The Scarlet Letter (Wordsworth Classics)
Introduction and Notes by Henry Claridge, Senior Lecturer, School of English, University of Kent at Canterbury.
This is a troubling story of crime, sin, guilt, punishment and expiation, set in the rigid moral climate of 17th-century New England. The young mother of an illegitimate child confronts her Puritan judges.
However, it is not so much her harsh sentence, but the cruelties of slowly exposed guilt as her lover is revealed, that hold the reader enthralled all the way to the book's poignant climax.
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Community Reviews
It was a sad story. Even so, I loved it. This is the first Hawthorne's novel I read. I'm surprised about his ability for making you feel close to the characters and close to the story, and at the same time, you, as a reader, feel the story as an intruder, as a real witness of a tragedy you don't belong to, but you are taking part in.
It was beautiful, especially, the depictions of the walks through the wild and unexplored woods of New England.
I felt it as an autumnal reading. Very soft, very gentle, very simple and quiet in appearance, and full of violence and injustice on the other hand.
A painful love story, but most of all, a story about love and hate, and the very little distance between them. A story about humankind conscience vs sin. A tragedy in all its rule.
The final chapter is a masterpiece.
One of my favorite classics. I thought this would be a slow read, but I had a hard time putting it down.
cancel culture has always been a thing! surprisingly enjoyable to read. maybe just because iâve read a little hawthorne before or maybe because iâve been reading a lot recently, but i didnât find the style too bad/hard to read!
unfortunately there are some racist descriptions of native americans, though i canât be surprised due to the time period, and theyâre fairly limited
unfortunately there are some racist descriptions of native americans, though i canât be surprised due to the time period, and theyâre fairly limited
I read this as a sophomore or junior in hs and struggled with it. It thought is wasnât that bright and reading wasnât my thing. I believe this book is my 100th book Iâve read this year and I can say, I was very wrong. This book is brutal. Itâs dull. Its writing is as of 2024 incredibly challenging to read and comprehend. Many times did I find my mind wandered out of boredom much like when I read this in HS. Why do we make kids read this? I donât mind the story of adultery, Iâm all for books, but this thing is just horrible to impart on kids as it dissuades them from appreciating reading.
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