lecture 7 Nathaniel Hawthorne and his the Scarlet Letter

1、lecture 7 nathaniel hawthorne and his the scarlet letter nathaniel hawthorne and his the scarlet letter nathaniel hawthorne 納撒尼爾 霍桑 納撒尼爾霍桑 (1804-1864)an american novelist and short story writer in the 19th century. his fiction works are considered part of the romantic movement and, more specifically

2、, dark romanticism(黑色 ( 浪漫主義). 浪漫主義 many of his works featuring moral allegories (寓言)with a puritan 寓言) 寓言 inspiration. a man of literary craftsmanship, extraordinary in the use of symbol: symbols serve as a weapon to attack reality. it can be found everywhere in his writing. his themes often center

3、 on the inherent evil and sin of humanity. his works often have moral messages and deep psychological complexity. major literary worksnovels:1. 2. the scarlet letter 紅字, 1850. 紅字the house of the seven gables 帶有 七個(gè)尖角閣的房子, 1851. 七個(gè)尖角閣的房子 blithedale romance 福谷傳奇, 福谷傳奇 1852. the marble faun 玉石雕像 , 1860.

4、 玉石雕像 3. 4. short stories:1. 2. twice-told tales 故事重述, 故事重述 1837. mosses from an old manse 古宅 青苔 青苔 , 1846. the scarlet letterthe scarletletter is nathaniel hawthornes masterpiece.set in 17thcentury puritan boston during the years 1642 to 1649. it tells the story of hester prynne, who conceives a da

5、ughter through an adulterous affair and struggles to create a new life of repentance and dignity. throughout the book, hawthorne explores themes of legalism, sin, and guilt. symbolism in the novelnathaniel hawthorne is a master of symbolism the scarlet letter : the first symbolic novel to be written

6、 in the united states. symbolism in the novelthe symbolic meanings of the scarlet letter a the symbolic meanings of names of characters the symbolic meanings of the characters symbols of the letter “a”1. “a” firstly stands for the crime adultery.to the puritans it is a symbol of just punishment. to

7、hester, a device of unjust humiliation. to dimmesdale, a piercing reminder of his guilt. to chillingworth, a spur to the quest of revenge to pearl, a bright and mysterious curiosity 2. “a” varies its meaning as the development of the story, adultery -alone and alienation-able-angel and award. go bac

8、k symbols of the nameshester prynne1. hestiathe virgin goddess in greek mythology, symbol of beauty and virtue, showing the authors praise to hesters beauty and saint, goddess-like beauty. 2. hastierher marriage to chillingworth is hasty. her love with dimmesdale is hasty. her joy with dimmesdale th

9、e priest is hasty. hester prynne1. 2. 3. prurient (desire for physical love), which is considered as the root of sin and crime. prune (purify or get rid of), which foreshadows hesters self-save from the sin or crime. pry (probe into), probe into the human nature (sin) arthur dimmesdalethe initials ad are the beg inning of “adultery”; “dim” means lack of light; “dale” means valley it symbolizes the ministers dim interior world of his love and the shadow of sin and guilt of his mind. roger chillingworthjolly roger pirates nature is to explore treasures and revenge. chillingworths act