Complete Novels and Selected Titles of Hawthorne

by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Book Overview

A collection of Hawthorne's works includes thirty-three short stories as well as the novels Fanshawe, The Scarlet Letter, The House of the Seven Gables, The Blithedale Romance, and The Marble Faun. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0394604040
• ISBN13: 9780394604046
• Release Date: May 1977
• Publisher: Modern Library
• Length: 1223 Pages
• Weight: 3.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 2.4" x 5.8" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Nathaniel Hawthorn has a dark slant.

My book came promptly and in excellent condition. I recommend this seller. My negative review is about the book's content. Nathaniel Hawthorn may be a classic American author highly esteemed in some circles, but he has a strong slant toward the dark view. His stories are heavily influenced by his transcendentalist view. This view has the elements of worshiping humans and nature. Yet, he brings elements of nature alive as evil creatures and humans struggling for utopia come out looking inept and less than intelligent. He gives the conservative religious groups of his time a very rigid, mean personality. I bought this book hoping for some higher intellectual reading and vocabulary building for my own book writing skills. I found myself coming away with very few useful notes largely because his skill evaporated into his negativity. From the historical viewpoint, I had hoped to learn more about the history of New England and the character of its people. I soon realized, however, that his view could not be trusted. Many historical writings come from the winners of battles and are slanted heavily in those characters' favor. Nathaniel takes the opposite swing. Frankly, I would like to hear from a more moderate view. Nathaniel reminds me of today's historical revisionism that is going on in our school's history textbooks. Why can't someone write a more moderate view?