| | '''Nathaniel Hawthorne''' (born 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, died 1864) was one of the most prominent [[American]] novelists of the 19th century. He also wrote many short stories, and most of his work dealt with depressing topics such as guilt and shame. His best-known novel, ''[[The Scarlet Letter]]'', dealt with both of these themes, as did his well-known short story ''The Minister's Black Veil''. His own religious [[faith]] was shallow or non-existent, but some [[Christian]]s like his work because he wrote about [[morality]], read the [[Bible]] regularly, and cited ''[[Pilgrim's Progress]]'' as his favorite book. | | '''Nathaniel Hawthorne''' (born 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, died 1864) was one of the most prominent [[American]] novelists of the 19th century. He also wrote many short stories, and most of his work dealt with depressing topics such as guilt and shame. His best-known novel, ''[[The Scarlet Letter]]'', dealt with both of these themes, as did his well-known short story ''The Minister's Black Veil''. His own religious [[faith]] was shallow or non-existent, but some [[Christian]]s like his work because he wrote about [[morality]], read the [[Bible]] regularly, and cited ''[[Pilgrim's Progress]]'' as his favorite book. |
| − | Hawthorne style is that of dark [[romanticism]], dwelling on the evil side of life. He is revered in Salem to this day, where there is a "Hawthorne Hotel" named in honor of him, which is located on Hawthorne Boulevard.<ref>https://www.historichotels.org/us/hotels-resorts/hawthorne-hotel/history.php</ref> | + | Hawthorne style is that of dark [[romanticism]], dwelling on the evil side of life. He is revered in Salem to this day, where there is a "Hawthorne Hotel" named in honor of him, which is located on Hawthorne Boulevard.<ref>https://www.historichotels.org/us/hotels-resorts/hawthorne-hotel/history.php</ref> Some consider Hawthorne's writing style to be borderline [[Gothic]], with both of his top novels displaying a concern by Hawthorne with supernatural retribution for sins by a father.<ref>https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/gothic-literature</ref> |
| | Hawthorne's ''The Scarlet Letter'' is favored by [[liberals]] for its tendency to weaken codes of [[morality]] against sex outside of [[marriage]]. | | Hawthorne's ''The Scarlet Letter'' is favored by [[liberals]] for its tendency to weaken codes of [[morality]] against sex outside of [[marriage]]. |