Book Cover
Book
Author Johnson, Claudia Durst, 1938-

Title Understanding the Scarlet letter : a student casebook to issues, sources, and historical documents / Claudia Durst Johnson
Published Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 1995

Copies

Location Call no. Vol. Availability
 MELB  810.3 H39965 A6/S6J  AVAILABLE
Description xiii, 228 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm
Series The Greenwood Press "literature in context" series, 1074-598X
Greenwood Press "Literature in context" series. 1074-598X
Contents 1. A Literary Analysis of The Scarlet Letter -- 2. The Scarlet Letter and the Puritans -- 3. The Puritan Mind. From The Diary of Michael Wigglesworth (1631) -- 4. Crime and Punishment in Massachusetts Bay -- 5. Anne Hutchinson and Hester Prynne. From John Winthrop, History of New England from 1630-1649 (1853). From Cotton Mather, Magnalia Christi Americana (1698). From A Report on the Trial of Mrs. Anne Hutchinson before the Church in Boston (March, 1638) -- 6. Witchcraft and The Scarlet Letter. From William E. Woodard, ed., Records of Salem Witchcraft (1864). From Cotton Mather, The Wonders of the Invisible World (1693). From "Letter of Thomas Brattle, F.R.S." (1692). From The Diary of Samuel Sewall (1697) -- 7. "The Custom-House": Hawthorne, the Nineteenth Century, and The Scarlet Letter. From "A Review of 'The Custom-House'" (March, 1850). From George Bishop, New England Judged by the Spirit of the Lord (1659)
Summary "Upon its publication in 1850, The Scarlet Letter shocked the nation by boldly confronting 'forbidden' topics including the sexual misconduct of society's leaders, the plight of single mothers, and the separation of church and state. Ironically, the novel's moral and social themes, which at the time inspired such scandal, are now the source of its continued vitality since those very issues occupy America's conscience today. Now, no study of American history is complete without thorough examination of Nathaniel Hawthorne's timeless masterpiece. This multidisciplinary study of the novel contains: Original 17th-century documents that illuminate Puritan attitudes and bring the Salem witchcraft trials to life; 19th-century magazine and newspaper articles, private journals, historical reports, and sketches of Hawthorne's time; An examination of the novel's introductory essay, 'The Custom House, ' in which Hawthorne grapples with the role his ancestors played in persequting the Quakers and the Salem witeches, as well as his own internal conflict over his vocation as a fiction writer; Reviews of "The Scarlet Letter" at the time of publication which reflect the controversy ignited by the novel; Current news articles which display the novel's relevance to today's controversial issues. Most of the documents are available in no other printed form. Each section of this casebook contains study questions, topics for research papers and class discussions, and lists of further reading for examining the issues raised by the novel."
Analysis English fiction
United States
English fiction
United States
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index
Subject Hawthorne, Nathaniel, 1804-1864. Scarlet letter -- Examinations -- Study guides.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel, 1804-1864. Scarlet letter -- Sources.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel, 1804-1864. Scarlet letter.
Adultery in literature -- Sources.
Adultery in literature.
Historical fiction, American -- History and criticism -- Sources.
Literature and history -- Massachusetts -- Sources.
Mothers and daughters in literature -- Sources.
Mothers and daughters in literature.
Puritans in literature -- Sources.
Puritans in literature.
Women in literature -- Sources.
Women in literature.
SUBJECT Massachusetts -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775 http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85081924 -- Historiography. http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh00006046
Massachusetts -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775 http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85081924 -- Sources. http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh2002012010
LC no. 94039083
ISBN 0313293287 (alk. paper)