdreary: Similar exploration of the question of sin, inherited or otherwise.
  9. 22
    The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy (chrisharpe, kxlly)
  10. 12
    Ruth by Elizabeth Gaskell (CurrerBell)
    CurrerBell: Hester Prynne has a spunkiness that Ruth Hilton lacks.
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English (312)  Spanish (9)  French (4)  Italian (3)  Catalan (3)  Dutch (2)  German (1)  Portuguese (1)  Portuguese (Brazil) (1)  All languages (336)
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Showing 1-5 of 312 (next | show all)
OH MY GOSH!!! I am loving this book. It is almost overtaking Persuasion as my all-time fave. I'm only on chapter 18, so my opinion may change, but oh how I love a love story with tortured souls... ( )
  ms_rowse | Jan 1, 2022 |
The writing is a bit too flowery for my modern taste but, as I've said before, classics are classics for a reason. This is a well-told tale that captures the atmosphere of the early Massachusetts Bay Colony. I picked it up after reading Stacy Schiff's 'The Witches: Salem, 1692'. Having read that book helped me understand some of the allusions in Hawthorne's timeless story. ( )
  heggiep | Dec 29, 2021 |
I was enjoying this, even the oddity of The Custom House wrapper introductory story.

An interesting depiction of hypocrisy.

But then in Chapter Ten (X. The Leech and His Patient) it takes such a dark turn with Roger Chillingworth and his malevolent care of Mr. Dimmesdale that I had to stop reading.
  rakerman | Dec 11, 2021 |
[2021-11-19]
  pbth1957 | Nov 19, 2021 |
First Addition
  BrittanyMortin | Oct 11, 2021 |
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Showing 1-5 of 312 (next | show all)
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▾Published reviews
▾Other authors

» Add other authors (130 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Hawthorne, Nathaniel—primary authorall editionsconfirmed
Jacobson, KarinEditormain authorall editionsconfirmed
Bakker, NelTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Baym, NinaIntroductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Bonsanti, MarcellaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Canavaggia, MarieTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Coetzee, J. M.Introductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Connolly, Thomas E.Editorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Cordelli, FrancoContributorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Cox, James TrammellIntroductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Dwiggins, W AIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Fernie, JohnIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Francisco, SellénTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Frasier, ShellyNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Gibson, FloNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Harding, BrianEditorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Hill, DickNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Hill, JamesCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Levin, HarryEditorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Lonza, GiannaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Martin, John S.Editorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Martini, Fausto MariaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Marx, LeoForewordsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Pagetti, CarloContributorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Stade, NancyIntroductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Tasso, BrunoTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Thomson, HughIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Thorp, WillardIntroductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Valori, FrancescoTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Wauters, AnnieNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
▾Series and work relationships

Belongs to Publisher Series

— 44 more
Biblioteca Universale Rizzoli (Superbur Classici, 25)

Is contained in

The Best Known Works of Nathaniel Hawthorne by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Great Short Works of Nathaniel Hawthorne by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Portable Hawthorne by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Complete Novels and Selected Tales of Nathaniel Hawthorne by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Collected Works of Nathaniel Hawthorne by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Four Great American Classics by Willard Thorp
(show 17 more)
Four American Novels by Edmund Fuller
American Fiction by William Allan Neilson
The Harvard Classics Shelf of Fiction [20 Volume Set] by Charles William Eliot (indirect)
Harvard Classics Five Foot Shelf of Books & Shelf of Fiction 71 Volumes including Lecture Series by Charles William Eliot (indirect)
The Scarlet Letter / The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Gramercy Classics: Nathanial Hawthorne by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Collected Novels: Fanshawe/The Scarlet Letter/The House of the Seven Gables/The Blithedale Romance/The Marble Faun by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Three Complete Novels by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Seventh Edition: Volume B: 1820-1865 by Nina Baym
The Scarlet Letter and Selected Tales (Penguin English Library) by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Scarlet Letter / The Blithedale Romance by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Scarlet Letter and Other Writings [Norton Critical Edition] by Nathaniel Hawthorne
I grandi romanzi americani: Nuove traduzioni by Francis Scott Fitzgerald
The Heath Anthology of American Literature, Volume 1 by Paul Lauter
The Scarlet Letter (SparkNotes: No Fear) by SparkNotes Editors
Cliffs Complete on Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Scarlet Letter: Complete Text with Integrated Study Guide from Shmoop by Shmoop

Is retold in

Has the (non-series) sequel

Has the adaptation

Is parodied in

Inspired

Has as a study

Has as a commentary on the text

Has as a student's study guide

Has as a teacher's guide

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▾Common Knowledge
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Canonical title
Original title
The Scarlet Letter
Alternative titles
Original publication date
1850
People/Characters
Hester Prynne
Pearl Prynne
Arthur Dimmesdale
Roger Chillingworth
John Winthrop (mentioned)
Important places
USA
Europe
King's Chapel, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Massachusetts, USA (as Massachusetts colony)
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Important events
Related movies
The Scarlet Letter (1995 | IMDb)
The Scarlet Letter (1979 | IMDb)
The Scarlet Letter (1922 | IMDb)
Der scharlachrote Buchstabe (1973 | IMDb)
The Scarlet Letter (1911 | IMDb)
Awards and honors
The Observer's 100 Greatest Novels of All Time (20)
1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die ( [2006, 2010])
Guardian 1000 (Love)
1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up ( [2009, 0737] | 2009 | Ages 12↑)
100 Essential New England Books (Boston Globe | #19)
Epigraph
Dedication
First words
A throng of bearded men, in sad-colored garments and gray, steeple-crowned hats, intermixed with women, some wearing hoods, and others bareheaded, was assembled in front of a wooden edifice, the door of which was heavily timbered with oak, and studded with iron spikes.
[Introduction to Barnes & Noble Classics] The surname of the protagonist of Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter" suggests pride in sin and the sin of pride.
[Preface to the Second Edition] Much to the author's surprise, and (if he may say so without additional offence) considerably to his amusement, he finds that his sketch of official life, introductory to "The Scarlet Letter", has created an unprecedented excitement in the respectable community immediately around him.
[Introductory] It is a little remarkable, that--though disinclined to talk overmuch of myself and my affairs at the fireside, and to my personal friends--an autobiographical impulse should twice in my life have taken possession of me, in addressing the public.
Quotations
Last words
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Disambiguation notice
This is the main work for The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Publisher's editors
Blurbers
Original language
English
Canonical DDC/MDS
Canonical LCC
▾References

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English (2)

▾Book descriptions
Set in the harsh Puritan environment of 17th century Boston, The scarlet letter describes the plight of Hester Prynne, an independent-minded woman who stands alone against society. Having given birth to a child after an illicit affair, she refuses to name the father and is forced to wear the letter "A" for adulteress embroidered on her dress.
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Haiku summary
Self-pity, yes, but
no pity for sinners, just
bigotry and hate.
(DeusXMachina)
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Melvil Decimal System (DDC)

813.3 — Literature › English (North America) › American fiction › Middle 19th Century 1830-1861

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Penguin Australia

3 editions of this book were published by Penguin Australia.

Editions: 0142437263, 0143105442, 0141199458

Library of America Paperback Classics

An edition of this book was published by Library of America Paperback Classics.

» Publisher information page

Tantor Media

2 editions of this book were published by Tantor Media.

Editions: 1400100607, 1400108551

West Margin Press

An edition of this book was published by West Margin Press.

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Recorded Books

An edition of this book was published by Recorded Books.

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Urban Romantics

2 editions of this book were published by Urban Romantics.

Editions: 1909438901, 190943891X

 

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