The Historian's Scarlet Letter: Reading Nathaniel Hawthorne's Masterpiece as Social and Cultural History (Historian's Annotated Classics)

This annotated edition of The Scarlet Letter enhances student and reader comprehension of a standard work studied in literature classes, exploring names, places, objects, and allusions. - Makes the novel more easily understandable for a 21st-century audience - Provides annotations that identify historical events, persons, and objects as well as allusions to the Bible and other texts familiar to Hawthorne's contemporaries - Presents an account of Hawthorne's life and career that helps to explain his interest in the past, including his family's connections to significant events in colonial Massachusetts, some of which caused Hawthorne to see the past as a source of guilt - Explores Hawthorne's research into colonial New England and 17th-century England that allowed him to create the context for his characters and to suggest underlying connections between colonial New Englanders and their former home Cover page 1 Halftitle page 2 Series page 3 Title page 4 Copyright page 5 Dediation 6 Contents 8 Series Foreword 10 Preface 12 Chronology 20 CHAPTER 1 Nathaniel Hawthorne: The Burden of the Past and the Promise of His Own Era 32 CHAPTER 2 Hawthorne, the Historical Romance, and Seventeenth-Century New England 44 The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne with Annotations by Melissa McFarland Pennell 64 Contents 66 The Custom-House. Introductory to “The Scarlet Letter.” 68 I. The Prison-Door. 106 II. The Market-Place. 109 III. The Recognition. 120 IV. The Interview. 128 V. Hester at Her Needle. 135 VI. Pearl. 144 VII. The Governor’s Hall. 152 VIII. The Elf-Child and the Minister. 161 IX. The Leech. 169 X. The Leech and His Patient. 178 XI. The Interior of a Heart. 185 XII. The Minister’s Vigil. 191 XIII. Another View of Hester 200 XIV. Hester and the Physician. 207 XV. Hester and Pearl. 212 XVI. A Forest Walk. 217 XVII. The Pastor and His Parishioner 223 XVIII. A Flood of Sunshine. 230 XIX. The Child at the Brook-Side. 234 XX. The Minister in a Maze. 240 XXI. The New England Holiday 248 XXII. The Procession 256 XXIII. The Revelation of the Scarlet Letter 265 XXIV. Conclusion. 272 Bibliography 278 Index 286 This annotated edition of__The Scarlet Letter__enhances student and reader comprehension of a standard work studied in literature classes, exploring names, places, objects, and allusions.- Makes the novel more easily understandable for a 21st-century audience- Provides annotations that identify historical events, persons, and objects as well as allusions to the Bible and other texts familiar to Hawthorne's contemporaries- Presents an account of Hawthorne's life and career that helps to explain his interest in the past, including his family's connections to significant events in colonial Massachusetts, some of which caused Hawthorne to see the past as a source of guilt- Explores Hawthorne's research into colonial New England and 17th-century England that allowed him to create the context for his characters and to suggest underlying connections between colonial New Englanders and their former home This New Annotated Edition Of Nathaniel Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter Explores Such Issues As The Changing Roles And Views Of Women, The Demand For Conformity In The Puritan Settlement, The Fears Of Social/political Threats Often Linked To Gender, Such As Witchcraft And The Antinomian Crisis, And Colonial Attitudes Toward Crime And Punishment-- Preface -- Chronology -- Chapter 1. Nathaniel Hawthorne: The Burden Of The Past And The Promise Of His Own Era -- Chapter 2. Hawthorne, The Historical Romance, And Seventeenth-century [ms1] New England -- The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne, With Annotations By Melissa Mcfarland Pennell. Edited By Melissa Mcfarland Pennell. The Source Of The Original Text Reprinted Here Is The First American Edition: Nathaniel Hawthorne. The Scarlet Letter. Boston: Ticknor, Reed, And Fields, 1850 --title Page Verso. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.