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The Scarlet Letter
Series: Everyman's Library CLASSICS
Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.
Check link for latest rating. ( 905,834 ratings, 22,983 reviews)
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Format: Hardback
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See moreThe story of Hester Prynne, taken in adultery, arraigned by her puritan community and abandoned by her husband and her lover. Combining moral force, austere beauty and psychology, it is a narrative which provides the framework for the author's reflections on the metaphysics of good and evil.
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
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Description
Set in the Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony during the years 1642 to 1649, the novel tells the story of Hester Prynne, who conceives a daughter with a man to whom she is not married and then struggles to create a new life of repentance and dignity. As punishment, she must wear a scarlet letter A (for "adultery").
Containing a number of religious and historic allusions, The Scarlet Letter explores themes of legalism, sin, and guilt.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is often praised for its complex depiction of sin, guilt, and redemption in 17th-century Puritan Massachusetts. Critics highlight its rich symbolism and exploration of moral and social issues. Some reviews appreciate Hawthorne's mastery in character development, especially of Hester Prynne, while others note the novel's somewhat dense and challenging prose. Overall, it remains a classic, lauded for its profound insights and historical significance.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781857151251
Publisher: Everyman
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 08 October 1992
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Everyman's Library
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 30.0mm
Width: 134.0mm
Height: 208.0mm
Weight: 440g
Pages: 352
About the Author
Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on 4th July 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts. One of his descendants was John Hathorne who presided over the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. Hawthorne's father died when he was four years old. He was educated at Bowdoin College where he became friends with the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. He published his first novel, Fanshawe in 1828 and after this his stories began to appear in periodicals. He in 1842 and he and his wife Sophia went on to have three children. He published his most famous work, The Scarlet Letter, in 1850, and in that same year he became friends with the novelist Herman Melville. Melville later dedicated Moby Dick to Hawthorne. Between 1853 and 1860 he lived in Liverpool in England while he was working as an American consul, and then in Italy, before returning to his home in Concord, Massachusetts. Nathaniel Hawthorne died on 19th May 1864.
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