The Portable Hawthorne
by Nathaniel Hawthorne
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The Portable Hawthorne includes writings from each major stage in the career of Nathaniel Hawthorne: a number of his most intriguing early tales, all of "The Scarlet Letter," excerpts from his three subsequently published romances"The House of Seven Gables, The Blithedale Romance," and "The Marble Faunas well as passages from his European journals and a sampling of his last, unfinished works. The editors introduction and head notes trace the evolution of Hawthornes writing over the course of show more his long career: from the tales, to their apotheosis in "The Scarlet Letter," through his popular romances, to his private journals and frustrated attempts at another romance. Readers looking for a critical vantage point from which to see Hawthorne wholehis artistic rise, triumph, and sad declinecan find it in this collection. show lessTags
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This ia a very good compendium of Hawthorne's writing, the largest selection is a complete "Scarlet Letter". Commentary from the editor Malcolm Crowley is light and unobtrusive yet insightful. Hawthorne could be so heavy-handed in his largely nationalist/Christian/righteous metaphor and this can get tiring (as in "The Grey Champion" or "The Scarlet Letter"), but in small doses this book is a wonderfully entertaining collection of top-notch writing. I find Hawthorne at his best unmoored from his principles and exploring witchcraft, evil and the other darker imaginings as in "Feathertop", "The Marble Faun" (only in excerpt here) and even "My Kinsman, Major Molineux" (1832) which over time has lost its overt nationalism.
Other treats here show more include his European travel observations and notebooks of stories written and never written. show less
Other treats here show more include his European travel observations and notebooks of stories written and never written. show less
Ok, one of my favorite books for a while. I have to admit I've never gotten through any of Hawthorne's novels. But I love his short stories. I admit, they're probably overwritten and overdramatic. Still, I love them all the same. Great collection.
When I was a college student, I used to write papers for hire, nearly all for freshman English classes. It didn't hurt that I was sometimes the grader also, having been hired by two professors to read papers for them. Strictly cash transactions on both sides, except for one teacher who paid me with a copy of the complete works of Blake. At any rate, I recall one of my best customers was a fellow who paid extra if I could write papers that would earn him a "C", or certainly no better than a "B". He told me that he needed to pass the class, but that, on the basis of his in-class performances, the teacher would never believe that he could write an "A"-worthy paper. Also, he didn't want to be singled out, lest the teacher decide to engage show more him in conversation about his paper. I clearly remember working up a C paper on The Scarlet Letter and then promptly losing all of my earnings in a poker game to the same guy who had bought the paper. show less
Recoge una serie de relatos cortos
Aug 25, 2011Spanish
La guerra : un largo paréntesis, breves palabras impúdicas, política, humor y roptura, el cadáver es el mensaje, apuntes sobre literatura y violencia, lo político en la novela latinoamericana.
Aug 25, 2011Spanish
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875+ Works 79,265 Members
Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on July 4, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts. When he was four years old, his father died. Years later, with financial help from his maternal relatives who recognized his literary talent, Hawthorne was able to enroll in Bowdoin College. Among his classmates were the important literary and political figures Horatio Bridge, show more Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Franklin Pierce. These friends supplied Hawthorne with employment during the early years after graduation while Hawthorne was still establishing himself as a legitimate author. Hawthorne's first novel, Fanshawe, which he self-published in 1828, wasn't quite the success that he had hoped it would be. Not willing to give up, he began writing stories for Twice-Told Tales. These stories established Hawthorne as a leading writer. In 1842, Hawthorne moved to Concord, Massachusetts, where he wrote a number of tales, including "Rappaccini's Daughter" and "Young Goodman Brown," that were later published as Mosses from an Old Manse. The overall theme of Hawthorne's novels was a deep concern with ethical problems of sin, punishment, and atonement. No one novel demonstrated that more vividly than The Scarlet Letter. This tale about the adulterous Puritan Hester Prynne is regarded as Hawthorne's best work and is a classic of American literature. Other famous novels written by Hawthorne include The House of Seven Gables and The Blithedale Romance. In 1852, Hawthorne wrote a campaign biography of his college friend Franklin Pierce. After Pierce was elected as President of the United States, he rewarded Hawthorne with the Consulship at Liverpool, England. Hawthorne died in his sleep on May 19, 1864, while on a trip with Franklin Pierce. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Contains
The Custom House (indirect)
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Portable Hawthorne
- Original title
- The Portable Hawthorne
- Original publication date
- 1948
- Original language
- English US
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- Members
- 369
- Popularity
- 84,995
- Reviews
- 5
- Rating
- (3.88)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 12
- ASINs
- 13
