Scarlet Letter, The (Classic Collection)

Book Description

The classic American story of Hester Prynne, accused of adultery, ostracized by her Puritan community, and abandoned by both her lover and her husband.

The story opens in Puritan Boston, a settlement only fifteen or twenty years old. A young woman stands on a scaffold clasping a three-month-old baby. As a married woman with a missing husband and a new baby, Hester Prynne could have been sentenced to death for the crime of adultery. Instead she is condemned to always wear the letter A as a badge of her shame. As she stands there, she sees her long-missing husband, who has been held captive by Indians. While the town chorus is murmuring against her and her old and unattractive husband stares silently at her, the young and handsome clergyman publicly demands the name of her partner in crime - while desperately praying that she won't reveal him.

The Scarlet Letter rightfully deserves its stature as the first great novel written by an American, the novel that announced American literature equal to any in the world.

Customer Reviews:

A memorable book.......2007-08-21

I read The Scarlet Letter when I was in 10th grade more than 14 years ago. This was one of the three novels, the other two being Beowolf and Great Gatsy, that I remember reading, which tells you how boring high school curriculum was and also how outstanding this book is among its peers.

Lovers of Classic Literature .......2007-07-23

I have made it a point to read as many classic novels as possible. I just recently read this version of the Scarlet Letter and say it is a must read. The book itself was in great condition, it even smelled new!

Even better when it's not required reading in school.......2007-07-16

Wow, I can't even put into words how good this book was, and so much better the second time around. The classic tale of Hester Pryne, forced to wear The Scarlet Letter as a sign to all of her adultery, but she refuses to name her lover who is then forced to bear his guilt in silence.

Enough reviewers have recounted the story better than I could. Suffice it to say I loved Hawthorne's prose, it was very dense and lyrical at the same time, and you have to pay close attention or you might have to backup and reread a paragraph or two. His descriptions of the scenery and people came alive, especially the character of young Pearl. And I very much enjoyed the scenes in the forest -- it was amazing how Hawthorne brought it all to life, even the sounds of the babbling brook.

Highly recommended to anyone looking to discover (or rediscover) an old classic. Side note to some of the young misses who clearly weren't happy at having this book as required reading in school -- you really really should try to work harder on your spelling, punctuation and grammar when criticizing a great masterpiece such as this.

A story of deceit and redemption.......2007-06-12

I highly recommend this book for those who wish to escape from the real world through this alternate reality! Witness strange old fashioned punishments and let your ethics be applied to this imaginative play. The Scarlet letter illustrates the message of being honest and embracing your flaws and your talents or else it will lead to your downfall. When Hester is punished to wear her scarlet letter and to be publicly ridiculed for her sins, Hester chooses to avoid as much human contact as possible. Whenever she had to go into public she described her goings as torture, for every single person in town was looking down at her with shame and disgust. As Hester deals with her punishment and her troublesome child, Pearl, Hester learns to use her skills with crafts to help those in need. Honesty is also shown as an essential lesson in Scarlet letter as seen through the downfall of Pastor Dimmesdale, who refuses to tell anyone that he was Hester's partner in sin, in fear that it would ruin his prestige. His evil secret eventually drove him mad and he soon became cursed with visions and serious health problems. He eventually was unable to take the guilt of lying to his congregation and confesses to his followers who became shocked at such an unbelievable confession of such a "holy" man. Read this book and experience the plot come alive with its dark imagery and masterful writing! I highly recommend this book for those who are interested in historical fiction, and the message of the book will never be forgotten, it encourages the need of forgiveness for the regretful and proves that redemption can be found by anyone.

Simply a marvel.......2007-06-05

Written in 1850, The Scarlet Letter is a work of art and brilliance. Hawthorne's intricate writing and entrancing plot make this novel a classic in American Literature. The characters and the symbols they represent can keep even the most critical readers lost in thought. The book itself seems not to be written as merely a story, but rather as a lesson for the reader, often leaving one lost in thought for days after finishing.

The book opens with a long, somewhat unnecessary introduction. If you are an impatient reader, skip this. It is not necessary to the overall plot. However, once you move into the actual story, the novel is hard to put away. I spent two weeks reading a novel that I usually could read in two days. The language is dense and the ideas masked and I often found myself re-reading the same paragraph, page, or even chapter just to ensure that I had found the real meaning.

The main character, Hester Prynne, is found to have had an adulterous affair with an unknown and unannounced lover and to be with child. Living in a puritan society, her punishment is harsh since the Bible is their law. She is forced to stand on a scaffold with her illegitimate child and bear the discrimination of the town. Furthermore, Hester is required to wear a letter "A" on her breast to show the extent of her sins for the rest of her life. The priest of the town, the Reverend Dimmsdale, takes pity on her and tries to console Hester and her daughter Pearl. To further complicate things, Hester's husband, a man now known as Chillingworth, returns to the town after a two-year absence. Disgraced by his wife's actions, he pretends to be a physician to avoid any relation with Hester's scandalous acts. The novel progresses through the drama and effects of the psyche on the characters.

Overall, the writing style, while sometimes dense and difficult to comprehend, is unique and entrancing to read. A bit forward in his approach, Hawthorne lavishes in detail and thought of the characters, acting as God and narrator. The book, admittedly, is hard to read and often simply confusing as to what Hawthorne is trying to get at. Despite all of these shortcomings, I still find that the novel is one worth reading over and over again. It is one of those books that can be read thirty times, yet still manages to hold another surprise the thirty-first.

Scarlet Letter, The (Classic Collection (Brilliance Audio))

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Scarlet Letter, The (Classic Collection (Brilliance Audio))
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Manufacturer: CD Unabridged Library Edition
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 1587886111
Release Date: 2001-08-01

Book Description

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La Letra Escarlata / The Scarlet Letter
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Manufacturer: Yoyo Music USA Inc
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Binding: Audio CD

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De Ratones Y Hombres
Las Brujas De Salem, El Crisol / The Salem Witches,The Crucible

ASIN: 9589494935

The Marble Faun (Classic Books on Cassettes Collection)

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Tour 19th-Century Rome with Hawthorne
A Novel of Conscience
Maybe not Hawthorne's best, but still good
A Disappointment
Innocents Abroad

The Marble Faun (Classic Books on Cassettes Collection)
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Manufacturer: Audio Book Contractors
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Binding: Audio Cassette

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ASIN: 1556854110

Book Description

'any narrative of human action and adventure - whether we call it history or Romance - is certain to be a fragile handiwork, more easily rent than mended' The fragility - and the durability - of human life and art dominate this story of American expatriates in Italy in the mid-nineteenth century. Befriended by Donatello, a young Italian with the classical grace of the 'Marble Faun', Miriam, Hilda, and Kenyon find their pursuit of art taking a sinister turn as Miriam's unhappy past precipitates the present into tragedy. Hawthorne's 'International Novel' dramatizes the confrontation of the Old World and the New and the uncertain relationship between the 'authentic' and the 'fake', in life as in art. The author's evocative descriptions of classic sites made The Marble Faun a favourite guidebook to Rome for Victorian tourists, but this richly ambiguous symbolic romance is also the story of a murder, and a parable of the Fall of Man. As the characters find their civilized existence disrupted by the awful consequences of impulse, Hawthorne leads his readers to question the value of Art and Culture and addresses the great evolutionary debate which was beginning to shake Victorian society.

Customer Reviews:

Tour 19th-Century Rome with Hawthorne.......2007-04-05

I started the Marble Faun twice: The first time was kind of a slog before my trip to Rome. The instant I got back home drom the trip I started all over again and I felt I was reading a completely different book! It was an absolute joy to tour that wonderful ancient/Christian/Renaissance city with Hawthorne as my guide. After all, Rome hasn't changed THAT much since the mid-19th century, and it's been a tourist attraction forever. Be sure to read this book with the Internet close at hand, or sitting in the public library, or at least a decent pictorial tour book of Rome at hand. (If you google the words `rome art lover' you will find a website that answered most of my questions.) You'll want to see exactly what Hawthorne is talking about. The writing just drips with metaphor and symbolism, ie Corrupt, eroding Europe vs. American Purity. Hawthorne references history, specific artworks, architecture, myth, literature to describe (I wouldn't say flesh out) out his 4 characters--three young American expat artists, and their Italian friend--and the intrigue that manages to take them all over the city and on a trip beyond the walls. I loved Hawthorne's broodings all the things I loved about Rome, in particular a visit to Saint Peter's by an innocent Protestant who has witnessed a murder by her friends. Another highlight: the guilty parties' reaction when, creeped out by something they see in the Capuccine Church, they flee down to that amazing crypt...During his characters' walk through the Forum, Hawthorne ruminates on why the ancient past in Rome seems so much more recent than, say, the Middle Ages do in England. I could go on and on. I did not find the solution to the mystery of the plot at all satisfying, but I forgive Hawthorne this once and have even vowed to re-read the Scarlet Letter, which I didn't enjoy in HS.

A Novel of Conscience.......2006-03-29

This penetrating and provocative novel has the power to create a trance-like state in the reader's mind. Much of the dream quality of the scenes is the result of the setting in historic Rome, the art focused characters, and, especially, the author's poetic genius.

Like "The Scarlet Letter" and other Nathaniel Hawthorne works, this story centers upon morality and the value of experience in a person's growth, and here read "SIN" for experience.

I read the book in four days, and that is a dash for me. Totally immersed in the story, I frequently found myself marveling at the poetic presentation of universal truths about mankind; some of which had me re-examining hard won personal realizations about morality.

It had been years since I read this icon of the American Renaissance; I'll be reading another selection of his soon.

Maybe not Hawthorne's best, but still good.......2002-07-16

This is a great book for people who have been to Rome or are going to Rome. However, as with most of Hawthorne's novels, some patience is required. I found that the first half of this book moved along quickly and was, in a word, enchanting. The second half was not quite as engaging and the end seemed somewhat abrupt to me. I almost felt that Hawthorne was in a rush to finish. Not that I didn't enjoy it. I was just left on the last page saying, "What? Where's the rest of the book?" I'll admit it though, I'm a Hawthorne fan and despite it's imperfections this is a worthwhile read and one of my personal favorites.

A Disappointment.......2002-07-16

According to Hawthorne, this is not a novel, it's a Romance, and not just a Romance, but an Allegory, fraught with Symbolism, to illustrate a MORAL. The end result being that Hawthorne's characters are a cartoonish, unconvincing bunch, uttering stilted dialogue like a troupe of half-baked Shakspearean hams declaiming away in some tawdry, gaslight melodrama. Hawthorne frequently brings the story to a dead stop so that he can inflict on the reader his generally negative opinions on art, Rome, Italians, etc., reserving most of his venom for Catholicism. In spite of all that, he does succeed in telling a story, even if he does cheat the reader out of a satisfactory ending. If you want to read the Fall of Man, acted out by arty Americans in 19th century Rome, you're better off with "Roderick Hudson" by Henry James. James took the basic elements of Hawthorne's novel and came up with a much more rewarding book.

Innocents Abroad.......2002-03-17

_The Marble Faun_ concerns three young American artists, Miriam, Hilda and Kenyon, and their Italian faun-like friend, Donatello, whose characters are transformed while on their stay in Rome, the Eternal City. _The Marble Faun_ is very reminiscent of Henry James' novella, "Daisy Miller," where a young and innocent American woman falls under the deleterious spell of this European city. In fact, Hilda, while visiting one of its art galleries is warned by an old German artist to go back to America soon "or you will go never more...The air has been breathed too often, in so many thousand years, and is not wholesome for a little foreign flower like you, my child, a delicate wood-anemone from the western forest-land." Hilda witnesses a serious crime being committed by Donatello and Miriam (supposedly, neither of whom would have done so were it not for the evil influence of Rome's atmosphere) and becomes overwhelmed from ensuing feelings of guilt and depression. Despite her Puritan heritage, Hilda is compelled to unburden herself by seeking confession with a Catholic priest, who suggests that she convert to Catholicism. Hilda seriously considers, but decides to resist this transformation.

Hawthorne spends much of the novel in describing in detail Rome's architecture, its art galleries, churches, and its many other landmarks and shrines. When relevant to the story--especially in the author's depiction of the catacombs (from whence Miriam and Donatello commit their unforgivable deed), sunlight streaming through a church's stained glass windows, the extinction of a legendary flame standing before a lofty shrine, and the majestic bronze statue of a pope stretching out his hand in benediction--the effects are quite wonderful. However, a sizable portion of the novel is merely endless travelogue, which seriously detracts from this fairly well-told gothic romance. I did very much like Hawthorne's portrayal of carnival-time in Rome towards the end of the book, and the author's conversation with Kenyon and Hilda at the novel's conclusion is quite charming.

The Nathaniel Hawthorne Audio Collection
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Worthy of Your Listening Time

The Nathaniel Hawthorne Audio Collection
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Manufacturer: Caedmon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 0060555688
Release Date: 2003-04-29

Book Description

On July 28, 1851, Nathaniel Hawthorne's wife left their house in Western Massachusetts to visit relatives. Hawthorne and his five-year-old son Julian stayed behind. How father and son got on together for the next three weeks is the subject of Twenty Days with Julian & Little Bunny, by Papa, a tender and funny extract from Hawthorne's notebooks, perhaps one of the earliest accounts in literature of a father caring for a young child.

Each day starts early and will be given over to swimming and skipping stones, berry picking and subduing armies of thistles. At one point Mr. Herman Melville comes over to enjoy a late night discussion of eternity over cigars.

With an introduction by Paul Auster, this delightful true-life story by a great American writer emerges from obscurity to shine a delightful light upon family life -- then and now. The collection also includes Hawthorne's short stories "Young Goodman Brown," "The Minister's Black Veil" and "Rappaccini's Daughter."

Read by James Naughton.

Customer Reviews:

Worthy of Your Listening Time.......2005-01-08

Solitude was his natural element, says Paul Auster (author) in the one hour introduction,Hawthorne at Home, that gives tribute to Hawthorne's writing life as well as a glimpse into his family and friendship with Herman Melville. The emphasis though is not on the writer of The Scarlet Letter or The House of the Seven Gables but on the more personal side witnessed within his journals. This Hawthorne collection features journal writings titled Twenty Days with Julian and Little Bunny, by Papa and three short stories: Young Goodman Brown, The Minister's Black Veil and Rappaccini's Daughter.

Auster's voice is relaxed, honest and comfortable to listen to as he continues with Twenty Days, reading Hawthorne's "account of a man taking care of his child by himself." Hawthorne wrote about his interactions and observations of his five year old son Julian during a three week period in 1851 while his wife and daughter were away visiting. Auster says the notebook was for Hawthorne's wife Sophia so she could read about what they did while she was away.

Hawthorne's reflections are almost reminiscent of Michael Keaton in Mr. Mom. They are light, loving and believable. In-depth descriptions of their activities, meetings, power struggles, walks and meals have a familiar and endearing quality to them. Children in the mid 1800's are surprisingly similar with children of today. Amusing.

His journal is full of scenic descriptions, character studies and lessons to Julian. Bits of Hawthorne's personality bleed into the diary. Like his penchant for paranoia shown by his need to deliver a letter to the post himself. He wrote a letter to Phoebe (nickname for his wife Sophia) and handed it over to a visitor who was also going to post. He later wished he hadn't and promised to post another himself because there was no guarantee whether it would be posted. Hawthorne's love of nature is also apparent in his recurring descriptions of their daily walks.

Following Hawthorne's diary entries are three strange, dark stories narrated by James Naughton (actor). I was left wondering why they were compiled with the light cheery reflections of Hawthorne's journal. The transition from one reader to another was also unnerving and awkward.

Young Goodman Brown begins with a young married man (Goodman Brown) saying goodbye to his new bride, Faith, despite her begging him not to go. At the beginning of his journey he meets up with a strange man and they walk along a wilderness path (something Nathanial did daily according to Twenty Days). The path seems to be a metaphor for evil. The old man talks about knowing Goodman's father and grandfather and his relationship to the other villagers. There are a few play on words like his wife's name is Faith and at one point he screams, "I have lost my Faith!" having obvious double meaning. If it's yet not obvious to you what this story is about it is because it wasn't clear to me either but I gather it has something to do with one man's struggle with his conscious good and evil both real and imagined.

The Minister's Black Veil is also full of metaphors. Again we see the involvement of the townspeople in this story that's supposed to be a parody. One day Mr. Hopper, a minister, walks about town with a black veil covering his eyes but his mouth and chin remain exposed. All want to know why. The town folk are upset by this change in their friendly minister who even wears the veil during his service causing the folks to read more into his sermon than usual. A man they've known well has suddenly become a man they feel they don't know at all. During the story he attends a funeral, church service and wedding. It's an interesting moral tale.

Rappaccini's Daughter is equally as dark. A bored young, Italian writer named Giovanni becomes distracted by a luscious garden and fountain outside the window of the room he rents and most importantly the daughter of the plants' caretaker, Beatrice. This is a strange tale about a girl raised in seclusion by her scientist father among poisonous plants and who has become a poison herself. Slow to start but has a twisted unsuspecting outcome.

I thoroughly enjoyed Hawthorne's Twenty Day's Diary and was slow to warm up to the short stories mostly because I was expecting them to have the same flair as the journal. Both create different moods but are worthy of your listening time.

Review Originally Posted at http://www.linearreflections.com

Twice Told Tales (Classic Books on Cassettes Collection) [UNABRIDGED] (Classic Books on Cassettes Collection)

Average customer rating:

Stretching Yarns
Smokefree
The best of Twice Told Tales
Average
some of the best american stories-but a poor edition of them

Twice Told Tales (Classic Books on Cassettes Collection) [UNABRIDGED] (Classic Books on Cassettes Collection)
Nathaniel Hawthorne , and Flo Gibson
Manufacturer: Audio Book Contractors, iNC.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

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Mosses from an Old Manse (Modern Library Classics)
The House of Seven Gables (Bantam Classics)
The Marble Faun (Oxford World's Classics)
Piazza Tales (Melville)
The Blithedale Romance (Penguin Classics)

ASIN: 1556851146

Book Description

Allegorical, supernatural and symbolic themes permeate these strange tales. Included are: "Legends of the Province House", "The Grey Champion", "Prophetic Pictures", "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment", "The Ambitious Guest", "Wakefield", "The Great Carbuncle", "David Swan", "The May-Pole of Merry Mount" and "The Threefold Destiny". (Four 90's).

Customer Reviews:

Stretching Yarns.......2006-12-05

A minister dons a black veil over his face he takes to his grave. A man abandons his wife and family for a home across the street, from which he watches her fill in the hole he left in her life. A scientist develops an elixir of youth he tries out on three worn oldsters who immediately resume the vanities of their youth.

Nathaniel Hawthorne was master of the allegory, and in "Twice-Told Tales," 39 pieces written during the 1830s and collected originally in two volumes, you get the glory of his earliest, simplest fiction. Not the best, necessarily; the later "Mosses From An Old Manse" has perhaps his best short stories, and later came classic novels like "The Scarlet Letter" and "The Blithedale Romance." But from his mock-humble preface to his transcendental yearnings to his obsession with New England's Puritan past, "Twice-Told Tales" offers a concentrated primer as to what made Natty tick.

The allegory is a limited model for fiction; where a central object is understood to represent a single idea. Sometimes here you get a very obvious point hammered home with all the subtlety of a very special episode of "Facts Of Life." "The Great Carbuncle" introduces us to a group of people who seek a valuable stone, and naturally all fall short of their desire except a couple who realize no stone can outshine their love. "The Gentle Boy" alerts us to the peril of intolerance, while "The Threefold Destiny" tells us there's no place like home. Sometimes Hawthorne concludes a story by repeating the title in capital letters, like Jonathan Edwards delivering a sermon.

Yet Hawthorne was evolving all the while. For all his dated stylings and roundabout locution, you find yourself catching in these stories, as well as the many sketches and contemplative essays also in this book, a number of brilliant passages, moments of entertainment and of wisdom that reach across the sea of time, as when Hawthorne gazes at the Atlantic in "Foot-prints On The Sea-Shore" and notes "the infinite idea of eternity pervading his soul."

The best stories here show Hawthorne's deep mind at full boil, like the famous "The Minister's Black Veil," where the Parson Hooper appears before his congregation wearing a black veil on his face he never takes off. The irony is that Hooper is the same gentle soul beneath the veil, yet the veil still serves to cut him off, in a small but marked way, from those around him. Is he at fault? Are they? Hawthorne moves beyond allegory here by not giving a definite answer.

The same is true to a lesser extent with the two other tales referenced at the outset of this review, "Wakefield" and "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment." But Hawthorne's greatness here is more in the broadness of his focus, as he draws inspiration in everything from a town pump to shopping with a child and makes each a diverting ramble. He even shows an ability to channel mystery and suspense a la Ed McBain in his amusing and slightly bawdy "Mr. Higginbotham's Catastrophe."

Hawthorne didn't produce that many books, but what he did write he filled to the brim. "Twice-Told Tales" is an early rill from the pump worth a visit; if you tough out some occasionally stale notes you may find yourself staying awhile.

Smokefree.......2006-08-05

Read this book slowly, because there aren't that many of it's type.

Yes, the stories are uneven. The first two are so rocky that you'd perhaps think you've made a mistake--that these are the first inchoate rumblings of an unpolished master.

But by the time you read story #3, Ministers Veil, you won't regret the wonderful prose, the delightful use of symbolism and allegory, the economy of construction-- in short, all that which puts Hawthorne on a very short list of American master writers.

The only thing you might consider over buying this book, is one which includes ALL of Hawthorne's short stories. Young Goodman Brown for example, or Rapuccini's Daughter--maybe two of the greatest short stories in Western Literature, are not going to be found in this particular compendium of his early work.

The best of Twice Told Tales.......2003-05-13

This Modern Library edition of Hawthorne's Twice Told Tales is one of the better I've seen in a long while. (A reveiewer below has mistakenly reviewed a Reader's Digest edition of the stories in this space. There are no illustrations in this book, and contrary to that reveiwer's estimation, the selection of stories here is very wise indeed.) Any good collection of Hawhtorne's stories should include the classics such as "Wakefield, "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment, "The Maypole of Merrymount," and "The Haunted Mind," as well as a few of the lesser known stories, of which there are many. This collection holds an excellent mix of both, with an amusing and insightful introduction by Rosemary Mahoney, and very informative notes by Gretchen Short. Hawthorne was, and remains, the American master of the dark, psychologically driven tale. I would challenge anyone to read, "Wakefield," "The Gentle Boy," or "The Hollow of the Three Hills" without feeling at least a little frightened and thrilled. These are among Hawthorne's best stories in a handsome new collection. I highly recommend the book.

Average.......2003-01-30

I would agree, this edition is pretty lackluster. Not only that, the stories are inconsistent. Some are extremely well done, especially the better-known stories;and the writing is great, but the symbolic devices, such as paintings and mirrors, are way over-used.

This lends a repetitiveness to most of the stories. The gloomy tone, revealing the hidden darkness of man, pervades throughout. For someone of his talent, Hawthorne repeats himself. I think his novels are far better than his short stories. I would recommend Scarlet Letter and House Of Seven Gables instead.

some of the best american stories-but a poor edition of them.......2002-09-30

Hawthorne is one of the greatest short story writers of the English language--of any language. I won't go into too much detail of the stories that make up Twice-Told Tales (I'm saving that for the Library of America edition), but I want to take a minute to talk about this Reader's Digest Edition. It only contains the 'Twice-Told Tales', but those are some of Hawthorne's best known stories: 'The Minister's Black Veil' and 'Dr. Heidegger's Experiment'. It's a well made volume with nine illustrations that aren't very well done. Really, you are better off getting the Library of America edition of Hawthorne's Tales and Sketches. It's more complete, better crafted, and doesn't have those horrid illustrations. What is interesting about this edition are two reviews contained. One by Poe and the other by Longfellow. Unfortunately they are here 'in an adapted form' which is a problem Reader's Digest seems to have. It's nice to have them here, but it would be nicer if they were in the original form. I give a five for the stories, but a 2 for the Reader's Digest edition. So I've settled on a three for this review.

House of the Seven Gables, The (Classic Collection (Brilliance Audio (Firm)).)

Average customer rating:

ponderous
Departure from what I normally read, but good
happy
Fabulous Hawthorne
classics

House of the Seven Gables, The (Classic Collection (Brilliance Audio (Firm)).)
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Manufacturer: Brilliance Audio Unabridged
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

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The Blithedale Romance (Penguin Classics)
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The House of the Seven Gables (Cliffs Notes)

ASIN: 1590862996
Release Date: 2002-12-10

Book Description

When it was first erected, the House of Seven Gables typified the mechanical Colonel Pyncheon; but it developed through the years until, by Hepzibah's time, it has become humanized and almost organic. The history of the house is thus a record of continuity and change. Hawthorne's The House of the Seven Gables is a study of guilt and renewal from generation to generation. At the time of the Salem witch trials, the patriarch of the Pyncheons covets the property of a tradesman and manipulates public opinion so as to get Matthew Maule hanged for witchcraft and acquire the land. The dying man's curse on the Pyncheon family comes true generation upon generation and relationships between the families are colored forever by this "original sin." That is, until six generations later when the long-hidden truth is revealed.

The House of the Seven Gables is Hawthorne's most humorous novel, it is also the work in which he is most serious in his devotion to the powers of beauty and imagination and his hatred of economic materialism and Philistinism.

Customer Reviews:

ponderous.......2007-08-03

Dusty classics of this type when assigned to poor high-school kids typically elicit a wave of one- and two-star reviews consisting mostly of complaints that the work was "boring", usually for the reasons of too much description or most commonly, "no plot". They have trouble simply getting through it, but their school deems the work edifying, or at least did the last time anybody bothered to review the reading lists, so it's off to SparkNotes and the sham continues.

I claim boredom for this work but not in that sense, having read it voluntarily after all. Two novels I have ploughed through in the last year, namely The Idiot and Tale of Two Cities were more "boring" in the sense of being hard to get through, though both were greater novels by far I thought. I had no trouble on the other hand getting through Seven Gables. The boredom for me rather arose from finding nothing particularly compelling about Hawthorne's observations. Only a ponderous "behold my pronouncements" style. Rendered the more dull read so soon after that marvel of deft wit and light touch, Gulliver's Travels. Hawthorne is the anti-Swift--no travels for him! His lumbering, self-important prose reflecting his stolid, adventure-free life.

An indiscriminate deployment of minute analysis unto every topic that wandered into his view--the chickens, the getting of Phoebe out of her bedroom and down the stairs (3 pages), as examples. And to what end? A dubious premise--that the sins of the ancestors are visited upon the descendants. By what mechanism--karma? The kind of God who keeps a ledger of credits and debits? Some mysterion he couldn't be bothered to elucidate, just woooo--ghosts! Then a banal and predictable outcome, in which all live happily. Half-baked trends such as "mesmerism" offered but not defended.

How the novel might have been improved by Hawthorne getting out the damn house and down the street. Wade into the hubbub down at the Salem wharfs five minutes away--plenty of real adventure and drama to be found there, no need to resort to spooks. Dickens walked miles and miles in London. Melville went whaling. But this recessive little piggie stayed home, and the book suffers for it. Humorless gasbag, I say.

Departure from what I normally read, but good.......2007-07-24

I've had a copy of the House of Seven Gables sitting on my bookshelf for a number of years. The poor little book is slightly out of place between a plethora of fantasy and science fiction novels. Every once in a while I try to venture into a different realm of subject. That's the reason I finally picked up this book to read. I would have read it sooner but I was forced to read "The Scarlet Letter" in high school and never had the heart to read another Nathaniel Hawthorne novel.

Not expecting much, I have to say I was very impressed with this book. The details got to be a bit much at times. I have to admit there were parts of the book that I scanned quit quickly because I just didn't need to know that much description about a certain thing.

That being said, Hawthorne was very good at clearly painting a picture in my head. I could smell the mustiness of the house, feel the joy when Phoebe entered a room, and feel Clifford's sadness and confusion. What took me by surprise was the sharp wit throughout the book and intellectualness of this wit. Quit often I found myself laughing out loud at some of the dry humor in this book. Also of course there was the mystery of the book which kept you hanging on until the end.

I don't know that I will read any additional Hawthorne novels but I would recommend this as a good example of his work. It is much more interesting and engaging than the Scarlet Letter.

happy.......2007-05-17

the book was packed very well and i would not think twice to order another book from them. THANKS

Fabulous Hawthorne.......2007-02-14

What a great book. In truth, I found The Scarlet Letter a little hard to read, though I can appreciate its merit. This novel, however, kept me involved from start to finish and the symbolism in the text is so rich that one could read HSOG twenty times and discover something new each time.
Hawthorne is really dealing with appearances in this text but is also suggesting the step toward modernity with the advent of the railway and electricity, things still "novel" at the time of writing. HSOG spurns tradition in many ways and lays bear the faults of an aristocratic society.
This is a small book, but very dense. A rewarding classic without question.

classics.......2006-11-03

House of Seven Gables was mandatory reading in high school. I have been out of school for many years and have been reading the "classics" again. I am enjoying them so much. I will be adding this to my Grandchildren's library and who knows someday they may enjoy these books as much as I have. pb

The Scarlet Letter (Classic Books on Cassettes Collection) [UNABRIDGED]

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Brilliant reading of a beautiful story

The Scarlet Letter (Classic Books on Cassettes Collection) [UNABRIDGED]
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Manufacturer: Audio Book Contractors, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

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ASIN: 1556853416

Book Description

The social consequences of adultery in Puritan Boston are vividly drawn when Hester Prynn is forced to wear a scarlet "A" on her bosom and faces the tortured conscience of the Reverend Dimmesdale and the viscious jealousy of Roger Chillingworth Five 90-minute cassettes and one 60.

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Brilliant reading of a beautiful story.......2005-04-22

The Scarlet Letter is a fantastic story, a story of Hester Prynne, a wife who went to "the New World" (America) before her husband, and whose husband is suspected of being lost at sea. During the couple years that she is alone, she becomes pregnant and gives birth - proving to the entire Puritan colony that she has been unfaithful to her husband.

The Puritan elders madate that she wear a scarlet letter, the letter "A", upon her bosom. The story tells of how this single event works in the lives of the three, and symbolism is everywhere.

This story is the story of Hester Prynne, and of her (once) husband, her paramour, and of her child. The turn of phrase is fantastic, and eloquent. The book has many memorable and quotable phrases, and more than a few colorful characters.

Flo Gibson's reading of the story is exquisite, with all the nuance and emphasis one could hope for. Her character voices are splendid, and there is little doubt as to who might be speaking at any time. She never hesitates, and never sounds as if she is plodding, but rather is acting as story-teller and muse.

I fell in love with this book, and Flo Gibson gives it voice.

Average customer rating:

Best Mystery Value Collection 1

Manufacturer: Dercum Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

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Best Science Fiction (Dercum Value Collections)

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Best Science Fiction (Dercum Value Collections)

Manufacturer: Dercum Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

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Book Description

Orson Scott Card, the winner of the Hugo, Nebula and World Fantasy Awards for fiction, and Martin H. Greenberg, editor/author of over 100 different short story and novella anthologies, have teamed together to produce the Dercum Value Collections. Each volume in the series contains four ninety-minute cassettes, with six hours of some of the best stories in the genre, for under $20! These collections are not available in book form anywhere: they were selected and recorded especially for Dercum Audio. Volume one of the science fiction collection contains the Nebula Award-winning story Rachel in Love by Pat Murphy, read by the author. Also includes such classics as Wolf Time by Walter Jon Williams; Silent Night by Ben Bova.

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