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Loading... The Scarlet Letter (original 1850; edition 2008)by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Work InformationThe Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (Author) (1850)
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As a reader who’s trying to explore my reading list, American Literature is one of my shelf. So far I had enjoyed Fitzgerald’s magnum opus, The Great Gatsby, and so I thought it will be fun to explore other period of American Literature, and Hawthorne’s name popped up from the movie Easy A. Then I bought this book, curious about the true fate of Hester Prynne. One thing for sure, this book is nowhere fun because the heavy phrases and all the allegories with its symbolism. But I really enjoy reading this book, drowned in Hawthorne’s thinking and everything. There’s something strange in reading this book, as if you couldn’t get rid of spooky feelings chasing you pages after pages, specially after you gain new information which was told in the books but it feels like a secret whispered in your ear. As a woman I understand the deep sadness Hester had about her token: the scarlet letter, and the real scarlet letter: Pearl. The desolation and solitude she had to face created by the token in her bosom had been Hester’s reality in old Puritan World. Later on it was discovered by her vengeful ex-husband, Roger Chillingworth, that the young priest, Arthur Dimmesdale, was the father of Pearl. As the story goes by I thought Hester and Dimmesdale would face a painful reconciliation with Hester blaming Dimmesdale for her fate, thus I was in shocked to know they had actually love each other and Chillingworth was the awful man in their POV. I guess I should took it as a cue when Dimmesdale determined Pearl should be with her mother. In their relationship there was something ironic which was if for Hester it was a shame, for Dimmesdale it was a guilt. I think Hawthorne strongly put his critics to the Puritan World back then. He was a strong Christian, and he didn’t approve Hester’s sin, but he also didn’t think it as some unforgivable sin. He showed that with how the Puritan’s society looked at Hester, it brought more trouble since Pearl and her mother couldn’t join the pray in curch (sermon). Meaning that in Hawthorne’s mind, it is not the job of human to judge other human. I dislike Dimmesdale more than Roger Chillingworth so after knowing Hester loved Dimmesdale I couldn't see their chemistry and good relationship specially because Dimmesdale didn't get his social punishment, but I understand how was their love. That's why I give this book four stars rating. What makes a "classic" great? The immersion into Puritan Massachusetts was at first enjoyable, but that is where my entertainment ended. I understand how a scandal of that time (and even many for today) can monstrously affect someone's life, but goodness... let's get to the point already! Making school-aged kids read "classics" like this one feeds into their general boredom for literature. Belongs to Publisher SeriesBiblioteca moderna [Mondadori] (231-232) — 55 more Clube de Literatura Clássica (CLC) (16 [August 2022]) Collins Classics (17) Doubleday Dolphin (C7) dtv (12816) Everyman's Library (122) Libro amigo [Bruguera] (1102) Limited Editions Club (S:13.02) Modern Library (93.3) Newton Compton Live (33) Gli Oscar Mondadori - Classici (68; 398) Penguin Audiobooks (PEN 208) Penguin English Library, 2012 series (2012-06) The Pocket Library (PL-26) Prisma Klassieken (14) Reader's Enrichment Series (RE 113) Reclams Universal-Bibliothek (9454) Riverside Editions (A45) Sammlung Dieterich (140) Gli struzzi [Einaudi] (255) ET Tascabili [Einaudi] (333) The World's Classics (26) World's Greatest Literature (Volume 6) Zephyr Books (46) Is contained inCollected Novels: Fanshawe/The Scarlet Letter/The House of the Seven Gables/The Blithedale Romance/The Marble Faun by Nathaniel Hawthorne Is retold inHas the (non-series) sequelHester by Paula Reed Has the adaptationThe Graphic Canon, Vol. 2: From "Kubla Khan" to the Bronte Sisters to The Picture of Dorian Gray by Russ Kick Is abridged inIs parodied inInspiredHas as a studyHas as a commentary on the textHas as a student's study guideNathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, The House of Seven Gables, The Blithedale Romance, and The Marble Faun (Monarch Notes) by Charles Leavitt Has as a teacher's guideNotable Lists
Classic Literature.
Fiction.
HTML: In the puritanical Boston of the 17th Century, a woman gives birth after committing adultery. That woman, Hester Prynne, choses to create a new life for herself in the face of adversity rather than succumb to what is expected of her. She will not name the father. Her decision opens up the tension between religious life and the true grace of God, and between personal guilt, religious sin and legal guilt. The novel is prefaced by a "real" account of the author finding notes on a case similar to Hestor's in a Custom House, from which he fashioned the story. The preface is to be read as fictional. .No library descriptions found.
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.3Literature English (North America) American fiction Middle 19th Century 1830-1861LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
Is this you?Become a LibraryThing Author. Penguin Australia3 editions of this book were published by Penguin Australia. Editions: 0142437263, 0143105442, 0141199458 Library of America Paperback ClassicsAn edition of this book was published by Library of America Paperback Classics. Tantor Media2 editions of this book were published by Tantor Media. Editions: 1400100607, 1400108551 Recorded BooksAn edition of this book was published by Recorded Books. Urban Romantics2 editions of this book were published by Urban Romantics. Editions: 1909438901, 190943891X West Margin PressAn edition of this book was published by West Margin Press. |
I agree with Whittier that his works retain a "weird and subtle beauty", but the reader must enter the story with an acute sense of discernment, if he is to pick out the many lies and subtle half-truths sown into this fictional account of the Puritans. ( )