Nathaniel Hawthorne A Balanced Approach to 纳撒尼尔霍桑平衡方法.pptVIP

Clash with Transcendentalism In place of another deleted section he wrote: “We do not thoroughly comprehend the authors drift in the foregoing paragraph, but are inclined to think its tone reprehensible, and its tendency impolitic in the present stage of our national difficulties.” European Romance vs. The American Novel Hawthorne struggled against the European model of the Romance. Through The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne developed the first truly American Novel. The European Romance The European Romance romanticized a rich past and historic culture. It involved archetypal adventures. It was escapist: a means of escaping the here and now. The European Romance Classical Romance Characteristics: Lovers who remain true to each other, while the womans chastity is preserved An intricate plot, including stories within stories Exciting and unexpected chance events The European Romance Classical Romance Characteristics: Travel to faraway settings Hidden and mistaken identity Written in an elaborate and elegant style European Romance vs. The American Novel America, however, had no rich culture or ancient history to draw from. It was primarily concerned with the here and now, and how to perfect it. European Romance vs. The American Novel While maintaining the elements of the European Romance, Hawthorne shifted the American Novel’s focus to the present. The American Novel Hawthorne’s Novel was not a means of escape, but rather a means to examine society and life. His novel invited criticism of the worlds he reflected – Puritanism. The American Novel Where the Romance incorporated the Gothic elements of crime, religion, ghosts, etc. as the focus of the story, Hawthorne used these elements as a means to support his story. Hawthorne’s Novel When a writer calls his work a romance, he wishes to claim a certain latitude, both as to its fashion and material, which he would not have felt himself entitled to assume had he professed to be writing a novel. Hawthorne’s Novel