4.4: The Romance and Nathaniel Hawthorne
Fiction also includes the "romance" genre. Writers and readers during this time had a different understanding of the "romance" than we have today. Read Hawthorne's preface to The House of the Seven Gables to understand how Hawthorne differentiates between the novel and the romance.
Read The Scarlet Letter, starting with "The Preface" and "The Custom-House". In his preface to The House of the Seven Gables, Hawthorne offers his famous definition of the romance as opposed to the novel. He continues to develop this definition in "The Custom-House", his long introduction to this most famous novel, The Scarlet Letter, which was published in 1850. As you read, think about its narrative structure. Pay special attention to the scaffold scenes. How many are there? Who is in these scenes? How would you define these symbols and/or characters: representations of Church and State, the world of evil, the scarlet letter, the number 3, the punishing scaffold, and the kiss?
Examine this lesson plan, and read through it as if you are a participant in a class in which the teacher or professor is asking you to engage in these activities. In doing these assignments, you will examine the characters' motivations, conflicts, and cultural influences in The Scarlet Letter. By stepping into the shoes of the characters, you will get a better sense of what they each struggled with in their society.