HAWTHORNE, NATHANIEL. - American novelist, b. at Salem (Indiana) on July 4, 1804, d. at Plymouth (New Hampshire) on May 19, 1864. He made his debut in journalism in 1863.
The following year H. reveals himself as a narrator particularly gifted in the psychological depth of his characters, in Twice-Told Tales (1837). As a customs inspector he was in Boston (1843) and in Salem (1846), finally settling in Massachusetts in an isolated cabin. To this period and environment are linked his two great novels: The scarlet letter (1850) and The house of the seven gables (1851). During his last years he was in England as consul, and in Italy.
In the novels, as in the tales, a tragic world, bitterly pessimistic, is recreated with simplicity of means through a broad style, rich in nuances and musical cadences. In The scarlet letter, which can be considered his most mature work, the psychological analysis extends to the whole environment, which is that of the first Puritan community in America in the mid-17th century. The novel fully deepens the austere vision that H. had of the problem of evil and of guilt, whose framing and resolution reveal in the author his Protestant upbringing.
Bibliography8 worksWorks: Complete writings, Boston 1883. Studies: H. James, H., London 1880; Lloyd Morris, The rebellious puritan, New York 1927; H. Gorman, N
BIBL.: Works: Complete writings, Boston 1883. Studies: H. James, H., London 1880; Lloyd Morris, The rebellious puritan, New York 1927; H. Gorman, N. H., A study in solitude, ibid. 1927; N. Arvin, N. H., Boston 1929. Cf. also: N. E. Browne, A bibliography of H., ibid. 1905; L. S. Hall, H. critic of Society, London 1944; L. Schubert, H. the Artist, ibid. 1944; R. Stewart, N. H., New Haven 1948; R. Cantwell, N. H. The american years, New York 1948.
De, Angelis Giulio. “Hawthorne, nathaniel.” In Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. VI, col. 1378. Città del Vaticano: Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1951. https://azioneromana.com/article/hawthorne-nathaniel.
MLA
De, Angelis Giulio. “Hawthorne, nathaniel.” Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. VI, Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1951, col. 1378. Azione Romana, https://azioneromana.com/article/hawthorne-nathaniel.
BibTeX
@incollection{ec6_hawthorne_nathaniel,
author = {De, Angelis Giulio},
title = {Hawthorne, nathaniel},
booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica},
volume = {VI},
pages = {1378},
note = {Cited by column},
publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico},
address = {Città del Vaticano},
year = {1951},
url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/hawthorne-nathaniel}
}
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