Unit 4 Nathaniel Hawthorne.pptVIP

Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) Hawthorne’s Background Born in Salem, Massachusetts Puritan（清教徒） background Ancestor of John Hawthorne——one of the three judges in the Salem Witch Trials(塞勒姆驱巫案） Began writing after college at Bowdion College in Maine Spent many years in seclusion——starving artist Hawthorne’s Background Held many jobs including writer, publisher, working at a custom house, and consult in England Married Sophie Peabody in 1825 Befriended Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Herman Melville, and President Franklin pierce Influences on Hawthorne Salem - early childhood, later work at the Custom House. Puritan family background - one of his forefathers was Judge Hathorne, who presided over the Salem witchcraft trials, 1692. Belief in the existence of the devil. Belief in determinism（宿命论）. ★Hawthorne’s point of view Hawthorne is influenced by Puritanism（清教主义） deeply. He was not a Puritan himself, but he had Puritan ancestors who played an important role in his life and works. Melville : “霍桑描写黑暗的巨大力量，是由于受到加尔文派关于与生俱来的堕落与原罪思想的影响。没有一位思想深邃的人能完全摆脱这种思想所发生的各种形式的影响。”Hawthorne评Melville:“他既不肯信教，又对自己的不信感到惶恐不安。”对霍桑同样适用。 ★(1) Evil is at the core of human life. Hawthorne sense of sin and evil in life, “black” vision of life and human is haunted Evil exists in the human heart, human heart is the source of evil. Everyone possesses some evil secret. Evil is man’s birthmark（胎记）. a most disturbed and tormented one, discusses sin and evil in almost every book literary worldrejects the Transcendentalist optimismlooks more deeply and more honestly into life, finding much suffering conflict in it ★ (2) Whenever there is sin, there is punishment. Sin or evil can be passed from generation to generation The House of the Seven Gables《带有七个尖角阁的房子》Colonel（陆军上校） Pyncheon takes the land of Matthew Maule and builds a house on the land---is haunted by ghost---his offspring （后代）wither and die out“God will give him blood