The Scarlet Letter

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Nov 2013 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

For nearly a century and a half, Hawthorne's masterpiece has mesmerized readers and critics alike. One of the greatest American novels, its themes of sin, guilt, and redemption, woven through a story of adultery in the early days of the Massachusetts Colony, are revealed with remarkable psychological penetration and understanding of the human heart. A selection of the Common Core State Standards Initiative.

About the author

Nathaniel Hawthorne was one of the most influential and famous writers of the romantic era in America. He was born in Salem, Massachusetts, on July 4th, 1809. Influenced heavily by the notions of dark romanticism, his stories rely on themes of guilt, sin, and the qualities that define human nature—the large part of his focus being on the psychological aspect of his characters. Hawthorne’s friend, an American publisher named James Thomas Fields, convinced him that “The Scarlet Letter”—which was originally planned to be a novelette—should be a full-length novel. Ticknor & Fields soon afterwards published the work. It instantly became a bestseller, regarded as a quintessential member of the literary canon. However, Hawthorne’s physical and mental health rapidly declined as he aged, some sources even indicating a psychological regression. Months before he passed, Hawthorne refused to seek treatment and died in his sleep from stomach complications on May 19th, 1864.