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The Scarlet Letter (Oxford World's Classics)
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The Scarlet Letter (Oxford World's Classics) Unknown - 1998

by Hawthorne, Nathaniel


About this book

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.

Summary

A stark and allegorical tale of adultery, guilt, and social repression in Puritan New England, The Scarlet Letter is a foundational work of American literature. Nathaniel Hawthorne's exploration of the dichotomy between the public and private self, internal passion and external convention, gives us the unforgettable Hester Prynne, who discovers strength in the face of ostracism and emerges as a heroine ahead of her time.

From the publisher

Set in Puritan Boston, The Scarlet Letter tells the intriguing tale of Hester Prynne, a woman caught in the conflict between the Puritan ethics of her community and the higher law of her own love. In this tragic tale, we see the struggle between the laws of scripture and those of a different
moral authority. This up-to-date edition covers recent developments in Hawthorne scholarship.

First line

A THRONG of bearded men, in sad-colored garments and gray, steeple-crowned hats, intermixed with women, some wearing hoods, and others bareheaded, was assembled in front of a wooden edifice, the door of which was heavily timbered with oak, and studded with iron spikes.

First Edition Identification

First edition published by Ticknor, Reeds and Fields, in Boston 1850. Main first edition marker is "reduplicate" instead of "repudiate" on page 21 Four page publisher's adverts at front dated March 1, 1850 and preceding the free end paper. The brown T-cloth favored by Ticknor & Fields is famous for becoming brittle with age, and cracking or fraying at the spine tips. First editions can run upwards of $20,000.

The second edition adds a preface and has a Metcalf imprint on verso of title-page. The third printing has the same preface but has a Hobart & Robbins imprint on verso of title-page.

Details

  • Title The Scarlet Letter (Oxford World's Classics)
  • Author Hawthorne, Nathaniel
  • Binding unknown
  • Edition [ Edition: Repri
  • Pages 352
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Oxford University Press, USA, Cary, North Carolina, U.S.A.
  • Date February 26, 1998
  • ISBN 9780192833716
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The Scarlet Letter (Oxford World's Classics)

The Scarlet Letter (Oxford World's Classics)

by Hawthorne, Nathaniel

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The Scarlet Letter (Oxford World's Classics)
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The Scarlet Letter (Oxford World's Classics)

by Hawthorne, Nathaniel

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The Scarlet Letter (Oxford World's Classics)
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The Scarlet Letter (Oxford World's Classics)

by Nathaniel Hawthorne

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