美国文学AlitUnit4N.Hawthorn.pptVIP

Selected Readings in American Literature Unit 4 Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804—1864) Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804—1864)— American novelist and short-story writer Place of Birth: Salem, Massachusetts Known For: Using symbolism and allegory to explore themes of sin, guilt, and punishment in colonial America Milestones: 1825 Graduated from Bowdoin College 1828 Anonymously published his first novel, Fanshawe, at his own expense 1830s Published numerous short stories and sketches anonymously in periodicals 1837 Published a collection of his short stories, Twice-Told Tales, using his name for the first time. 1841 Stayed for less than a year at Brook Farm, a communal society near Boston. 1842-1845 Get married and moved into a home called the Old Manse in Concord, Massachusetts. 1846 Published a collection of 25 short stories, titled Mosses from an Old Manse, that includes some of his best-known stories. 1846-1849 Worked in Salem as surveyor of the Salem customhouse. Upon losing this job, he began working on The Scarlet Letter. 1850 The Scarlet Letter was published. The book, which is set in the Puritan society of colonial America, explores the consequences of sin. 1851-1852 Published the novel The House of the Seven Gables, and the following year published The Blithedale Romance, a novel inspired by his experience at Brook Farm. 1860 Published the novel The Marble Faun, using material he gathered while living in Italy in the late 1850s. Hawthorne’s works are deeply concerned with the ethical problems of sin, punishment, and atonement. Hawthornes exploration of these themes was related to the sense of guilt he felt about the roles of his ancestors in the 17th-century persecution of Quakers and in the 1692 witchcraft trials of Salem, Massachusetts. Regarded as his masterpiece and as one of the classics of American literature, The Scarlet Letter reveals both Hawthornes superb craftsmanship and the powerful psychological insight with which he probed g