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Kaplan guarantees that readers will improve their SAT score using guides—or get their money back.

Vocabulary is a critical part of studying for the SATs. Memorizing words that are written on flashcards can be difficult because they are not put in the context of a sentence. Kaplan’s SAT Score-Raising Classics make learning SAT vocabulary words easier and more enjoyable for students. Classic novels that are taught throughout high school can now be read while learning vocabulary words that frequently appear on the SAT exam.

Designed for easy use, these books feature the actual text on one side of the page, with the word definitions on the opposite side. In addition, the vocabulary words are in easy-to-spot bold typeface throughout.

Each Kaplan SAT Score-Raising Classic features:

• The complete text of the classic novel
• Hundreds of vocabulary words tested on the SAT exam
• Definitions for each highlighted work on the facing page
• A pronunciation guide
• An index for easy reference
• A teachers’ guide that includes instructional suggestions, in-class activities, and homework assignments posted on our web site: kaptest.com

Kaplan’s SAT Score-Raising Classics series give readers get an invaluable learning tool and an enjoyable reading experience. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The Scarlett Letter Plus
I am an English teacher and I learned that many of my students find The Scarlet Letter intimidating and daunting because of its level of vocabulary. Ever since I found this book, I have recommended it to many of my students to alleviate their anxiety about reading it. Using this book cuts down the time that one has to spend looking up the words that one has never heard of or read, which is one of the reasons why many of my students quit reading this book in the first place. This also helps my students to become exposed to many SAT vocabulary words without having to memorize them from an alphabetized list. The newer edition has thinner papers, which makes this classic extremely portable and accessible. I highly recommend this to any student.

A great classic-- but will a 17-year-old enjoy it?
I am an SAT tutor and believe that this is one of the most valuable books of its type a student preparing for the test can read.Unfortunately, in my experience, students also find this one of the least enjoyable books.Why is it valuable?
There are 2 major areas that a student must master to improve scores on the SAT Critical Reading section: (1) Vocabulary. (2) Understanding of complex sentence structures.This book provides a student with both.(1) SAT words are bolded, their definitions conveniently located on the facing page. (2) Sentence structure is complex and the book is written in "older" English which is partly a result of the era it was written in.The college board knows this and even suggests that students read books written before 1900.The complex sentences and old language may be reasons students do not put The Scarlet Letter on their Top 10 Favorite Books List, but it does not take away from the book's value-- if you can get your child to read it. ... Read more

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

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The Marble Faun - Volume 1: The Romance of Monte Beni is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Nathaniel Hawthorne is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Nathaniel Hawthorne then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

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This all-new edition of Hawthorne’s celebrated1851 novel is based on The Ohio State University Press’s Centenary Edition of the Works ofNathaniel Hawthorne.It is accompanied bythorough explanatory annotations and aninsightful introduction to the novel andantebellum culture by Robert S.Levine.

"Contexts" brings together agenerous selection of primary materials intended to provide readers with background on the novel’s central themes.  Historical documents includeaccounts of Salem’s history by Thomas Maule,Robert Calef, Joseph B. Felt, and Charles W.Upham, which Hawthorne drew on for The House ofthe Seven Gables.  The importance of the house in antebellum America—as a manifestation of thebody, a site of genealogical history, and asymbol of the republic’s middle class—isexplored through the diverse writings of William Andrus Alcott, Edgar Allan Poe, and J. H. Agnew,among others.  The impact of technologicaldevelopments on the novel, especially ofdaguerreotypy, is considered through thewritings of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Gustave deBeaumont, and Alexis de Tocqueville, amongothers.  Also included are two of Hawthorne’sliterary sketches—"Alice Doane’sAppeal" and "The Old AppleDealer"—that demonstrate the continuity ofHawthorne’s style, from his earlier periodicalwriting to his later career as anovelist.

"Criticism" provides acomprehensive overview of the criticalcommentary on the novel from its publication tothe present.  Among the twenty-seven criticsrepresented are Herman Melville, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Henry James, Nina Baym, Eric Sundquist,Richard H. Millington, Alan Trachtenberg, AmySchrager Lang, and Christopher Castiglia.

AChronology and Selected Bibliography are alsoincluded. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

An Idea in search of a story.
With the success of The Scarlet Letter (1850), Nathaniel Hawthorne took his place alongside Herman Melville, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau as the leaders of New England's literary community; the book also made Hawthorne enough money so that he could turn all his energies to writing as a full time endeavor.The House of the Seven Gables was published a year after The Scarlet Letter came out, and although most of its themes had been considered in the earlier novel, Hawthorne's point of view in the newer work was as he put it, "a more natural and healthy product of my mind ... and a more natural book for me to write."The book is less severe and even charming in its own way, and it was even more popular than the Scarlet Letter.Whereas both works are still considered masterpieces of early American fiction, The House of the Seven Gables is now generally seen as being much the inferior work.

Hawthorne knew his reading public well and understood that the dark themes previouly developed in The Scarlet Letter could be counted on to sell a lot of books.The idea that "the wrongdoing of one generation lives into the successive ones" was not new, but Hawthorne was determined to give it his full attention; indeed maybe too much attention, resulting in a weakening of the book as a whole.In many ways, the book becomes an idea in search of a supporting cast and plot.It is too episodic (the train ride of Hepzibah and Clifford is not only irrelevant to the plot but could - if the names of the characters were changed - have been lifted from another book entirely); the ending is painfully contrived and all to easily ties up the missing links; and the characters are more like portraits than they are like real people - none of the characters are developed enough to compare to either Hester Prynne, Roger Chillingworth or Minister Dimmesdale.

And while the book may not succeed in its entirety, it is not void of some elements of literary genius. Hawthorne was a master of description and the chapter entitled "Governor Pyncheon" shows him at his best.Judge Jaffrey Pyncheon, a cousin of Hepzibah and Clifford, is the consummate hypocrite: a man, who while affable in society, is obsessed with power and greed and is a manifestation of his Puritan heritage.Having little sympathy left for this heritage, Hawthorne not only kills the Judge off, but spends an entire chapter detailing the dead Judge's vanities and ambitions, and tauts the deceased about the finality of death.And while the hours pass and rigor mortis sets in, Hawthorne takes pleasure in placing a common house fly on the dead man's nose.It is a wonderful touch and a startling demonstration of Hawthorne's literary talent.

Dreadful
I'm not sure what makes this book a classic, other than the fact that it is old.It is a long difficult slog through florid prose, to find a story that has little, if any, plot.Nothing really happens throughout the entire book.

This book could have been written in one sentence: "Once upon a time, there were some people that I didn't really like, that lived around here, in a house that may or may not have been haunted, and after nothing much happened to them, they moved away.

The rest of the book is nothing but long-winded, overblown descriptions that make you feel like YOU are mouldering and decaying, rather than the house.There are many classics out there that inform, entertain and uplift the human spirit. This is not one of them. I hate every excruciating second of it.

And no, I wasn't forced to read this for a class, I read it of my own accord, much to my dismay.

Outdated and pointless
I did not have to read Hawthorne in high-school, so my impressions were not based on some previous experience. I did not quite know what to expect when I picked it up. What I got was a moderately interesting book, which did not touch me on any serious emotional level. The problems faced by its characters are dated and don't translate well into modern world, the thoughts may have been original in 19th century, but by now are trivial, the characters are built through descriptions and not through actions. There are several paragraphs in the book that I thought were great and interesting, so the book is not a total waste of time. In a way, I can see why it became a classic of American literature, but it did not preserve well.
One thing that I'd like to point out is a complete lack of any moral or a point to the story. It's just a collection of events that happened to leave positive characters prospering and the bad guy dying. Random stuff. "S..t happens and sometimes it happens for good" seems to be the main idea of the book. It's an OK idea for a "vacation-book", but I usually expect more from a "classic".

Not as Good as Scarlet
I found this to be much slower and generally more boring than the Scarlet Letter and many of the stories in Twice Told Tales.However, it's still Hawthorne and worth reading.

hawthorne is great
Hawthorne I believe is the best American writer of all time.Rather than romanticize the house for the purposes of story telling, he provides us with more of a lesson in community, law and history while putting the house of seven gables in such a perspective.

His style is magnificent and he never strays from his purpose of uplifting the human soul to indulge in sensationalism, or the like except in his the artist's story of Matthew Maule and the Pyncheon's which is quite a humorous exposition.

What impresses me most and distinguishes Hawthorne from most other American writers, is well beyond his excessive grace and knowledge is that his characters are all story tellers, and not just some stiffs spouting off one liners in the midst of some formulaic or contrived plot.His contrivance of plot the legal documents is funny and well put into perspective by his emphasis on the human condition in a new england town.

Its a very good book, although the Scarlet Letter was more gripping to me.I think he is a far better author than Twain and especially Faulkner who I believe is a total hack, and even Melville for Hawthorne's spareness, clarity and grace.And Hemingway - give me a break, that guy is not in the same league as Stephen King.Hawthorne is definitely the greatest writer in American literature, although of course he didn't turn out the same number of books as some of these other guys, you can only read so many books anyway.

Grace, style and exposition (with romance) of all manners of the human condition and sound advice are what makes Hawthorne the best.i highly recommend this book. ... Read more

Product Description

The Marble Faun (1860) was the last of the four major romances by Nathaniel Hawthorne. After writing The Blithedale Romance in 1852, Hawthorne, approaching fifty, turned away from publication and obtained a political appointment as American Consul in Liverpool, England, an appointment which he held from 1853 to 1857. In 1858, Hawthorne and his wife Sophia Peabody moved to Italy and became essentially tourists for a year and a half. The Marble Faun is Hawthorne's most unusual romance, and possibly one of the strangest major works of American fiction. Writing on the eve of the American Civil War, Hawthorne set his story in a fantastical Italy. The romance mixes elements of a fable, pastoral, gothic novel, and travel guide. The climax comes less than halfway through the story, and Hawthorne intentionally fails to answer many of the reader's questions about the characters and the plot. (Complaints about this led Hawthorne to add a facetious Postscript to the second edition, wherein he continues to fail - purposefully - to answer most of these questions.)

Customer Reviews (16)

Tour 19th-Century Rome with Hawthorne
I started the Marble Faun twice: The first time was kind of a slog before my trip to Rome.The instant I got back home drom the trip I started all over again and I felt I was reading a completely different book!It was an absolute joy to tour that wonderful ancient/Christian/Renaissance city with Hawthorne as my guide.After all, Rome hasn't changed THAT much since the mid-19th century, and it's been a tourist attraction forever.Be sure to read this book with the Internet close at hand, or sitting in the public library, or at least a decent pictorial tour book of Rome at hand.(If you google the words `rome art lover' you will find a website that answered most of my questions.) You'll want to see exactly what Hawthorne is talking about.The writing just drips with metaphor and symbolism, ie Corrupt, eroding Europe vs. American Purity. Hawthorne references history, specific artworks, architecture, myth, literature to describe (I wouldn't say flesh out) out his 4 characters--three young American expat artists, and their Italian friend--and the intrigue that manages to take them all over the city and on a trip beyond the walls.I loved Hawthorne's broodings all the things I loved about Rome, in particular a visit to Saint Peter's by an innocent Protestant who has witnessed a murder by her friends.Another highlight: the guilty parties' reaction when, creeped out by something they see in the Capuccine Church, they flee down to that amazing crypt...During his characters' walk through the Forum, Hawthorne ruminates on why the ancient past in Rome seems so much more recent than, say, the Middle Ages do in England. I could go on and on.I did not find the solution to the mystery of the plot at all satisfying, but I forgive Hawthorne this once and have even vowed to re-read the Scarlet Letter, which I didn't enjoy in HS.

A Novel of Conscience
This penetrating and provocative novel has the power to create a trance-like state in the reader's mind. Much of the dream quality of the scenes is the result of the setting in historic Rome, the art focused characters, and, especially, the author's poetic genius.

Like "The Scarlet Letter" and other Nathaniel Hawthorne works, this story centers upon morality and the value of experience in a person's growth, and here read "SIN" for experience.

I read the book in four days, and that is a dash for me. Totally immersed in the story, I frequently found myself marveling at the poetic presentation of universal truths about mankind; some of which had me re-examining hard won personal realizations about morality.

It had been years since I read this icon of the American Renaissance; I'll be reading another selection of his soon.

Maybe not Hawthorne's best, but still good
This is a great book for people who have been to Rome or are going to Rome. However, as with most of Hawthorne's novels, some patience is required. I found that the first half of this book moved along quickly and was, in a word, enchanting. The second half was not quite as engaging and the end seemed somewhat abrupt to me. I almost felt that Hawthorne was in a rush to finish. Not that I didn't enjoy it. I was just left on the last page saying, "What? Where's the rest of the book?" I'll admit it though, I'm a Hawthorne fan and despite it's imperfections this is a worthwhile read and one of my personal favorites.

A Disappointment
According to Hawthorne, this is not a novel, it's a Romance, and not just a Romance, but an Allegory, fraught with Symbolism, to illustrate a MORAL. The end result being that Hawthorne's characters are a cartoonish, unconvincing bunch, uttering stilted dialogue like a troupe of half-baked Shakespearean hams declaiming away in some tawdry, gaslight melodrama. Hawthorne frequently brings the story to a dead stop so that he can inflict on the reader his generally negative opinions on art, Rome, Italians, etc., reserving most of his venom for Catholicism. In spite of all that, he does succeed in telling a story, even if he does cheat the reader out of a satisfactory ending.If you want to read the Fall of Man, acted out by arty Americans in 19th century Rome, you're better off with Roderick Hudson by Henry James. James took the basic elements of Hawthorne's novel and came up with a much more rewarding book.

Innocents Abroad
_The Marble Faun_ concerns three young American artists, Miriam, Hilda and Kenyon, and their Italian faun-like friend, Donatello, whose characters are transformed while on their stay in Rome, the Eternal City. _The Marble Faun_ is very reminiscent of Henry James' novella, "Daisy Miller," where a young and innocent American woman falls under the deleterious spell of this European city. In fact, Hilda, while visiting one of its art galleries is warned by an old German artist to go back to America soon "or you will go never more...The air has been breathed too often, in so many thousand years, and is not wholesome for a little foreign flower like you, my child, a delicate wood-anemone from the western forest-land." Hilda witnesses a serious crime being committed by Donatello and Miriam (supposedly, neither of whom would have done so were it not for the evil influence of Rome's atmosphere) and becomes overwhelmed from ensuing feelings of guilt and depression. Despite her Puritan heritage, Hilda is compelled to unburden herself by seeking confession with a Catholic priest, who suggests that she convert to Catholicism. Hilda seriously considers, but decides to resist this transformation.

Hawthorne spends much of the novel in describing in detail Rome's architecture, its art galleries, churches, and its many other landmarks and shrines. When relevant to the story--especially in the author's depiction of the catacombs (from whence Miriam and Donatello commit their unforgivable deed), sunlight streaming through a church's stained glass windows, the extinction of a legendary flame standing before a lofty shrine, and the majestic bronze statue of a pope stretching out his hand in benediction--the effects are quite wonderful. However, a sizable portion of the novel is merely endless travelogue, which seriously detracts from this fairly well-told gothic romance. I did very much like Hawthorne's portrayal of carnival-time in Rome towards the end of the book, and the author's conversation with Kenyon and Hilda at the novel's conclusion is quite charming. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Story=5 Stars, Edition=1
"The Birthmark" is one of Nathaniel Hawthorne's best short stories. Hawthorne is not the easiest writer for current readers to get into; his style is somewhat antiquated, and he has a wealth of historical and literary references. However, the "The Birthmark" is so good that this is soon gotten over, and we are engrossed in the mesmerizing story. Like virtually everything he wrote, it is allegorical, though far less ambiguously than most of his work. Hawthorne's deep pessimism comes to the fore as he vividly reminds us of perfection's impossibility on the one hand and our apparent inability to realize this on the other. Skillfully playing on a myth at least as old as Pygmalion, he shows how we cannot be satisfied with the near-perfect and how we often ruin things by trying to make the final improvement without which we should have been easily satisfied. The story also paints a grim picture of love and human relations generally and chides us for focusing on the superficial and failing to properly prioritize. Hawthorne, along with disciple Melville, was distinctly ahead of his time in using heavy allegories, and this is one of his best. The story is worth buying alone but is widely anthologized, making a standalone hard to justify. However, the important thing is to read it in some form.

The birthmark
I would highly recommend this book, because I personally analyze it, and I know it has deep meanings that will change your perspective in life. I did it for a project so I had to deeply analyze it. The Birthmark examines the obsession of human perfection. Georgiana, the beautiful woman in the story has a single hand-shaped birthmark on her cheek. Men are invariably attracted to Georgiana, and many find the birthmark attractive. However, her husband Aylmer, a scientist, is revolted at the sight of the birthmark. Eventually Georgiana comes to share his obsession, and the couple decides to try to remove the birthmark. Aylmer takes Georgiana to his laboratory, where he is assisted by his assistant Aminadab.
However, the theme is a bit clichéd, but this story changes it up a bit and makes the theme more meaningful than other books do. ... Read more

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The Works of Nathaniel Hawthorne: Volume I includes The Scarlet Letter and The Marble Faun;Volume II is Twice-Told Tales and House of the Seven Gables; Volume III includes True Stories, Wonder Book and Tanglewood Tales. ... Read more

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Get your "A" in gear!

They're today's most popular study guides-with everything you need to succeed in school. Written by Harvard students for students, since its inception SparkNotes™ has developed a loyal community of dedicated users and become a major education brand. Consumer demand has been so strong that the guides have expanded to over 150 titles.SparkNotes'™ motto is Smarter, Better, Faster because:

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And with everything covered--context; plot overview; character lists; themes, motifs, and symbols; summary and analysis, key facts; study questions and essay topics; and reviews and resources--you don't have to go anywhere else!



... Read more

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

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Fragments of an unfinished novel. According to Wikipedia: "Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804 –1864) was an American novelist and short story writer... Much of Hawthorne's writing centers around New England and many feature moral allegories with a Puritan inspiration. His fiction works are considered part of the Romantic movement and, more specifically, dark romanticism. His themes often center on the inherent evil and sin of humanity and his works often have moral messages and deep psychological complexity. His published works include novels, short stories, and a biography of his friend Franklin Pierce." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Essential For Hawthorne Readers
I call this esential because it provides a view of Hawthorne that one may not usually see.Fanshawe was his first work, the rest in this collection comprise some of his last.Dolliver, Septimius, and the Ancestral Footstep all involve a scientist (or seeker) character involved in the discovery ofa secret "Elixir of Life" that has been past through generationsand serves as a link between Europe and the New World. None of these texts, having been written by Hawthorne in the last three years of his life, were ever completed. Nonetheless, they provide a view of the author not often recognized in reading his other works. Key issues in these texts are scientific research, the progression of life to death, and succession after death, either through legacy or inheritance. Unfortunately, the author was never able to polish this dicussion in one distinct title, and thus we are left with four drafts to ponder. (Only three are included in this volume; the fourth, which I would also recommend, is Dr. Grimshawe's Secret.) There is no loss in this, for Hawthorne's difficulty in writing these works is a testament to their complexity, and each provides separate details wich lead to the reader's complete understanding of the author's inetentions. As romances, Septimius Felton, and Dr. Grimshawe's Secret stand apart as complete and entertaining texts, most intriguing for the scientific research ethic that Hawthornes implies. Until these works were published, similar issues could only be found -- less completely developed -- in the author's short stories (such as "The Birth-Mark," "Rappaccini's Daughter," and "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment"). Enjoy. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition

Too long
If you have no patience for reading-don't try this one ... Read more

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This title has fewer than 24 printed text pages. The Snow-Image - A Childish Miracle is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Nathaniel Hawthorne is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Nathaniel Hawthorne then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

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Notes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be numerous typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

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Winner of the 1983 National Book Award, James R. Mellow's magisterial biography of Nathaniel Hawthorne places America's first great writer in the midst of the literary and cultural turmoil of the early republic. An unparalleled panorama of 19th-century American intellectual life, the biography convincingly traces Hawthorne's literary concerns to the events of his enigmatic life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

the shyest grape
A remarkable literary biography, this, that succeeds in conveying both a sense of Hawthorne, the writer, and Hawthorne, the man. It also builds up a most appealing set of mini portraits of some fascinating figures from the first half of the 19th century, among them the Peabody sisters [family of Hawthorne's wife, Sophia], Emerson, Thoreau, Longfellow, Bronson Alcott [father of Louisa May], Melville, and countless others. What an extraordinary period this was in American cultural life! It's not a short read, but it's never dull, and, more often than not, close to rivetting. Mellow uses to wonderful effect extracts from Hawthorne's letters and notebooks, allowing "the shyest grape" of them all [Melville about Hawthorne] to speak directly. Not afraid to use Hawthorne's fiction as a way into our knowledge of the man, Mellow is, nevertheless, mostly restrained, aware that the relationship between a life and its work is seldom simple. If, very occasionally, the insights Mellow comes up with border on the facile, there are enough genuinely interesting thoughts to keep the literary analysis helpful. But the great success of the book lies, I think, in its even-handedness and neutrality of tone, and in its richness of detail - excellent notes and index, too.

Highly recommend this biography
I have recently continued my reading journey by moving to non-fiction, including biographies. This is a very easy book to read. I have found myself liking Hawthorne and sometime I have to keep reading to find outwhat happens next in his life instead of going to sleep. I also find itvery interesting finding out how people lived 150 years ago. Their problemsare the same ones we have today - money, kids, in-laws, etc. They havegardens in the summer, growing the same vegatables, and are snowed induring the winter. New England never changes. I have read W. Manchester'sbiographies of Douglas MacArthur and the Krupps and Thayer's biography ofBeethoven This book is as good as those three. ... Read more

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Leslie Fiedler pronounced it the first American tragedy. F.O. Mathiessen considered it the "Puritan Faust." Until now, it appeared that Nathaniel Hawthorne's haunting drama of judgement, alienation, and redemption would be forever confined to the page. Now comes the stage version to do it justice. DeMaiolo's brooding choruses of superstition and doubt hover like the furies hungry for vengeance on the "voluptuous Oriental" woman whose fate would commingle with every life in Salem. The audience joins the chorus as they weigh the American contract of freedom against the fine print of convention and taboo. Performance rights available from Applause. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

The Punishment for Love and Sins
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne takes place in seventeenth-century Boston. The townspeople gather in an area to watch for who should emerge from the prison door. It could be anyone. Hester Prynne emerges holding a baby about three months of age. This woman had a golden embroidery of the letter "A" - so artistically done, everyone stopped to stare at its beauty. This letter stood for "adulterer" and would be her punishment for having a baby with a man who was not her husband. Her husband had sent her to America ahead of him but did not come to join her. No one has heard from him in years.
Hester Prynne would not give the name of her accomplice and said her baby, Pearl, would never know an earthly father but will seek a heavenly one. Soon after, Hester is encountered by a man who introduced himself as Roger Chillingworth; he then tells Hester a secret she must not share with anyone and she agrees. Roger Chillingworth's secret is his true identity - Hester's husband. So he vows to take revenge upon the man who laid hands upon his wife and gave her a child.
But through her punishment, Hester's character develops throughout the book although she is isolated by society. "Man had marked this woman's sin by a scarlet letter, which has such potent and disastrous efficacy that no human sympathy could reach her, save it were sinful like herself. God, as a direct consequence of the sin which man thus punished, had given her a lovely child, whose place was on the same dishonored bosom, to connect her parent for ever with the race and descent of mortals, and to be finally a blessed soul in heaven!" (Chapter 6; pg. 82) This passage portrays one of many cases of irony in this book - the same act tarnished her reputation forever at the same time as giving her her most treasured possession. Pearl is a main focus of irony in The Scarlet Letter as well as a main character: "She resembled, in her fierce pursuit of them, an infant pestilence,--the scarlet fever, or some such half-fledged angel of judgment,--whose mission was to punish the sins of the rising generation."(Chapter 7; pg. 94) Pearl has a wild and fiery side - she feels the need to protect herself and her mother against the people of Boston. When children cause trouble to her and her mother, Pearl "punishes" them for it. What is ironic is that Pearl punishes the rising generation (children her age) for their sins while Hester's generation is punishing Hester. To add on to the irony, Pearl is the reason for Hester's punishment.
As mention earlier, Hester's character grows throughout the book through her punishment. Hester even states that Pearl is the living scarlet letter; although Pearl is her child, she still gets punished from Pearl. Hester told the Governor, "She is my happiness!--she is my torture, none the less! Pearl keeps me here in life! Pearl punishes me too! See ye not, she is the scarlet letter, only capable of being loved, and so endowed with a million-fold the power of retribution for my sin? Ye shall not take her! I will die first!'" (Chapter 8; pg. 103-104) This passage reveals the deepest of Hester's thoughts of Pearl in the book - it portrays the relationship the two share. It reveals the love Hester has for Pearl as well as the thoughts of Pearl: although a blessing from God, she is constantly reminded by her sins from Pearl.
The Scarlet Letter is a wonderful book filled with irony, symbolism, character, conflict and so much more. The life of retribution and sins it incorporates a criticism of Puritan values while slightly justifying it. This tale is filled with many opposites - hate and love, secrecy and exposed secrets, light and dark, evil and good - which makes the plot more exciting, interesting, and valuable to me as a reader and as a human.

product is play version, not book
Though we were getting the book for class, but this turned out to be the play version. Alot is left out - like the authors 40 page into which we were supposed to read and review.

The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
This book is an adaption of The Scarlett Letter for a play.It is a quick review of the original novel which is quick and enjoyable.

Great Reading
I thought these book reviews would help me form opinions on a presentation I have to give on the meaning of the physical letter "A" but after reading almost all of them, I felt inclined to add my opinion. (thebook review helped a little, but I didn't really expect anyone to havewritten exactly what I was looking for anyway) I have to admit, I didn'texpect the book to be exciting or great by the looks of the Custom House,which my AP English teacher actually had us skip. But once you get into itand promise yourself that you're not going to stop reading, you becomeinvolved in the story and you really get a deep understanding of humannature. Overall, I found the themes and symbols in this book depressing butwith a large amount of depth. I would advise all of the readers who thinklittle of the book to reread it with better expectations on what Hawthornehas to say, and to ignore the fact that the sentences are long- they willflow easily if only you immerse yourself in the novel.

Suprising, compared to other reviews
I'm an average 12 year old who read "The Scarlet Letter"!!!!!!!And YES, I read the UNABRIDGED VERSION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was reading all these reviews in confusion.None of the words were complicated.I didn't have to use a dictionary.All in all, it is an excellent book.Although a bit monotonus at times, it is an excellent book with an excellent reflection of the times.I would recomend it, and even if you have to look up every other word, ITS WORTH IT!!!!!! ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

good golly miss molly
this edition is smoking hot. mobile should be proud to have presented the glamour of the faun alongside the shame of the shunned woman. great for any student of fine storytelling. a delight.

Great literature
Five Novels: Fanshawe, The Scarlet Letter, House of the Seven Gables, The Blithedale Romance, and The Marble Faun by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Published by MobileReference (mobi).

MobileReference provided a great service by publishing this beautiful edition. Nathaniel Hawthorne's prose is timeless and he remains the best. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (2)

A bit wordy
I bought this for my ten year old daughter so she could have some extra reading to go along with what she is learning in her gifted class. It has some good stories, and the content is age appropriate, but the language is overly elegant. It is written very poetically and is far too wordy for a 10 year old. I enjoy reading and even I was bored and tired of reading by the end of the first tale.

A great book about greek mythology.
The book, A Wonder Book, is a good book about Greek mythology.This adventurous book includes Medusa, Perseus, Hercules, Pegasus and many more well known characters.The stories are told by a man named Eustace Bright.He is telling all the stories to a couple curious children.The children enjoy the stories a lot and always want to hear them.Each story is told in a different place and time. Each tale is different and interesting.I recommend this book to curious children and teens that are interested in Greek mythology. ... Read more