Nathaniel Hawthorne

1. Nathaniel Hawthorne The Scarlet Letter

2. Nathaniel Hawthorne

3. Nathaniel Hawthorne • Nathaniel Hawthorne (born Nathaniel Hathorne; July 4, 1804 - May 19, 1864) was a 19th century American novelist and short story writer. He is seen as a key figure in the development of American literature for his tales of the nation's colonial history.

4. I. Biography • 1. Life1）He was born in a prestigious New England family closely related with the Puritan church. His ancestors were involved in the persecution of people belonging to other churches, such as Quakers.2）When he was born, his family declined. He was aware of his ancestors' misdeeds and thus "blackness of Hawthorne" formed. He thought that the reason of his family's decline is his ancestors' misdeeds. And he didn't agree to the optimism held by Transcendentalists about human nature. He wrote lots of works on everlasting evil in human nature.

5. I. Biography • 3）He graduated from Bowdoin College. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Mr. Pierce, the 14th American president were his classmates.4）After graduation, he lived in seclusion and wrote.5）Later, he worked as a customs officer. • 6） After Pierce became president, he was appointed the consul in Liverpool and Italy.

6. I. Biography • 2. Major worksShort story collections: Twice-Told Tales《故事新编》; Moses from an Old Manse《古屋青苔》Novels: The Scarlet Letter《红字》; The House of Seven Gables《七个尖角阁的房子》; The Blithedale Romance《福谷传奇》; The Marble Faun《大理石神像》

7. I. Biography • 3. Themes of his works • 1）the sin / guilt of human nature2）the head’s conflict with the heart (scientific alteration of human nature) • 3）suppressed sensuousness4）the heroism of emotional living--- the “interpreter of spiritual history of New England”

8. I. Biography • 4. Contribution1) the devotion to short stories2) the employment of symbolic images3) the ambiguous relation with Puritanism4) the influence upon Melville • 5) the impact upon the Jamesian psychological realism

9. The Scarlet Letter, published in 1850, is a Gothic American romance novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne; generally considered to be his masterpiece. II. The Scarlet Letter

10. II. The Scarlet Letter

11. II. The Scarlet Letter • 1.Setting • The town of Boston, a colony of the Massachusetts Bay Company, in the years not long after the town's settlement in 1630. Boston's residents were Puritans, members of a religious movement founded in England. Puritans were so-called because of their attempt to purify Protestantism of Roman Catholic and Anglican influence. Their government was theocratic, and they emphasized divine guidance over human reason. Their moral code was strict and rigid. 

12. II. The Scarlet Letter • 2. Plot • Set in Puritan New England (specifically Boston) in the seventeenth century, it tells the story of Hester Prynne, who gives birth after committing adultery, refuses to name the father, and struggles to create a new life of repentance and dignity. Throughout, Hawthorne explores the issues of grace, legalism, and guilt.

13. II. The Scarlet Letter • 3. Major themes • 1) The theme of the story should be the moral, emotional and psychological effects of sin on people and its redemption. • A. sense of sin and evil (sin and punishment)B. tension between head (intellect) and heart (emotion) • (Hawthorne held negative attitude towards science. Mostly, his intellectual characters are vallains.) • C. ambiguity（复义性）

14. II. The Scarlet Letter • 2) The Scarlet Letter is a cultural allegory, in which the author indirectly tells the future of Puritanism.3) The Scarlet Letter is an example in which American Romanticism adapted itself to American Puritanism. Because of the strong influence of Puritanism in American society, Hawthorne only expressed his ideas on the sin indirectly by employing symbolism.

15. II. The Scarlet Letter • 4. CharacterizationPrynne --- the visible “A”Dimmesdale --- the invisible “A”Chillingworth --- the maker of “A”Pearl --- the living “A”

16. II. The Scarlet Letter • 5.Symbolic meanings of the “A”1) Pearl--- Angel2) Chillingworth--- Avenge3) Prynnea). Adulteryb). Agony or Anguishc). Alone or Alienation d). Arte). Arrogance • f).Admirable

17. II. The Scarlet Letter • g). Affectionh). Able • i). Amazon (Greek Mythology: A member of a nation of women warriors reputed to have lived in Scythia.) • j) Angel4) Dimmesdalea) AD --- adulteryb) the inner “A”(Adultery --- Agony or Anguish)c) Alienation

18. II. The Scarlet Letter • 6. Features1) depicting psychology2). symbolism3). supernatural elements4). excellent craftsmanship (delicate structure; refined language)

19. Thank you!