Synopses & Reviews
Twenty-four of the best short stories by one of the early masters of the form, in the definitive collection edited by acclaimed scholar Newton Arvin.
Nathaniel Hawthorne was one of the greatest American writers of the nineteenth century, and some of his most powerful work was in the form of fable-like tales that make rich use of allegory and symbolism. The dark beauty and moral force of his imagination are evident in such enduring masterpieces as "Young Goodman Brown," in which a young man who believes he has witnessed a satanic initiation can never see his pious neighbors the same way again; “Rappaccini's Daughter," about a lovely young girl who has been raised in isolation among dangerous poisons; and "The Birthmark," in which a scientist obsessed with perfection destroys the flaw that makes his otherwise flawless wife both beautiful and human.
Synopsis
Here are the best of Hawthorne's short stories. There are twenty-four of them -- not only the most familiar, but also many that are virtually unknown to the average reader. The selection was made by Professor Newton Arvin of Smith College, a recognized authority on Hawthorne and a distinguished literary critic as well. His fine introduction admirably interprets Hawthorne's mind and art.
About the Author
Nathaniel Hawthorne (1805-64) was an American novelist and short-story writer. He was born in Salem, Massachusetts, and graduated from Bowdoin College. His first novel,
Fanshawe, was published anonymously in 1828, followed by several collections of short stories, including
Twice-Told Tales and
Mosses from an Old Manse. His later novels include
The Scarlet Letter, The House of Seven Gables, The Blithedale Romance, and
The Marble Faun. Newton Arvin (1900-63) was a literary critic and professor at Smith College known for his influential writings about nineteenth-century American literature. He is the author of biographies of Nathaniel Hawthorne and Walt Whitman, and his biography of Herman Melville won the National Book Award in 1951.
Table of Contents
Twice-Told TalesThe Gray Champion
The Minister's Black Veil
The May-Pole of Merry Mount
The Gentle Boy
Wakefield
The Great Carbuncle
The Prophetic Pictures
Dr. Heidegger's Experiment
Lady Eleanore's Mantle
Old Esther Dudley
The Ambitious Guest
The White Old Maid
Peter Goldthwaite's Treasure
Endicott and the Red Cross
Mosses from an Old Manse
The Birthmark
Young Goodman Brown
Rappaccini's Daughter
The Celestial Railroad
Feathertop: A Moralized Legend
Egotism; Or, the Bosom Serpent
The Christmas Banquet
Drowne's Wooden Image
Earth's Holocaust
The Artist of the Beautiful
The Snow Image
The Great Stone Face
Ethan Brand
The Wives of the Dead
Tales and Sketches
The Antique Ring
Alice Doane's Appeal