copyright 2000, Sirpa Grierson
copyright 2000, Sirpa Grierson
Author Information
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Turner, Arlin. "Nathaniel Hawthorne." The Dictionary of Literary Biography.
This journal entry describes in full detail the life of Nathaniel Hawthorne showing the influences on his life leading to his writing the novel and the characters in his life which appear in the novel."Nathaniel Hawthorne, Una Hawthorne, and The Scarlet Letter: Herbert, T. Walter, Jr. Interactive Selfhoods and the Cultural Construction of Gender."
Modern Language Associations of America.103:2 (1988): 285-97.
This article is one of the best! It teaches about the relationship between Hawthorne's daughter Una and his character Pearl, as well as revealing the gender struggles women faced during the 17th century and how Puritan males governed the country and the church. Walter T. Herbert also makes an interesting analogy between how Hawthorne was treated during the time he wrote The Scarlet Letter, and how that influenced what Hawthorne included in his novel. Students will enjoy and learn much about the background information behind The Scarlet Letter from this journal article."Paternal Gold: Translating Inheritance in The Scarlet Letter"
Sterling, Laurie A. ATQ-American Transcendental Quarterly. New Series 6:1 (1992): 17-30.
This article provides very useful background information about Hawthorne's life, and why he wrote The Scarlet Letter the way he did-criticizing the Puritan leadership at the same time he critiqued the political Whigs and his "paternal" heritage, or connection, with his ancestors at the Salem witch trials. Social and economic standards are not always good measures to judge the worth of something, or someone. Students can learn from this article why Hawthorne stressed the importance of allowing an individual to build his or her own identity from past inheritances that they themselves either accept or reject.
Novels
Information compiled by Jennifer Rappleye
