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The Scarlet Letter (Penguin Classics)
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Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Average Customer Rating:
Our Price: $7.00
You Save: $ ( % )
Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Average Customer Rating:
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The Scarlet Letter (Penguin Classics) Description
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.3
EAN: 9780142437261
ISBN: 0142437263
Label: Penguin Classics
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 272
Publication Date: 2002-12-31
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Studio: Penguin Classics
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.3
EAN: 9780142437261
ISBN: 0142437263
Label: Penguin Classics
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 272
Publication Date: 2002-12-31
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Studio: Penguin Classics
Editorial Review of The Scarlet Letter (Penguin Classics)
Set in the harsh Puritan community of seventeenth-century Massachusetts, this tale of an adulterous entanglement resulting in an illegitimate birth engendered the first true heroine of American fiction.
Introduction by Nina Baym
Notes by Thomas E. Connolly
Introduction by Nina Baym
Notes by Thomas E. Connolly
Customer Reviews of The Scarlet Letter (Penguin Classics)
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Brilliant
Review: This work is an American classic, and the introduction is effective. The editors must be credited with including Hawthorne's original introduction as well, which they note as been ommitted in the past. However, the introduction gives a tiny bit away that they could have spared themselves from doing so. Further, the actual book itself is cheap and in wonderful condition and is quite beautiful.
Now, there is a great deal of beauty in this man's writings which needs to be appreciated as a work of brilliance. Namely, his description of the character and the scenery; this is not at all digressive or rediculously boring, as most works often are when they employ this technique; Hawthorne knows how to use scenery to embellish and further the mood and purpose of the plot.
I shall not give anything away, and the reader should read this without knowing the end, since it will hieghten the anticipation which makes this novel particularly enjoyable. This book was outstanding, an American classic, and certainly most be digested.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Startlingly overrated (in my opinion, anyway)
Review: The Scarlet Letter is an American tourist trying to ask one of the locals for directions; it speaks loud and slow, making gigantic explanatory hand gestures and nodding enthusiastically when it thinks you're catching on. What it doesn't seem to notice is that you speak English, you understand exactly what it's saying, and the hotel is just down the street. What could have been a meaningful, succinct five-second exchange has instead become an annoyingly elaborate, tediously awkward, and unnecessarily long social ritual. What could have been a poignantly rendered meditation on sin, redemption, and society winds up choking on its own ambitions. Indeed, had Hawthorne approached this novel with some sense of subtlety, allowing his narrative to unfold gracefully and naturally, ensuring that his characters and plot are compelling, allowing his themes to intertwine gently with the story itself, The Scarlet Letter would probably have struck me as the masterpiece that everybody else seems to think it is. But no; Hawthorne has a Grand Statement to make, and he'll be damned if anybody misses out on even a fraction of it! He loads up on symbolism, ensuring that every object that his characters might encounter is a metaphor for something or other. Nothing wrong with symbolism, of course, but Hawthorne uses it like a fire hose in a burning orphanage. He beats readers into the ground with the stuff, making painstaking effort to ensure that we don't miss a second of figurative goodness. He even goes so far as to explain what some of his metaphors represent. A bit like a magician explaining how he does his tricks, if you ask me.
All of which occurs at the expense of the usual indicators of literary merit. Hawthorne structures his novel like the most didactic of parables, glossing over plot, characterization, dynamics, tension, and emotional resonance while beating readers to death with the moral. The story itself could be compelling, but it's a missed opportunity: Hawthorne describes the actual events in the novel as if he's writing a general summary of something he heard elsewhere. The prose is distant, ponderous, and dry, without a sense of sympathy or suspense. Hawthorne doesn't give a damn about his characters, doesn't even want to craft a compelling narrative. He's too busy Writing A Great Novel to write a great novel. As a result, the novel comes off as hollow, pretentious, and condescending, not to mention painfully boring.
It certainly did have potential, though; the three main characters all have seeds of greatness in them, while the story itself is, Hawthorne's stumbling prose notwithstanding, a compelling one, and the author's thoughts on sin and redemption really are pretty interesting. Call it a good idea ruined by poor execution, then.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: [2.5-3.5?] Good Literature, Good Story, But not Historically Correct
Review: Every since "The Scarlet Letter" was first written it has been acclaimed for its interesting story and excellent literary prose. For me, this book wasn't a dull read; at times it was difficult to put down because I was drawn into the drama of events that surround the main characters. One of the things I really enjoyed about this novel was the majesty of the old English. In the depiction of a few events, Hawthorne's style struck me as rather wordy--it wasn't my favorite style-- but I must admit that it isn't an intrinsically bad style. BUT the reason why I give this book only three stars is because of all the damage it has done to our society by propagating myths about the Puritans. This part of the story was very hard for me to read. It's almost as if Nathaniel Hawthorne took delight in defacing the Puritans by showing them to be snobby, dispirited, miserable people, always looking up at the sky for deliverance from the drudgery of earth. MYTH #1: The book doesn't take long to emphasize that the Puritans wore "sad-colored" garments (this is mentioned in the SECOND PHRASE[!] of the book). MYTH #2: The Puritans were intolerant legalists who were very uptight about religion. MYTH #3: The Puritans were opposed to sports and recreation. All of these are false assumptions about the Puritans. For a more detailed explanation about what the Puritans were really like, I recommend Ryken's book "Worldly Saints." I also think that C.S. Lewis has written some edifying things about the Puritans and their culture.
Now that you know the good and bad of this novel, I will conclude by saying that "The Scarlet Letter" is worth reading and adding to your library, but don't accept everything you read in it as fact.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Korean drama, Puritan style
Review: The two missing stars are the result of Hawthorne's abuse of repetitions throughout the novel.
At times, the novel is redundant - while it might have served to emphasize the author's purpose, Hawthorne's repetitiveness is an overkill. His point could have been delivered in one piece even if he cuts multiple parts out from the novel. Like Korean dramas (Hawthorne even captures the love triangle and illegitimate aspects of said dramas), this book is a complete drag - but only in the beginning and ending. The parts that connect the two are at times, either intriguing and twisted or completely dull and uneventful. These sudden, drastic changes are often hard for readers to adjust to when trying to focus and decipher what is going on.
Despite Hawthorne's verbosity, the novel should be merited for its moral conflicts posed of the society. The ostracized, as Hawthorne portrays, can be good and unaffected by the majority; the community, on the other hand, is unforgiving and hypocritical of what they say. The characters in the novel are set to explore the moral boundaries of human nature - the community, in fact, is a microcosm of the world. This sets up the entire novel to be an example of man vs society, with Hester and pearl representing man and the Puritan society as society.
There is heavy symbolism in the novel: from the letter A to the entire community or even Pearl, each little detail carries a double meaning that contributes to the build-up of the book's climax. Because of Hawthorne's repetitive style, these symbols are easy to notice and hard to overlook. They are motifs that keep recurring throughout the novel as Hawthorne relentlessly inserts one every now and then.
The denouement is in many ways disappointing. Of all possibilities, I could not imagine an ending less exciting than what Hawthorne has chosen. Otherwise, the story overall is worth a read for its in-depth analysis of the hypocrisies of the society.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: An interesting story told with a boring style
Review: Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter is a fascinating story about guilt, revenge, and the faults of the Puritan community. But even with this interesting plot, Hawthorne's verbose style with excessive detail makes the novel difficult to read quickly.
The book begins as Hester Prynne is being punished for adultery by having to wear the letter "A" and being publicly embarrassed. Her strong personality is displayed as she does not break down and reveal the person she committed adultery with. Minister Dimmesdale is her lover, but is weak and scared to face his responsibilities. Roger Chillingworth, Hester Prynne's husband, returns after disappearing for years and secretly plans to destroy Dimmesdale because of his desire to avenge his injured pride.
By setting the novel in a 17th century Puritan colony in New England, Miller is able to full examine the effects of guilt and sin on a person's soul under a pressured environment where religious beliefs and laws are strictly enforced. This is displayed through Dimmesdale's deteriorating health as he faces an inward battle. He fears the condemnation of the townspeople, but at the same time, feel obligated to take care of Hester Prynne and their child.
The plethora of symbols and allusions in the story add to its profoundness.
Hawthorne has a verbose and formal style, as shown through his diction and syntax. He uses antiquated words, even in the dialogues between Hester Prynne and Pearl, her young child. The lengthiness of the novel is due to excess of detail given.
The Scarlet Letter has an intriguing plot that makes us reflect on our ethics and teaches us about revenge and guilt, but Hawthorne's proper diction and lengthy descriptions prevent readers from reading it continuously in one sitting.
Review Summary: Brilliant
Review: This work is an American classic, and the introduction is effective. The editors must be credited with including Hawthorne's original introduction as well, which they note as been ommitted in the past. However, the introduction gives a tiny bit away that they could have spared themselves from doing so. Further, the actual book itself is cheap and in wonderful condition and is quite beautiful.
Now, there is a great deal of beauty in this man's writings which needs to be appreciated as a work of brilliance. Namely, his description of the character and the scenery; this is not at all digressive or rediculously boring, as most works often are when they employ this technique; Hawthorne knows how to use scenery to embellish and further the mood and purpose of the plot.
I shall not give anything away, and the reader should read this without knowing the end, since it will hieghten the anticipation which makes this novel particularly enjoyable. This book was outstanding, an American classic, and certainly most be digested.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Startlingly overrated (in my opinion, anyway)
Review: The Scarlet Letter is an American tourist trying to ask one of the locals for directions; it speaks loud and slow, making gigantic explanatory hand gestures and nodding enthusiastically when it thinks you're catching on. What it doesn't seem to notice is that you speak English, you understand exactly what it's saying, and the hotel is just down the street. What could have been a meaningful, succinct five-second exchange has instead become an annoyingly elaborate, tediously awkward, and unnecessarily long social ritual. What could have been a poignantly rendered meditation on sin, redemption, and society winds up choking on its own ambitions. Indeed, had Hawthorne approached this novel with some sense of subtlety, allowing his narrative to unfold gracefully and naturally, ensuring that his characters and plot are compelling, allowing his themes to intertwine gently with the story itself, The Scarlet Letter would probably have struck me as the masterpiece that everybody else seems to think it is. But no; Hawthorne has a Grand Statement to make, and he'll be damned if anybody misses out on even a fraction of it! He loads up on symbolism, ensuring that every object that his characters might encounter is a metaphor for something or other. Nothing wrong with symbolism, of course, but Hawthorne uses it like a fire hose in a burning orphanage. He beats readers into the ground with the stuff, making painstaking effort to ensure that we don't miss a second of figurative goodness. He even goes so far as to explain what some of his metaphors represent. A bit like a magician explaining how he does his tricks, if you ask me.
All of which occurs at the expense of the usual indicators of literary merit. Hawthorne structures his novel like the most didactic of parables, glossing over plot, characterization, dynamics, tension, and emotional resonance while beating readers to death with the moral. The story itself could be compelling, but it's a missed opportunity: Hawthorne describes the actual events in the novel as if he's writing a general summary of something he heard elsewhere. The prose is distant, ponderous, and dry, without a sense of sympathy or suspense. Hawthorne doesn't give a damn about his characters, doesn't even want to craft a compelling narrative. He's too busy Writing A Great Novel to write a great novel. As a result, the novel comes off as hollow, pretentious, and condescending, not to mention painfully boring.
It certainly did have potential, though; the three main characters all have seeds of greatness in them, while the story itself is, Hawthorne's stumbling prose notwithstanding, a compelling one, and the author's thoughts on sin and redemption really are pretty interesting. Call it a good idea ruined by poor execution, then.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: [2.5-3.5?] Good Literature, Good Story, But not Historically Correct
Review: Every since "The Scarlet Letter" was first written it has been acclaimed for its interesting story and excellent literary prose. For me, this book wasn't a dull read; at times it was difficult to put down because I was drawn into the drama of events that surround the main characters. One of the things I really enjoyed about this novel was the majesty of the old English. In the depiction of a few events, Hawthorne's style struck me as rather wordy--it wasn't my favorite style-- but I must admit that it isn't an intrinsically bad style. BUT the reason why I give this book only three stars is because of all the damage it has done to our society by propagating myths about the Puritans. This part of the story was very hard for me to read. It's almost as if Nathaniel Hawthorne took delight in defacing the Puritans by showing them to be snobby, dispirited, miserable people, always looking up at the sky for deliverance from the drudgery of earth. MYTH #1: The book doesn't take long to emphasize that the Puritans wore "sad-colored" garments (this is mentioned in the SECOND PHRASE[!] of the book). MYTH #2: The Puritans were intolerant legalists who were very uptight about religion. MYTH #3: The Puritans were opposed to sports and recreation. All of these are false assumptions about the Puritans. For a more detailed explanation about what the Puritans were really like, I recommend Ryken's book "Worldly Saints." I also think that C.S. Lewis has written some edifying things about the Puritans and their culture.
Now that you know the good and bad of this novel, I will conclude by saying that "The Scarlet Letter" is worth reading and adding to your library, but don't accept everything you read in it as fact.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Korean drama, Puritan style
Review: The two missing stars are the result of Hawthorne's abuse of repetitions throughout the novel.
At times, the novel is redundant - while it might have served to emphasize the author's purpose, Hawthorne's repetitiveness is an overkill. His point could have been delivered in one piece even if he cuts multiple parts out from the novel. Like Korean dramas (Hawthorne even captures the love triangle and illegitimate aspects of said dramas), this book is a complete drag - but only in the beginning and ending. The parts that connect the two are at times, either intriguing and twisted or completely dull and uneventful. These sudden, drastic changes are often hard for readers to adjust to when trying to focus and decipher what is going on.
Despite Hawthorne's verbosity, the novel should be merited for its moral conflicts posed of the society. The ostracized, as Hawthorne portrays, can be good and unaffected by the majority; the community, on the other hand, is unforgiving and hypocritical of what they say. The characters in the novel are set to explore the moral boundaries of human nature - the community, in fact, is a microcosm of the world. This sets up the entire novel to be an example of man vs society, with Hester and pearl representing man and the Puritan society as society.
There is heavy symbolism in the novel: from the letter A to the entire community or even Pearl, each little detail carries a double meaning that contributes to the build-up of the book's climax. Because of Hawthorne's repetitive style, these symbols are easy to notice and hard to overlook. They are motifs that keep recurring throughout the novel as Hawthorne relentlessly inserts one every now and then.
The denouement is in many ways disappointing. Of all possibilities, I could not imagine an ending less exciting than what Hawthorne has chosen. Otherwise, the story overall is worth a read for its in-depth analysis of the hypocrisies of the society.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: An interesting story told with a boring style
Review: Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter is a fascinating story about guilt, revenge, and the faults of the Puritan community. But even with this interesting plot, Hawthorne's verbose style with excessive detail makes the novel difficult to read quickly.
The book begins as Hester Prynne is being punished for adultery by having to wear the letter "A" and being publicly embarrassed. Her strong personality is displayed as she does not break down and reveal the person she committed adultery with. Minister Dimmesdale is her lover, but is weak and scared to face his responsibilities. Roger Chillingworth, Hester Prynne's husband, returns after disappearing for years and secretly plans to destroy Dimmesdale because of his desire to avenge his injured pride.
By setting the novel in a 17th century Puritan colony in New England, Miller is able to full examine the effects of guilt and sin on a person's soul under a pressured environment where religious beliefs and laws are strictly enforced. This is displayed through Dimmesdale's deteriorating health as he faces an inward battle. He fears the condemnation of the townspeople, but at the same time, feel obligated to take care of Hester Prynne and their child.
The plethora of symbols and allusions in the story add to its profoundness.
Hawthorne has a verbose and formal style, as shown through his diction and syntax. He uses antiquated words, even in the dialogues between Hester Prynne and Pearl, her young child. The lengthiness of the novel is due to excess of detail given.
The Scarlet Letter has an intriguing plot that makes us reflect on our ethics and teaches us about revenge and guilt, but Hawthorne's proper diction and lengthy descriptions prevent readers from reading it continuously in one sitting.