The Scarlet Letter

This New Riverside Edition of The Scarlet Letter, edited by Rita K. Gollin (State University of New York at Geneseo), is... (more)

This New Riverside Edition of The Scarlet Letter, edited by Rita K. Gollin (State University of New York at Geneseo), is based on the first edition of the novel, published in 1850 by Ticknor, Reed, and Fields. Part One, "Contexts," contains selections from Hawthorne's short stories, journal entries, and letters relevant to The Scarlet Letter, as well as articles placing the book in its historical context. Part Two contains The Scarlet Letter itself, preceded by "The Custom-House," Hawthorne's long introductory essay to the novel, and his "Preface to the Second Edition." Part Three, "Criticism," contains early reviews of The Scarlet Letter and subsequent criticism by noted essayists from Henry James to our own contemporaries. Rare illustrations by Mary Hallock Foote, commissioned for the 1877 Osgood and Company edition, and by F. O. C. Darley, for the 1879 Houghton Mifflin edition, drawn from Houghton Mifflin's own archive, add a visual dimension unavailable in any other modern edition of the novel. (less)

In 18th century Boston, a Puritan girl is condemned to wear the letter "A" for bearing an illegitimate daughter. (more)

In 18th century Boston, a Puritan girl is condemned to wear the letter "A" for bearing an illegitimate daughter. (less)

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A young woman, publicly scorned for bearing an illegitimate child, refuses to be vanquished by the seventeenth-century B... (more)

A young woman, publicly scorned for bearing an illegitimate child, refuses to be vanquished by the seventeenth-century Boston community. (less)

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Hester Prynne is ostracized from her seventeenth-century Puritan community for refusing to name the father of her child,... (more)

Hester Prynne is ostracized from her seventeenth-century Puritan community for refusing to name the father of her child, the product of an adulterous relationship. (less)

"The canonical American masterpiece of sin, guilt, and revenge, in an authoritative new edition from Penguin Classics wi... (more)

"The canonical American masterpiece of sin, guilt, and revenge, in an authoritative new edition from Penguin Classics with a foreword by Tom Perrotta At once retrospective and radically new, The Scarlet Letter portrays seventeenth-century Puritan New England, a time period irreversibly encoded in the American identity. Hawthorne built one of the most incisive and devastating human dramas ever written out of a community and its outcasts: Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale, whose affair leaves one emblazoned with her sin and the other distraught with hidden guilt; their daughter Pearl, born into ostracism; and Roger Chillingworth, driven to vengeance by hatred. Though these characters face a set of specifically troubling circumstances, their words and actions point to moral truths inherent in human affairs, independent of time and place. The text of this edition, approved by the Center for Scholarly Editions of the Modern Language Association, is the result of an exhaustive examination of Hawthorne's manuscript and other historical records. Robert Milder provides an enlightening new scholarly introduction and bibliography. Tom Perrotta, whose novel The Leftovers--now a hit HBO show--was influenced by Hawthorne's work, provides a thoughtful foreword on how he came to appreciate Hawthorne's masterpiece. For more than sixty-five years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,500 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators"-- (less)

Provides in-depth analysis of the literary work The Scarlet Letter, as well as its importance and critical reception. In... (more)

Provides in-depth analysis of the literary work The Scarlet Letter, as well as its importance and critical reception. Includes a chronology of the life and works of the author. (less)

Hawthorne's greatest novel, a stark tale of guilt, repression and adultery in a Puritan Massachusetts colony, was hailed... (more)

Hawthorne's greatest novel, a stark tale of guilt, repression and adultery in a Puritan Massachusetts colony, was hailed by Henry James as "the finest piece of imaginative writing yet put forth in the country. " The novel traces the impact of a single, scandalous act on the lives of three community members: the tragic, defiant Hester Prynne, the tortured Reverend Dimmesdale and the vengeful Chillingsworth. (less)

Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel brings to life the attitudes and passions of 17th century New England. Condemned by her Puri... (more)

Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel brings to life the attitudes and passions of 17th century New England. Condemned by her Puritan fellows for having a child out of wedlock, Hester Prynne is forced to wear a scarlet letter. (less)

Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel brings to life the attitudes and passions of 17th century New England. Condemned by her Puri... (more)

Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel brings to life the attitudes and passions of 17th century New England. Condemned by her Puritan fellows for having a child out of wedlock, Hester Prynne is forced to wear a scarlet letter. (less)

Tells the story of Hester Prynne, a young Puritan woman who has violated the laws of Colonial Boston. As punishment she ... (more)

Tells the story of Hester Prynne, a young Puritan woman who has violated the laws of Colonial Boston. As punishment she is ordered to wear the Scarlet Letter of an adulterer for the rest of her life. (less)