This is a troubling story of crime, sin, guilt, punishment and expiation, set in the rigid moral climate of 17th-century New England. The young mother of an illegitimate child confronts her Puritan judges.

However, it is not so much her harsh sentence, but the cruelties of slowly exposed guilt as her lover is revealed, that hold the reader enthralled all the way to the book's poignant climax.

Synopsis

The Scarlet Letter: A Romance (1850) is considered the American author Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'masterwork.' A work of historical fiction set in the Massachusetts Bay Colony during the Puritan settlement of 1642-1949 itells the story of Hester Prynne, who after having a child as a result of an extra-marital affair attempts to live a life of repentance and dignity although she is marked by having to wear a Scarlett A on her person. Throughout the novel, Hawthorne explores themes of legalism, sin, and guilt. The Scarlett Letter was one of the first mass-produced novels in the United States, prior printing of books generally done by hand. The 2,500 copies first printed sold out in days, and the mass-production of books opened up conversation about books and authors to a wider-audience on a national level. The first edition of The Scarlet Letter sold out in ten days and “made Hawthorne’s fame, changed his fortune and gave to our literature its first symbolic novel a year before the appearance of Melville’s Moby-Dick” (Bradley). Although an instant best-seller, the books sales over fourteen years only brought the author $1500.

Reviews

On Oct 4 2010, Erhanilhan said:

An absolute criticism of Puritan society. Hawthorne portrays the hypocritic sides of the society by pointing its discrepancies and ill-interpreted biblical sides deeds. He also shows that the society was not working in the name of god as stated; instead worked for a group of people (especially powerful) that keep the lines in hand.

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Details

Bookseller: The Vespiary Book Restoration & Bindery (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #: SQ2685303
Title: The Scarlet Letter
Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne
Book Condition: Used - Good
Quantity Available: 1
Binding: Paperback
ISBN 10: 159308207X
ISBN 13: 9781593082079
Publisher: BARNES & NOBLE CLASSICS
Place of Publication: New York
Date Published: 2005
Bookseller catalogs: Literature;

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The Vespiary Book Restoration & Bindery has been operating since 2008 providing a wide range of book repair, conservation, and binding services. Her used book selection is eclectic, but discerning. If you have books you'd like to trade, The Vespiary offers credit for merchandise and services in exchange for books.

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