English 3667F/G Lecture : Lecture 001 - The Scarlet Letter (Emerson)
23 Dec 2011
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Document Summary
The scarlet letter published in 1850 action of the novel took place in 1650, 200 years before the time the novel was actually written. Hawthorne was writing a historical novel, reconstructing and interpreting a previous age. Sl has maintained its position as an american classic through the years. Recognized as a great book when it was published. The canon of american literature has tended to fluctuate and change. Hawthorne speaks to the american mind and mentality, especially in sl. Preachy narrator telling us what to think: subversive voice, very devious. Sins characters commit in the novel are never the ones they think they"ve committed (paradoxical) The english novel is a novel of manners and class; the american novel tends to focus moreso on metaphysical issues (nature of being, nature of relationship of the individual, etc. ) Demand for meticulous realism in the novel.
