The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Scarlet Letter
You can listen to Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter audiobook and discover the classic story of Hester Prynne and the scarlet letter A that she wore on her dress. You will find a general summary of the book on the opening page along with each chapter of the audiobook. The title of each chapter is accompanied by the length of the chapter's audio clip. Additional audiobooks on Nathaniel Hawthorne's work can be accessed as well.
Topic: Hawthorne, Nathaniel,--1804-1864.--Scarlet letter  Language: English  Lexile: 990  Audio  eBook  http://librivox.org

Anglo-American painter George Henry Boughton was popular for landscapes and for studies of the lives of New England Puritans. He imagined the character of Hester Prynne for an 1881 edition of Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel.

The Scarlet Letter
A summary of the classic American novel, The Scarlet Letter, can be found at the C-Span American Writers web site. The web site is a companion to a television series about famous American writers. In addition to the summary, tabs on the right side of the web site will lead you to sections about Nathaniel Hawthorne and to information about Salem, Massachusetts, the birthplace of the author. Find out when Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter and see a list of his additional works. Full Text online
Topic: Hawthorne, Nathaniel,--1804-1864, Hawthorne, Nathaniel,--1804-1864.--Scarlet letter   Language: English   Lexile: 1190 http://www.americanwriters.org

Demi Moore played Hester in a 1995 film version, opposite the Rev. Dimmesdale of Gary Oldman.
Below, clips from that movie — and from a 1934 black-and-white version — illustrate how differently Hester has been interpreted across the decades.

 

Hester Prynne: Sinner, Victim, Object, Winner
The character of Hester Pyrnne from Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter is the focus of this NPR story. Hester is described as the first and most important female protagonist in American literature. Understand the reasons why Hester is considered both a victim and a hero and look back at the growing feminist movement at the time the novel was written. See how author John Updike depicts Hester Pyrnne. Listen to audio clips of passages from the book and watch video clips that show how Hester has been interpreted in films.
Topic: Steinbeck, John,--1902-1968--Criticism and interpretation, Hawthorne, Nathaniel,--1804-1864.--Scarlet letter  Language: English Lexile: 1170  http://www.npr.org

About Nathaniel Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne
One of America's major authors, Nathaniel Hawthorne explores human nature, especially its darker side, in his writing. If you are looking for a critical overview of Hawthorne's work, visit the PBS web site to find out about the themes of Hawthorne's major novels. Find out how Hawthorne defined romance as his writing style and how he explored the themes of morality, sin, and redemption. Learn about the writers who influenced him and how he achieved international fame with his masterpiece The Scarlet Letter.
Topic: Hawthorne, Nathaniel,--1804-1864, Hawthorne, Nathaniel,--1804-1864--Criticism and interpretation   Language: English   Lexile: 1210  Biography  http://www.pbs.org

Hawthorne: Bicentennial Exhibition at the Phillips Library
Take an online tour of the exhibit honoring Nathaniel Hawthorne at the Peabody Essex Museum web site. Created to celebrate Hawthorne's 200th birthday, the site will give you a deeper insight into the famous American writer. Be sure to click on the Interactive Feature to see and hear examples of some of Hawthorne's first writings in a family newspaper called The Spectator. The excerpts reveal Hawthorne's early interest in some of the themes he explored in his later writings, such as vanity, morality, fame, and fortune.   Topic: Hawthorne, Nathaniel,--1804-1864, Hawthorne, Nathaniel,--1804-1864--Criticism and interpretation   Language: English   Lexile: 1260  Biography  http://www.pem.org

Puritanism

pil·lo·ry  noun
a device that was used in the past for punishing someone in public and that consists of a wooden frame with holes in which the head and hands can be locked
www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pillory

New England Colonies:  Puritan Life
"The Puritans believed they were doing God's work. Hence, there was little room for compromise. Harsh punishment was inflicted on those who were seen as straying from God's work."

The Puritans
The New England Puritans are said to have had a tremendous impact on the shaping of American values. This article reveals how many Americans can trace their heritage back to the Puritans and it provides you with examples of the ridicule that Puritans have been subjected to throughout history. The misconceptions involving stereotypical views of Puritans are examined along with their traditions and beliefs. Information on John Winthrop, governor of the Massachusetts Bay colony can be found as well.
Topic: Puritans  Language: English  Lexile: 1220  http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu

Made famous by author Nathaniel Hawthorne in his book of the same name, the Scarlet Letter was a real form of punishment in Puritan society.  http://www.ushistory.org/us/index.asp

Puritanism in New England
The Pilgrims, a group of Puritan emigrants who sailed to America in search of religious freedom, are the focus of this brief article from The Victorian Web. The article emphasizes the social and religious influences of the Puritans on American society, beginning with a discussion of the tendency of American Puritans to interpret the Bible literally. Also included is a look at the foundations and beliefs of this extreme group of Protestants who believed the universe is God-centered.   Topic: Puritans   Language: English, Spanish   Lexile: 1610      http://www.victorianweb.org

Literary Criticism

The Power of Passion: Hawthorne's Tales of Thwarted Desire
If you are studying Nathaniel Hawthorne, you will deepen your understanding of this famous American writer by reading this online critical essay by Professor William Heath. Professor Heath explores Hawthorne's ambivalence toward women and passion by analyzing some of his finest stories. You will gain a deeper understanding of the themes of Hawthorne's famous stories, such as Young Goodman Brown, The Minister's Black Veil, and Rappaccini's Daughter. Discover how Hawthorne struggled with balancing idealization and acceptance of the physical world in these stories and how they were instrumental in preparation for his writing of The Scarlet Letter.   Topic: Hawthorne, Nathaniel,--1804-1864--Criticism and interpretation   Language: English   Lexile: 1330    http://cortlandreview.com

Nathaniel Hawthorne, Dark Romantic
Nathaniel Hawthorne was fascinated with the nature of evil and human psychology. One of the Dark Romantics, he explored views of evil in Puritanism as well as the separation of the head and heart. From The Scarlet Letter to The Birthmark, his short stories and novels center around symbols. Everyday objects look different in moonlight, conveying a hint of the supernatural. Investigate the importance of setting in his works. Analyze Hawthorn's view of hypocrisy. The notes for this class also provide insight into the writings of Washington Irving, Edgar Allan Poe, and Herman Melville.   Topic: Hawthorne, Nathaniel,--1804-1864--Criticism and interpretation   Language: English   Lexile: 1380      http://www.uncp.edu

Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1804-1864: Early Criticism
Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of America's greatest writers. Find out how his works were reviewed when they were first published by exploring the critical essays on this web site. You will find essays on The Scarlet Letter, Twice-Told Tales, and The Marble Faun as well as articles about Hawthorne's style and his literary influences. Many of these critical essays were written by other famous writers, such as Edgar Allan Poe, James Russell Lowell, W.D. Howells, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. You can pick and choose the essays that will help you deepen your understanding of Hawthorne.  Topic: Hawthorne, Nathaniel,--1804-1864--Criticism and interpretation   Language: English   Lexile: 1020    http://www.eldritchpress.org

The Scarlet Letter: A Twice-Told Tale
Read this essay written by Sacvan Bercovitch, an American literature professor at Harvard for most of his career, to deepen your understanding of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The essay discusses the novel in depth and compares it to the film version that was released in 1995. Find out how the film interpretation presents many fundamental differences from Hawthorne's original work. You will learn about the characters and the themes of the novel and much about American history. Discover what the author thinks the changes in the film signify about changes in American society.   Topic: Hawthorne, Nathaniel,--1804-1864--Criticism and interpretation   Language: English   Lexile: 1180    http://www.eldritchpress.org