The Scarlet Letter (Penguin Classics)

Book Description

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

Customer Reviews:

A memorable book.......2007-08-21

I read The Scarlet Letter when I was in 10th grade more than 14 years ago. This was one of the three novels, the other two being Beowolf and Great Gatsy, that I remember reading, which tells you how boring high school curriculum was and also how outstanding this book is among its peers.

Lovers of Classic Literature .......2007-07-23

I have made it a point to read as many classic novels as possible. I just recently read this version of the Scarlet Letter and say it is a must read. The book itself was in great condition, it even smelled new!

Even better when it's not required reading in school.......2007-07-16

Wow, I can't even put into words how good this book was, and so much better the second time around. The classic tale of Hester Pryne, forced to wear The Scarlet Letter as a sign to all of her adultery, but she refuses to name her lover who is then forced to bear his guilt in silence.

Enough reviewers have recounted the story better than I could. Suffice it to say I loved Hawthorne's prose, it was very dense and lyrical at the same time, and you have to pay close attention or you might have to backup and reread a paragraph or two. His descriptions of the scenery and people came alive, especially the character of young Pearl. And I very much enjoyed the scenes in the forest -- it was amazing how Hawthorne brought it all to life, even the sounds of the babbling brook.

Highly recommended to anyone looking to discover (or rediscover) an old classic. Side note to some of the young misses who clearly weren't happy at having this book as required reading in school -- you really really should try to work harder on your spelling, punctuation and grammar when criticizing a great masterpiece such as this.

A story of deceit and redemption.......2007-06-12

I highly recommend this book for those who wish to escape from the real world through this alternate reality! Witness strange old fashioned punishments and let your ethics be applied to this imaginative play. The Scarlet letter illustrates the message of being honest and embracing your flaws and your talents or else it will lead to your downfall. When Hester is punished to wear her scarlet letter and to be publicly ridiculed for her sins, Hester chooses to avoid as much human contact as possible. Whenever she had to go into public she described her goings as torture, for every single person in town was looking down at her with shame and disgust. As Hester deals with her punishment and her troublesome child, Pearl, Hester learns to use her skills with crafts to help those in need. Honesty is also shown as an essential lesson in Scarlet letter as seen through the downfall of Pastor Dimmesdale, who refuses to tell anyone that he was Hester's partner in sin, in fear that it would ruin his prestige. His evil secret eventually drove him mad and he soon became cursed with visions and serious health problems. He eventually was unable to take the guilt of lying to his congregation and confesses to his followers who became shocked at such an unbelievable confession of such a "holy" man. Read this book and experience the plot come alive with its dark imagery and masterful writing! I highly recommend this book for those who are interested in historical fiction, and the message of the book will never be forgotten, it encourages the need of forgiveness for the regretful and proves that redemption can be found by anyone.

Simply a marvel.......2007-06-05

Written in 1850, The Scarlet Letter is a work of art and brilliance. Hawthorne's intricate writing and entrancing plot make this novel a classic in American Literature. The characters and the symbols they represent can keep even the most critical readers lost in thought. The book itself seems not to be written as merely a story, but rather as a lesson for the reader, often leaving one lost in thought for days after finishing.

The book opens with a long, somewhat unnecessary introduction. If you are an impatient reader, skip this. It is not necessary to the overall plot. However, once you move into the actual story, the novel is hard to put away. I spent two weeks reading a novel that I usually could read in two days. The language is dense and the ideas masked and I often found myself re-reading the same paragraph, page, or even chapter just to ensure that I had found the real meaning.

The main character, Hester Prynne, is found to have had an adulterous affair with an unknown and unannounced lover and to be with child. Living in a puritan society, her punishment is harsh since the Bible is their law. She is forced to stand on a scaffold with her illegitimate child and bear the discrimination of the town. Furthermore, Hester is required to wear a letter "A" on her breast to show the extent of her sins for the rest of her life. The priest of the town, the Reverend Dimmsdale, takes pity on her and tries to console Hester and her daughter Pearl. To further complicate things, Hester's husband, a man now known as Chillingworth, returns to the town after a two-year absence. Disgraced by his wife's actions, he pretends to be a physician to avoid any relation with Hester's scandalous acts. The novel progresses through the drama and effects of the psyche on the characters.

Overall, the writing style, while sometimes dense and difficult to comprehend, is unique and entrancing to read. A bit forward in his approach, Hawthorne lavishes in detail and thought of the characters, acting as God and narrator. The book, admittedly, is hard to read and often simply confusing as to what Hawthorne is trying to get at. Despite all of these shortcomings, I still find that the novel is one worth reading over and over again. It is one of those books that can be read thirty times, yet still manages to hold another surprise the thirty-first.

The Scarlet Letter (Modern Library Classics)

Average customer rating:

fascinating
The first masterpiece of American literature
Hester's Story
Wonderful classic
The private, the public, and Hawthorne

The Scarlet Letter (Modern Library Classics)
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Manufacturer: Modern Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0679783385
Release Date: 2000-09-19

Book Description

A stark and allegorical tale of adultery, guilt, and social repression in Puritan New England, The Scarlet Letter is a foundational work of American literature. Nathaniel Hawthorne's exploration of the dichotomy between the public and private self, internal passion and external convention, gives us the unforgettable Hester Prynne, who discovers strength in the face of ostracism and emerges as a heroine ahead of her time. As Kathryn Harrison points out in her Introduction, Hester is "the herald of the modern American heroine, a mother of such strength and stature that she towers over her progeny much as she does the citizens of Salem."

Customer Reviews:

fascinating.......2007-01-08

A one sentence summary of this book would go like this: set in Puritan Boston, Massachusetts during the 17th century, The Scarlet Letter is about a woman named Hester Prynne, who is condemned to wear the letter "A" for the rest of her life after committing the sin of adultery. Now, this may not sound terribly interesting, but there is more to good literature than just plot, and The Scarlet Letter is one of these excellent works. Nathaniel Hawthorne's distinctive dark, flowing descriptions give this book a kind of eerie appeal and turns the plot into a fascinating story.
All of the main characters are extremely well developed. Because Hawthorne tends to keep everything shrouded in mystery, while still foreshadowing certain events, I could not stop reading. I just had to satisfy my curiosity, and one page led to another and another.
Hawthorne's finest character in this novel was old Roger Chillingworth, the antagonist whose name suits him perfectly. When Chillingworth arrives in Boston to find that his wife, Hester, has given birth to a daughter he could not have fathered, Chillingworth vows to discover who the man is. As he grows more and more obsessed with revenge, his appearance changes too, until he is better described not as a man, but as a devil-like creature that lives only for revenge. While many authors cannot make a character seem truly frightening without including a list of horrific crimes that the character is responsible for (in which case the reader is probably more shocked by the gore than by the character), Hawthorne manages to make Chillingworth unsettlingly evil by simply describing his appearance, no blood, torture devices, or dialogue required. He writes so skillfully that nothing else is needed.
And Chillingworth is only one example of Hawthorne's talent. The Scarlet Letter is definitely a book worth reading.

The first masterpiece of American literature.......2006-11-07

"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," might well be Nathaniel Hawthorne's theme in The Scarlet Letter. Certainly, by all community standards Hester Prynne's adultery is a sin. Worse yet Arthur Dimmesdale has triply sinned since he has had carnal knowledge of a member of his flock, and through a deep and abiding cowardice has failed to acknowledge his sin; and what is even worse yet, he allows Hester to bear the weight of public condemnation alone.

However the worse sin of all belongs to Roger Chillingworth, Hester's husband who is not dead at all, but returned in disguise as a physician who has learned the efficacy of various medicinal concoctions from the Indians during his captivity. He pretends to befriend Dimmesdale in order to extract his long and torturous revenge. But it is Chillingworth's character itself more than anything that marks him as the worse of the sinners. He lives only for revenge and to give pain and suffering. He cares nothing for his wife and her child. He cares nothing for anyone, not even himself. He lives only to avenge.

Dimmesdale's sin is that of a weak character. In a sense Dimmesdale is Everyman, the non-heroic. We see the contrast between the proud bravery of Hester and the all too human weakness of Dimmesdale who cannot bring himself to confess his sin, but looks to her strength to do it for him. We see this in the first scaffold scene as he pleads along with Chillingworth for Hester to reveal the father's identity. "Reveal it yourself!" we want to say.

While some have seen Chillingworth as the devil incarnate--and indeed I suspect that was Hawthorne's intent--it might be closer to the truth to see him as the vengeful God of the Old Testament with his lust to mysterious power and his desire to see the sinful suffer. At any rate, Hawthorne's masterpiece--and it is a masterpiece, one of the pillars of American literature, to be ranked with such great works as Melville's Moby-Dick and Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn--is about sin and the effect of sin; and this is only right since the central tenet of Christianity itself is sin and the forgiveness of sin.

By employing and investigating deeply three types of sin--Hester's from love and even something close to innocence; Dimmesdale's from lust, pride, neglect and cowardice; and Chillingworth's from hate--Hawthorne came up with a most felicitous device for examining the human soul.

The Scarlet Letter is regularly taught at the high school level, but surely this is a mistake. The novel is difficult and challenging even for honors students. The architectured sentences, with their points and counterpoints, their parallel construction, their old school rhetorical cadences are strange and even wondrous to the modern eye. It is a good practice for the teacher and for the student to read aloud Hawthorne's prose so as to grow accustomed to his words the way one must for Shakespeare. If this is done and the edifice of Christianity and especially the fatalism of the Puritan mind brought to bear, then with leisurely pace and a steady concentration, the terrible beauty of Hawthorne's novel might be made immediate.

Although the story itself is compelling, and the prose rich and poetic, the real strength of this great novel is in its characters. How true to life are all of them including even little Pearl who is defiant and willful in her beauty and her promise, so like a heroine-to-be of a modern novel. And how despicable and loathsome is this bent old man who embodies the very soul of the despised! And how attractive on a superficial level is this pretty young pastor whose actions are not the equal of his looks. And how strong and faithful and heroic is Hester who invites both envy and admiration, something like a flawed goddess of yore.

What stuck me when I first read this, and remains with me today, is that it is those who presume to punish sin who are the real sinners. Chillingworth's life is one devoid of human feeling, devoid of any real joy as he lies in the stone cold bed of hatred and revenge. And to a lesser extent so it is with Dimmesdale who cannot forgive himself, who secretly flagellates himself so that his life becomes a hell on earth. On the other hand there is Hester who finds forgiveness and love with good works and in the joy of her beautiful and precious Pearl and in her unstinting love for Dimmesdale and her hope and faith that a better life will come.

This is a deeply Christian novel although it is usually seen as a criticism of Christianity in the sense that the Christian community condemns the least of the sinners while the hypocrisy of its clergy is made manifest. Looking deeper we see that it is forgiveness of sin and the redemption that comes from good works that is exemplified. Hester knows the joy of life because she is a loving and giving person; and on another level she is forgiven because we the reader forgive her. How could we not? And most of the Puritan flock also forgave her since it came to be said that the scarlet "A" she wore upon her person stood not for "Adultery" but for "Able."

It is also good to realize that when Hawthorne published the novel in 1850 the scene of the story was nearly two hundred years removed. Thus Hawthorne looked back at Puritan America from the standpoint of a more secular society greatly influenced by Jeffersonian deism and the transcendentalism of Emerson and Thoreau. In some respects, Hawthorne's brilliant treatment of the ageless theme of sin, guilt and redemption was a serendipitous, even unconscious, artifact of his literary skill. No artist composes a masterpiece without some deep talent at work independent of his conscious efforts.

Hester's Story.......2006-10-18

Hester Prynne is a young woman who has committed adultery. As punishment for what her Puritan religion considers being a crime, Hester is branded with the letter `A'. Hester must wear the letter, which has been beautifully embroidered in scarlet onto her gown, to remind her of the burdens she carries because of her sin; a second husband, Mr. Dimmesdale, a daughter, Pearl, and a town full of enemies who consider her irrational. The commotion that Hester's affair caused was not pleasant. Many shunned and abandoned poor Hester. She was left to fend for herself and newborn daughter with no help from her husband or anyone else. Even Mr. Dimmesdale, the local Puritan church leader who was involved in Hester's affair, turns against her by charging her of the crime! Dimmesdale tries his hardest to cover up his mistake but Hester endures more sorrow and feels even more damaged than him. Although Hester Prynne's decision to betray her husband and her religion may not have been a good one, Hawthorne proves that she is not the only one who deserves to be punished. He criticizes the Puritan ways and shows that sometimes punishment isn't necessary; when the person being punished has learned a lesson.
Pearl is in a way punished as well, for something she does not know about. Although the young girl grows up happy and almost carefree, she really isn't. Her mother learns to love her even though she was born by a sin and eventually she meets her father who loves her as well.
Even after Hester has showed her town she can raise a child "the Puritan way" without any trouble, it takes them awhile to realize that Hester really shouldn't have had to suffer so much pain and sorrow for something that was not any different from things they had done. Hawthorne's novel is stunningly well written and teaches a valuable lesson to the reader; be true to everyone, even yourself. "The Scarlet Letter" is a timely classic that should be remembered always and forever. The last sentence of Nathaniel Hawthorne's amazing novel sums up the entire book perfectly: "On a field sable, the letter `A' gules." This is a great book for anyone who loves suspense, drama, love, and authors who write with a passion that allows the reader to visualize what's happening and feel the heartache that Hester felt.

Wonderful classic .......2006-07-11

I don't understand why this novel has such a low customer rating, except that I can see how many would find the subject matter and elevated writing style extremely difficult and dislikable. The Scarlet Letter is not to be (nor is it possible to be) read lightly; it is actually, in the way of many 19th-century classic novels, quite painful to read. I loved it, and I still trudged through it.

The subject matter, infinitely grim and distasteful, is not enjoyable in any way. It centers on the nature of morality, sin, corruption, hypocrisy especially concerning morality, and all that hackneyed bag of themes. You probably already know the general plot of the novel, so I need not reiterate it. Ironically, while criticizing the hypocrisy and sternness of the Puritans, Hawthorne seems very puritannical himself, and displays those same characteristics, including a kind of absurd self-righteousness and a pompous, austere, rigid, very Christian sense of morality. I got endless irony out of this; it seemed as though he, as the narrator, was condemning the Puritans for their harsh, hypocritical actions while endorsing Puritan principles and expressing views just as severe and ridiculously religious, if not more so, than theirs. I have to warn you that it's pretty disgusting the way he is wholly obsessed with the ideas of sin and guilt. Honestly, I think all he wrote about in his lifetime were Puritans, morality, sin and how we are all horrible sinners, etc. I imagine he could have been a fire-and-brimstone-preaching evangelist if he hadn't chosen the path of literary genius instead. And yes, despite all this, he is still a literary genius.

What makes this such a wonderful piece of classic literature, and one of my favorites, is how beautiful, eloquent, gorgeous, and sophisticated the language is. Rarely have I seen such an astounding mastery of the English language and literary devices, with perfect fluency and coherence, depth, insight, passion, intensity, and power of expression. Of course, I'm sure the style of prose is not for everyone; but I find it remarkable, magnificent, admirable. I loved the rampant symbolism, the ingenuity of little metaphors found everywhere. I loved the character Pearl, who is so strange and otherwordly and complex. Dimmesdale is, well, so very pathetic; he is the epitome of the once-righteous-now-fallen, guilt-torn, utterly miserable, wretched, squirming, feeble, tortured soul, and his abject, wallowing despair adds to the overall gloomy and tormenting atmosphere of the novel.

I know I ranted quite a bit in this review, but honestly, it's a superb work and triumph of English-language literature, and you should at least be able to appreciate it to some degree, in some aspects, and concede its exceptional use of language. I have a feeling that a lot of the reviewers expressing negative opinions are malcontent high school students grumbling about a "stupid, boring book" assigned to them for class. I myself had to read it for my junior-year English class, but I am very glad I was forced to do so.

For those whining about how "verbose" it is - please get over your own short attention span or lack of taste or whatever it is that impedes you from recognizing and appreciating good literature. An example of verbosity is: "I waded along the flooded bank of the river that had overflowed its banks and along which I now waded in flood water," not a sentence of graceful structure and expressiveness like (randomly selecting): "Continually, indeed, as it stole onward, the streamlet kept up a babble, kind, quiet, soothing, but melancholy, like the voice of a young child that was spending its infancy without playfulness, and knew not how to be merry among sad acquaintances and events of sombre hue."

The private, the public, and Hawthorne.......2006-04-04

After recently re-reading The Scarlet Letter in this edition, one passage stuck out:

"One day, leaning his forehead on his hand, and his elbow on the sill of the open window, that looked towards the grave-yard, he talked with Roger Chillingworth, while the old man was examining a bundle of unsightly plants.
'Where,' asked he, with a look askance at them,-for it was the clergyman's peculiarity that he seldom, now-a-days, looked straightforth at any object, whether human or inanimate,-'where, my kind doctor, did you gather those herbs, with such a dark, flabby leaf?'
'Even in the grave-yard here at hand,' answered the physician, continuing his employment. "They are new to me. I found them growing on a grave, which bore no tombstone, no other memorial of the dead man, save these ugly weeds that have taken upon themselves to keep him in remembrance. They grew out of his heart, and typify, it may be, some hideous secret that was buried with him, and which he had done better to confess during his lifetime.'
'Perchance,' said Mr. Dimmesdale, 'he earnestly desired it, but could not.'
'And wherefore?' rejoined the physician. 'Wherefore not; since all the powers of nature call so earnestly for the confession of sin, that these black weeds have sprung up out of a buried heart to make manifest, an outspoken crime?'
'That, good Sir, is but a fantasy of yours,' replied the minister. 'There can be, if I forbode aright, no power, short of the Divine mercy, to disclose, whether by uttered words, or by type or emblem, the secrets that may be buried with a human heart. The heart, making itself guilty of such secrets, must perforce hold them, until the day when all hidden things shall be revealed. Nor have I so read or interpreted Holy Writ, as to understand that the disclosure of human thoughts and deeds, then to be made, is intended as a part of the retribution. That, surely, were a shallow view of it. No; these revelations, unless I greatly err, are meant merely to promote the intellectual satisfaction of all intelligent beings, who will stand waiting, on that day, to see the dark problem of this life made plain. A knowledge of men's hearts will be needful to the completest solution of that problem. And I conceive, moreover, that the hearts holding such miserable secrets as you speak of will yield them up, at that last day, not with reluctance, but with a joy unutterable.'"

It recalled a recent conversation with an old friend. We got to talking (writing, actually) about whether truly private experience is possible. My friend recounted many experiences in which he had intimations of things which we might term "private": intimations of the death of loved ones, clairvoyant or telepathic experiences, and that sort of thing. One of the things that Hawthorne keeps coming back to is the social and personal skirmishes across the public/private border. A woman has a private affair that bears public fruit in the birth of her child and results in her being very publicly humiliated. Her husband abandons his public claims and ties to her and assumes a new identity. He attaches himself to her lover, a minister, who holds the knowledge of his sinful affair deep within his own heart, where it nonetheless becomes known and visible to the husband. Throughout, the public and private have a way of bleeding into one another.

In the passage above, Dimmesdale is blind to those workings of Divine mercy which may have effects that are broader than the confines of a purely solitary heart. He seeks to make his sin purely an issue between him and his God, not realizing that by seeking to restrict sin and guilt, he is equally seeking to confine God and his action to the merely private realm. The novel turns on the futility of this task.

Never really saw this before. Of course that's not surprising. You don't see much the first time around, especially when this is assigned reading for a high school student. It may seem like a book of merely historical interest, but it's a pertinent read on the human heart and its transformations through desire, shame, and guilt. While some of it may be overly allegorical for modern tastes, the sheer force of its insights is pretty remarkable. Kathryn Harrison's introduction is fine, and the work itself is truly stunning.

Average customer rating:

For an AP class

The Scarlet Letter
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Manufacturer: Ann Arbor Media
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1587263831

Customer Reviews:

For an AP class.......2007-06-24

I don't really know how to rate this so I just gave it a five because it was a cheap hardcover and can with the custom house chapter (not all versions of this book do).

Average customer rating:

"The angel and apostle of the coming revelation must be a woman... lofty, pure... beautiful and wise."
I really, really wanted to like this book
A sad and poignant tale of ultimate enlightenment
(4.5) How far does the apple fall from the tree?
a memorable debut novel, beautifully written

Angel and Apostle
Deborah Noyes
Manufacturer: Unbridled Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1932961291
Release Date: 2006-09-10

Book Description

At the end of Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic novel, The Scarlet Letter, we know that Pearl, the elf-child daughter of Hester Prynne, is somewhere in Europe, comfortable, well set, a mother herself now. But it could not have been easy for her to arrive at such a place, when she begins life as the bastard child of a woman publicly humiliated, again and again, in an unrelentingly judgmental Puritan world.

With a brilliant and authentic sense of that time and place, Deborah Noyes envisions the path Pearl takes to make herself whole and to carve her place in the New World. Beautifully written with boundless compassion, Angel and Apostle is a heart-rending and imaginative debut in which Noyes masterfully makes Hawthorne's character her own.

Customer Reviews:

"The angel and apostle of the coming revelation must be a woman... lofty, pure... beautiful and wise.".......2006-11-14

With the story of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter serving as her inspiration, Deborah Noyes recreates the life of Pearl, the "elf-child" of Hester Prynne and a father Hester has refused to identify. Meticulously reproducing the cadence and speech of the period (and of Hawthorne's novel), Noyes imbues her debut novel with energy and literary weight, continuing Pearl's story while remaining faithful to the original. Her inclusion of period detail and recreation of the religious beliefs and practices of the period give additional credence to her story, and the character of Pearl is free-spirited enough to strike a chord with modern readers.

Focusing on Pearl, not Hester Prynne, who plays only a marginal role here, Noyes reminds the reader in the first third of the novel of some of the key events from The Scarlet Letter. Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale is not mentioned by name here, though he is referred to as "Arthur" once early in the novel, and Roger Chillingworth, Hester's missing husband in The Scarlet Letter, becomes Dr. Daniel Devlin here, still Evil and trying to ingratiate himself with Pearl.

Noyes does more than simply update the Hawthorne story, however. Pearl, a free spirited child in a very repressed society, develops a strong relationship with Simon Milton, a blind boy a few years older, who delights in her company and in her desire to give him a more normal life as she explores the world with him. Pearl's irresponsibility on one occasion, however, eventually causes a rift, both with Simon and with his older brother Nehemiah, who has entrusted Simon to Pearl. The lives of Hester and Pearl change significantly when they accept passage on one of the Miltons' ships to England, where they remain till Pearl reaches adulthood and marries.

Investigating what constitutes a good life and dealing with the subjects of life and death, and salvation and sin, the novel explores universal themes within the colonial setting, but its focus on the passion of love and its aftermath give it a modern context. When Pearl begins to relive her mother's life within her own, the themes begun in Hawthorne's novel come full circle. Noyes's pacing and her exploration of behavior as a series of good acts vs. acts inspired by the Devil are consistent with Hawthorne. Lovers of literary novels will admire Noyes's careful reconstruction of a period and its beliefs, her care in reproducing the language and style of the period, and her development of the character of Pearl, a free spirit who grows up in a repressive theocracy. n Mary Whipple

I really, really wanted to like this book.......2006-01-31

I had just finished reading "The Scarlet Letter" for the third time when I saw the review for this book, a follow-up telling the fate of Pearl. I immediately bought it(though it was hard to find..no local bookstore carried it, so I had to buy it on-line). Anyway, enthusiastically as I approached it, I found it very slow going. The author seems to take a lot of liberties with the original story (though, in her defense, she also seems to try to explain away these inconsistancies at the end of her book). I really struggled to make it through the whole thing. I did, and it was not without its rewards, but the parts were definitely better than the whole. Still, I will definitely read the author's next book. She's very insightful and serious and an excellent stylist.

A sad and poignant tale of ultimate enlightenment.......2006-01-11

"It was days before Mother finally answered my questions: 'Did I love you then? I loved no one, Pearl. No soul on earth.'"

Hester Prynne, scorned woman of THE SCARLET LETTER, speaks these words to her daughter at the beginning of ANGEL AND APOSTLE. She dutifully wears her "A," branding her an adulteress, forever atoning for a sin she did not commit. She wears it with something almost akin to a haughty pride. She is not one to make excuses, for she wants her child to understand the ways of the world. It is an unjust age Pearl is born to.

But how does a mother love this child, this unwanted child, who reminds her constantly of a shame that she will bear to her grave? A wild young thing, willful and sassy, a hard child to love in the best of times. It takes a while, but she does. She finally does.

Pearl narrates the story as she grows awkwardly through her adolescence. Fortunately, she has a fine and peculiar friend named Simon, a blind lad whose world Pearl falls into. They form a tender bond, fragile and strong at the same time. Their friendship, if that is all it truly is, sees them through many years --- and is the cause of many tears.

ANGEL AND APOSTLE is a journey through a harsh time when men kept a host of mistresses with society's tacit sanction, yet a woman would be in the stocks for one night's dalliance with a lover. A fallen woman, Pearl's mother carries her past heavily, while Pearl struggles reluctantly to womanhood. The daughter bounces between contempt and love for her mother, until at last she appreciates the injustices her mother endured, as she becomes a wife herself.

Written as Deborah Noyes envisions Nathaniel Hawthorne writing it, this small saga reads larger than its 304 pages. While a dark tale, sad and poignant, it is a tale of ultimate enlightenment.

--- Reviewed by Kate Ayers

(4.5) How far does the apple fall from the tree?.......2005-09-12

Noyes' novel, a post-The Scarlet Letter treatment of Hester Prynne's years raising her illegitimate daughter, Pearl, mirrors the arcane verbiage of the era, which begins, in this case, in 1649 New England. At that time, Pearl is a child of about seven years, half fairy sprite and half human, taking her cues from the righteous adults around her, who are given to stoning the less fortunate members of a society ruled by excessively rigid standards. Poor Hester is a shadow of her former self, living with Pearl in an isolated cottage, doing needlework for her betters and rushing to and fro to comfort the sick. Rather than teach her daughter the same independence that allowed her to rebel against a repressive society, Hester instructs the girl in the ways of the sinner, ever cautioning against spirit, imagination and individualism. It is hard to believe that this woman, now faded as a country mouse, ever had the passion to confront her own desires.

Early on, Pearl fastens her attentions on Simon Milton, a blind boy whose dying mother is attended by Hester. Simon's older brother, Nehemiah, allows Pearl to take Simon on outings, but when she fails to properly care for him, Pearl is banished in disgrace. She is, after all, only a child. Later, Prynne and her daughter are taken to England by the Milton's, where Hester walks freely without her badge of sin, the tattered red "A" that adorns her clothing in New England. Their lot is not much improved, as Hester places herself in bondage for the next seven years to a Milton family member. Even in England, mother and daughter are pursued by the enigmatic Doctor Devlin, a man Hester avoids but Pearl is drawn to, as he lurks menacingly through Pearl's youth in New England.

As a child, Pearl is far too precocious for her years, her language too sophisticated, hindering my appreciation of the novel at the beginning. But as Pearl matures, her thoughts turn to less maudlin persuasions, the opposite sex now of particular interest. At last perception meets reality and the character matches her rich vocabulary. Now that her fate is more her own, although still dictated by the prevailing religious intolerance, Pearl makes her own willful mistakes. However, as confused as an adult as she was as a child, Pearl is forever tangled in her mother's past, haunted by her father's identity, bound to the ghostly remnants of life in New England, a victim of the self-righteous, Bible-quoting individuals originally penned by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

It is always risky to write a sequel to a classic, a tale that stands because of the author's clarity and profound observations of cultural hypocrisy. Noyes does a more than adequate job of capturing the sounds and images of time and place, but in writing Angel and Apostle, Hester Prynne is robbed of her spirit and iconic status, left in the dust by a daughter who is the product of a confusing moral stasis that denies humanity in its rush to glorify the word of God. Perhaps that is Prynne's inevitable fate. Pearl must seek her own voice, find release from the morass she has created in her life and understand the meaning of forgiveness, for herself and others; more importantly, she must take on the burdens of motherhood to know the true heart of her own mother. What is even more frightening is Noyes prescience in crafting a modern morality tale, couched in Puritan New England, that fits just as well in the confusing moral stew of modern society. For this reason alone, centuries later, Angel and Apostle is chilling. Luan Gaines/2005.

a memorable debut novel, beautifully written.......2005-09-05

At the end of Nathaniel Hawthorne's timeless novel, The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne's daughter Pearl has been born, raised, and lives in Europe. Angel and Apostle begins when Pearl is a child in Massachusetts and follows her life through adulthood. Ms. Noyes weaves an enthralling account of what Pearl's life might have been in the mid-to-late 17th century. The character
and plot development are first rate as Noyes captures the true essence of Pearl's personality, life, and times.

Life has been difficult for Pearl and her outcast mother. Townfolk shun the dignified adulterous woman who wears the letter "A" over her heart like a badge of courage. These same merciless Puritans call Pearl "the devil's spawn." Their only kindness and support comes from a frail, gentle hearted
minister. Pearl is a precocious child blessed with a vivid imagination and her father's restless spirit. She loves the forests and seashore, the wild animals, and spends her days exploring the area around her cottage. One day she ventures near the home of a wealthy shipping family, the Miltons, and
meets their youngest son, Simon. Simon is blind. His older brother, Nehemiah, loves Simon but has always considered him a burden. Reluctantly, he allows Pearl to introduce Simon to the natural world she loves. The relationship between Pearl and the Miltons grows over time, and in the process changes the lives of everyone around them.

With quietly savage prose, Deborah Noyes takes Pearl to adulthood, marriage, and motherhood. We experience her life in America and England, the blossoming of love, and the heartbreak borne of passion and loss. Readers smell the sea, the bite of chill air, and live the very heartbeats of each character.
This book is a literary classic and highly recommended.

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This is when I fell in love with Nathaniel.......
Great Book
most importan novel found in American Literature
Girls just want to have fun

The Scarlet Letter
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter (Cliffs Notes)
The Awakening

ASIN: 0743487567

Book Description

ENDURING LITERATURE ILLUMINATED

BY PRACTICAL SCHOLARSHIP

Hawthorne's classic treatise on morality, judgment, and exile in Puritan America.

EACH ENRICHED CLASSIC EDITION INCLUDES:

• A concise introduction that gives readers important background information

• A chronology of the author's life and work

• A timeline of significant events that provides the book's historical context

• An outline of key themes and plot points to help readers form their own interpretations

• Detailed explanatory notes

• Critical analysis, including contemporary and modern perspectives on the work

• Discussion questions to promote lively classroom and book group interaction

• A list of recommended related books and films to broaden the reader's experience

Enriched Classics offer readers affordable editions of great works of literature enhanced by helpful notes and insightful commentary. The scholarship provided in Enriched Classics enables readers to appreciate, understand, and enjoy the world's finest books to their full potential.

SERIES EDITED BY CYNTHIA BRANTLEY JOHNSON

Customer Reviews:

This is when I fell in love with Nathaniel..............2007-09-22

Just look at a portrait of him as a young man, note the noble brow, the handsome features, the sensitivity, how romantic......... Curl up with this book and let Nathaniel tell you his tale in his beautiful poetic language . This is a book to be read quietly, alone, not in an airport lounge or on the subway, but preferably in a beautiful garden or sunroom with the windows open. Let the beauty of his language flow over you and transport you back in time.

It is over 200 years since Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem Massachusetts, his great great grandfather officiated at the Salem Witch Trials. He was both disturbed and intrigued by his ancestry. One day when working at The Custom House in Salem to make ends meet as a struggling young author, he discovered in one of the upstairs rooms some dusty old boxes, on opening them he found them to contain relics from the past, long since forgotten. Yellowing documents and an intriguing piece of embroidery, a scrap of faded and torn material with the letter A embroidered on it. He picked it up, and while wondering what it was, he held it up to his chest, and at that moment he claims to have felt a burning sensation which caused him to drop the piece of cloth. It gave him inspiration for this story along with documents he found about a woman called Hester Prynne.

The scene he sets so vividly is somewhere around 350 years ago 150 years before he was born. In a time when behavior to which we can hardly be bothered to raise an eyebrow was in that day considered a punishable sin. A disgrace for life. Branded by having to wear a scarlet letter on the chest for all to see.

It is a feminist novel, (Nathaniel Hawthorne supported women's rights). Briefly, the protagonist Hester Prynne has a child from an adulterous relationship and refuses to name the father. Her husband a physician much older than she has never been a "proper" husband to her so she had looked elsewhere for love. The husband vows to find the father of the child, and in exchange for her freedom makes Hester swear she will never disclose who her husband is. Her husband being a physician quickly deduces who the father is from the way he is wasting away under his burden of guilt. He sets about a long period of torment of the young man of which Hester is aware but can say nothing because of her promise. Finally she has had enough and decides to come clean, shaming the devil, (her husband) and redeeming the young man. I do not want to spoil anything by divulging the name of the father of the child in case you do not know.

This is such a simple and brief account it would make Nathaniel wince to read it. There is so much more to the story. It states in the blurb that it is a psychological novel before there was a science called psychology. The way the characters in the story interact with each other, the symbolism, the different values of the day from Nathaniel's day, and then again to this day. The religious aspect in Puritan times, the emotional ups and downs as you empathize with first one and then another of the characters. It is a wonderful story and well deserving of its position as one of America's great classics.

Great Book.......2007-06-23

In high school I switched English levels, which left me lacking in a lot of classic high school reads. This includes authors from Twain to Salinger and just about every generic book that someone says: "Oh, I read that in high school." This weekend I finally gave in to read Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlett Letter and it was brilliant. His short piece The Custom House precedes the story and it was so descriptive and funny and that's certainly one adjective (funny) that I've never heard paired with Hawthorne. Most everyone seems to be familiar with the plot (especially after the 1995 film) and it all together is a rather simple story line: a married woman whose husband has disappeared has an affair and becomes pregnant. She's forced to wear the letter A in scarlet on her bosom as punishment. From here some fabulous ideas of witchcraft and black magic pepper the story and a great ending.

most importan novel found in American Literature.......2005-06-10

Hawthorne's novel of sin and the quest for utopia is sublime. The language is rich, and the novel is filled with religious symbolism. No work of American literature quite captures America's search for 'the Holy Land' while showing the affect that such a myopic quest can have on the individual. Hawthorne, while roundly criticizing the more zealous of his faith, never leaves us wondering whether or not forgiveness is possible for the penitent. Through the strength of the lead character, Hester Prynne, the author conveys to us the power of love that exudes those of us who have recognized our own faults and worked to heal the wounds our ill deeds have caused. This book is a must read for anyone who is interested in American literature.

Girls just want to have fun.......2004-09-23

The story may have had some merit however the writing style was so archaic and verbose that it took 50 words to complete a sentence. After trudging through about 100 pages he never came to any points or conclusions other that some people can remember what they ate 20 years ago in detail. This guy (Nathaniel Hawthorne) could have competed with Marry Shelly for most long-winded of the year. Some of it may not be his fault due to the writing style of the time but we surly do not have to put up with this.

This is one time that just about any movie exceeds the book. If you insist on reading then it may be smart to find a child's version. Son one could get rich translating the book into today's English.

The Scarlet Letter: A Kaplan SAT Score-Raising Classic

Average customer rating:

A great classic-- but will a 17-year-old enjoy it?

The Scarlet Letter: A Kaplan SAT Score-Raising Classic
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Manufacturer: Kaplan Publishing
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ASIN: 1419542206

Book Description

The Scarlet Letter: A Kaplan SAT Score-Raising Classic features:

*The complete tale of the classic novel, The Scarlet Letter

*More than 800 vocabulary words frequently tested on the SAT highlighted throughout the text

*Definitions for each highlighted word on the facing page

*A pronunciation guide

*An index for easy reference

Customer Reviews:

A great classic-- but will a 17-year-old enjoy it?.......2006-11-02

I am an SAT tutor and believe that this is one of the most valuable books of its type a student preparing for the test can read. Unfortunately, in my experience, students also find this one of the least enjoyable books. Why is it valuable?
There are 2 major areas that a student must master to improve scores on the SAT Critical Reading section: (1) Vocabulary. (2) Understanding of complex sentence structures. This book provides a student with both. (1) SAT words are bolded, their definitions conveniently located on the facing page. (2) Sentence structure is complex and the book is written in "older" English which is partly a result of the era it was written in. The college board knows this and even suggests that students read books written before 1900. The complex sentences and old language may be reasons students do not put The Scarlet Letter on their Top 10 Favorite Books List, but it does not take away from the book's value-- if you can get your child to read it.

Nathaniel Hawthorne : Collected Novels: Fanshawe, The Scarlet Letter, The House of the Seven Gables, The Blithedale Romance, The Marble Faun (Library of America)

Average customer rating:

Hawthorne the master of "the master" (Henry James)
From a high school English teacher's P.O.V.
The Scarlet Letter - should have been a short story
A Review of The Scarlet Letter
It was touching and really hit the spot!

Nathaniel Hawthorne : Collected Novels: Fanshawe, The Scarlet Letter, The House of the Seven Gables, The Blithedale Romance, The Marble Faun (Library of America)
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Manufacturer: Library of America
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Nathaniel Hawthorne : Tales and Sketches (Library of America)
Herman Melville : Redburn, White-Jacket, Moby-Dick (Library of America)
Herman Melville : Pierre, Israel Potter, The Piazza Tales, The Confidence-Man, Tales, Billy Budd (Library of America)
Washington Irving : History, Tales, and Sketches: The Sketch Book / A History of New York / Salmagundi / Letters of Jonathan Oldstyle, Gent. (Library of America)
Henry David Thoreau : A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers / Walden; Or, Life in the Woods / The Maine Woods / Cape Cod (Library of America)

ASIN: 0940450089

Book Description

Here in one volume are all five of Nathaniel Hawthorne's world-famous novels. Written in a richly suggestive style that seems remarkably contemporary, they are permeated by America's and Hawthorne's own history. "The House of the Seven Gables" moves across 150 years from an ancestral crime condoned by the Puritan theocracy to a new beginning in the bustling and democratic Jacksonian era. Hawthorne's masterpiece, "The Scarlet Letter," is a dramatic allegory of the social consequences of adultery and the subversive force of personal desire in a community of laws. "The Blithedale Romance" explores the perils, which Hawthorne knew at first hand, of living in a utopian community, and the inextricability of political, personal, and sexual desires. "Fanshawe" is an engrossing apprentice work which Hawthorne published anonymously and later sought to suppress. "The Marble Faun," his last finished novel, involves mystery, murder, and romance among American artists in Rome.

Customer Reviews:

Hawthorne the master of "the master" (Henry James).......2006-11-24

I strongly agree with Richard's comments. Hawthorne should be read again and again throughout one's life. Even the great master of the novel, Henry James, found himself coming back time and again to Hawthorne as a touchstone of his creative imagination. We are fortunate to have dedicated teachers lead us through Hawthorne's work while we are teenagers, as adults we can read his work and appreciate it as a great work of art. Those who prefer to run through literature at a rapid pace would be better off staying with Marvel Comics. Library of America has provided a great service by publishing the Centenary Edition of Hawthorne in this beautiful edition. We are the better for it who can meditate deeply on the art and imagination of Nathaniel Hawthorne.

From a high school English teacher's P.O.V........2005-10-29

Please, whatever you do, don't categorize Hawthorne's (or any writer's) work as a long-winded relic from some gradeschool lit class. True, we English teachers are about the only folks left trying to keep this literature alive, but we do it because it's so worth preserving. I'll admit we do a disservice to Hawthorne by "forcing" young people to read it. Often a lack of maturity in the reader only translates to resentment for the writer, which in Hawthorne's case is a real shame. So you were "bored" by The Scarlet Letter when you were 15 years old... What a surprise... Has anything about you changed since then? Have you matured? Is there any possibility that you are more prepared today, as a thirty year old, to read, understand and appreciate Hawthorne's stories (and his brilliant style) than you were fifteen years ago? Give yourself some credit and give these great writers another try. You may be surprised at how deeply Hawthorne's insights into human nature cut after experiencing more of life yourself.

The Scarlet Letter - should have been a short story.......2004-12-29

I am going against the grain here but can anyone explain how this story can take so long to tell. Trying to enjoy the majority of American authors, Hawthornes works have not be an easy go. Though admittedly not a fan of Hawthornes full length works, his short stores can be enjoyable. But a book that begins with 28 pages of 'The Custom House', before the story even begins, is already very dull. I, like many other people, was forced to read this work for a sophomore literature class. That was 31 years ago and I still remember thinking what a moderately entertaining short story this would have made. In its form, its unbearable.

A Review of The Scarlet Letter.......2002-03-15

The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, will intreset readers who like romance and drama. In this novel, not only does romance and drama appear, but questions of morals of the characters. Also, the novel discusses the consequences that the characters must go through for their bad choices and mistakes.
Pearl, the child of Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale, was born in jail, when her mother was sentenced for commiting adultury against her husband Roger Chillingworth. Due to her crime, Hester was sentenced to wearing a red scarlet letter A on her chest, and Raising an evil daughter, that refuses to follow the laws.
Pearl as well as the red scarlet letter A is a symbol of wrong doing. Pearl could be described as the scarlet letter in human form. She is a very important character in this novel, she is the person that allows the story to continue. Pearl goes through her life, everyone looking down on her for her parents' crime. The very crime that pushes her father overboard.
Arthur Dimmesdale kept the secret that he was Pearl's father. He didn't want people to know of his sin because he was supposed to be a holy man. The fact that he didn't tell the truth to people, ate him up inside. Finally Dimmesdale admitted to his sin, and thgen died. His part of the story was very real, because if someone keeps a secret for so long they can just burst.
All the events that take place in the novel relate in some manner. Which ends up linking all of the characters together. Hawthorne does a good job of making his characters feel the pain of their mistakes. Each character is trying to overcome their past. Some due to sin, others due to jealousy, and to hatred.
As a result of his jealousy against Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, Hester's ex-husband, ends up having a miserable, torturous life. Chillingworth hates the thought that his wife could have had an affair with Dimmesdale. Then when Arthur Dimmesdale dies, Chillingworth's life also ends, because he cannot destroy his enemy's life anymore.
In addition to Chillingworth's jealousy and hatred for Dimmesdale, there is also Pearl's hatred for her parents. Pearl hates being blamed for her parents' crime, which leads to her hating them. People looked at Pearl the same way they looked at the scarlet letter, a reminder of adultury and sin against the Puritain faith. Hawthorne was able to link all his characters together with all the events that were taking place in the story.
This novel can affect the reader's emotions and fellings. One minute leaving the reader feel bad for one of the characters, and the next hating them, because of something they did. If a reader finds suspense, romance, and emotional ups and downs interesting they should read this book. However, it might not be recommended for younger readers because, it can be a little hard to follow at sometimes, but overall it is a good book.

It was touching and really hit the spot!.......1999-04-30

I love all of Hawthorne's books but this one was his all time best

Understanding The Scarlet Letter: A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical Documents (The Greenwood Press "Literature in Context" Series)

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The Best Book for Understanding the Scarlet Letter and its Themes

Understanding The Scarlet Letter: A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical Documents (The Greenwood Press "Literature in Context" Series)
Claudia Durst Johnson
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Ready-to-Use English Workshop Activities for Grades 6-12: 180 Daily Lessons Integrating Literature, Writing & Grammar Skills

ASIN: 0313293287

Book Description

Sexual misconduct of society's leaders, the plight of single mothers, the separation of church and state -- all are burning issues of the 1990s which sparked outrage and controversy 150 years earlier in The Scarlet Letter. Now, no study of American history is complete without thorough examination of Nathaniel Hawthorne's timeless masterpiece. This multidisciplinary study of the novel contains historical documents, collateral readings, and commentary. In short, it is the ideal companion for students who wish to fully understand the novel in the context of its time, and to unlock its current relevance. Among the materials are original 17th-century documents that illuminate Puritan attitudes and bring the Salem witchcraft trials to life, private journals, historical reports, 19th-century magazine articles, sketches, and newspaper stories. Many of the documents are available in no other printed form. Not only do these materials provide a taste of 17th-century Puritan culture, but they also glimpse into Hawthorne's mind as he comes to terms with his witch-hunting ancestors and his vocation. Most importantly, this casebook contemplates the many issues raised by The Scarlet Letter which inextricably link the 17th-century Puritans to the 19th century culture of Hawthorne to the present. Each section of this casebook contains study questions, topic ideas for written or oral expression, and lists of further readings for examining the issues raised by the novel. Designed as a resource for students, teachers, and library media specialists, the volume is cloth bound and printed on high quality acid-free paper, making it an excellent addition to every library collection. A literary analysis focusing on the issues raised by the novel opens the casebook. In Part Two, the Puritan's code of crime and punishment and the basic tenets of their belief are analyzed through original 17th-century diaries, letters, and testimony from the Salem witch trials. Part Three examines the novel's introductory essay, the autobiographical "The Custom House," which finds Hawthorne grappling with the role his ancestors played in persecuting the Quakers and the Salem witches, as well as his own internal conflict over his vocation as a fiction writer. The moral attitudes at the time of Hawthorne's controversial work are also examined through reviews published at the time of publication. Part Four draws connections between two issues raised by the novel - the unwed mother and the lapsed minister - that remain controversial today and features recent news articles on these issues. A glossary of terms and a topic and person index complete this latest addition to Greenwood Press' "Literature in Context" series.

Customer Reviews:

The Best Book for Understanding the Scarlet Letter and its Themes.......2005-11-30

This book is one of the most fascinating books for studying the Scarlet Letter. I had to write my college research paper on the Scarlet Letter and I went to several libraries collecting books for this paper. All of these books had journal articles that pertained to my subject, but I soon realized that ALL I NEEDED WAS THIS ONE BOOK TO COMPLETE MY PAPER. This book not only discusses the themes in the book but it gives complete background knowledge on the puritans, analysis of characters, plot information, and articles that relate puritanist views to modern day events. I love this book and highly recommend it for people studying the Scarlet Letter.

Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter (Cliffs Notes)

Average customer rating:

The Scarlet Letter
Excellent aid for students of all abilities
Very Useful
The heartstaking emotion
Saved my English Grade

Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter (Cliffs Notes)
Cliffs Notes , and Susan Van Kirk
Manufacturer: Cliffs Notes
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Binding: Paperback

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The Scarlet Letter

ASIN: 076458605X

Book Description

The original CliffsNotes study guides offer expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, literary devices, and historical background. The latest generation of titles in this series also feature glossaries and visual elements that complement the classic, familiar format.

In CliffsNotes on Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, you explore life in 17th-century Massachusetts as you follow the ordeal of Hester Prynne, who has been found guilty of adultery and sentenced to wear a scarlet letter A on her dress as a sign of shame. The Scarlet Letter is considered to be Hawthorne's finest work, depicting a world where the real meets the unreal, the actual meets the imaginary — in a classic story that is difficult to forget.

This study guide carefully walks you through every step of Hester's journey by providing summaries and critical analyses of each chapter of the novel. You'll also explore the life and background of the author, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and gain insight into how he came to write The Scarlet Letter. Other features that help you study include

Character analyses of major players
A character map that graphically illustrates the relationships among the characters
Critical essays on the novel's setting and structure, symbolism, and classification as a gothic romance
A review section that tests your knowledge
A Resource Center full of books, articles, films, and Internet sites

Classic literature or modern modern-day treasure — you'll understand it all with expert information and insight from CliffsNotes study guides.

Download Description

In this novel of betrayal and trials, Hester Prynne is found guilty of adultery and must wear a scarlet "A" wherever she goes. Her story is filled with the slow process of redemption and eventual love.

Customer Reviews:

The Scarlet Letter.......2002-11-30

I downloaded this e-doc for my son, but I can't figure out how to give it to him. What is the name of the file, so I can copy it for him, so he can do his homework on his computer?

Assuming he can read it -- hopefully, tonight, before his test Monday -- it seems like a good product. We really need to find the name of the file, however.

Excellent aid for students of all abilities.......2001-10-23

Not to sound pretentious, but I had no trouble understanding "The Scarlet Letter," but I still found immense value in this companion text from Cliffs. It helped me by confirming what I myself had thought about the book and giving me interesting ideas for the term paper I was writing. Its usefulness comes from the ease of reading and the volume and quality of its contents. Of further value to the student is the rapidity with which the Cliffs Notes are read, making it indispensable for last minute paper-writing!

One closing comment: Cliffs Notes, however useful, are an aid for the reading of the full text and are no substitute for it.

Very Useful.......2001-08-30

Since the Bible is not taught in most schools, this Cliffsnotes is quite handy. There are so many biblical references and ideas driving the theme of Hawthorne's splendid novel, that without this guide, few teachers would understand the full context of Hawthorne's book.

Oh, students will find it helpful as well!

I fully recommend "Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter (Cliffs Notes)."

Anthony Trendl

The heartstaking emotion.......2000-11-22

Once, we were impressed by the characters and conversations. But, you will soon find out thatis not important. I know it is easier for a Christian to feel how painstaking to cencede. We are living in a sinful world with our erring nature. Death should be our eternity. But, Mr. Dimmesdale strived to win and be respected. He knows what is wrong and make the very decision to admit his error. He is brave, with no fear of death or punishment. A love lasts for seven years. Connecting our innermost desire for love, it touch every reader. I cannot move, feeling sorry after reading the ending. I hope no one will miss it.

Saved my English Grade.......2000-06-13

This book made what was an incredably difficult book to follow easy to understand. I had to read the Scarlet Letter for my Honors english class. Highly Recomended.

Average customer rating:

Strong love...weak will...

The Scarlet Letter (Cliffs Complete)
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Manufacturer: Cliffs Notes
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0764587242

Book Description

In the CliffsComplete guides, the novel's complete text and a glossary appear side-by-side with coordinating numbered lines to help you understand unusual words and phrasing. You'll also find all the commentary and resources of a standard CliffsNotes for Literature.

CliffsComplete The Scarlet Letter is a novel of betrayal and trials. Hester Prynne is found guilty of adultery and must wear a scarlet "A" wherever she goes. Her story is filled with the slow process of redemption and eventual love.

Discover what happens to Hester — and save valuable studying time — all at once. Enhance your reading of The Scarlet Letter with these additional features:

A summary and insightful commentary for each chapter
Bibliography and historical background on the author, Nathaniel Hawthorne
A look at the historical context and structure of the novel
Discussions on the novel's symbols and themes
A character map that graphically illustrates the relationships among the characters
Review questions, a quiz, discussion topics (essay questions), activity ideas
A Resource Center full of books, articles, films, and Internet sites

Streamline your literature study with all-in-one help from CliffsComplete guides!

Customer Reviews:

Strong love...weak will..........2002-05-02

For those people who like Cliffs Notes explanations,
but find reading the original text difficult, this
excellent idea for a duo-volume by the same Cliffs
publishers is the ideal answer.
For this volume contains both the text, in fine
readable type, along with explanatory notes in the
wide margins to the right of the text. The volume
also contains excellent photos and drawings to
complement the text.
The names, terms, or words which need further
explanation are printed in the text in darker type,
and then the explanation is found to the right of
the text in the light blue margins. Example from
the text: "The brilliancy might have befitted
ALLADIN'S PALACE [in the text it is dark bold
type, not capitalized] rather than the mansion of
a grave old Puritan ruler." Margin note: Aladdin's
palace: A boy in THE ARABIAN NIGHTS , Aladdin,
discovers a magical lamp and ring that bring him
everything he wishes for."
There are also excellent Commentaries at the end
of each chapter. There is an especially good one
at the end of "The Custom House" intro to the
novel - that commentary includes sections titled:
"Hawthorne's philosophy of writing"; "Hawthorne's
role as surveyor"; "Hawthorne's Puritan heritage";
The origins of this novel"; and "The mirror of
imagination."...

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