With a determined commitment to the history of his native land, Nathaniel Hawthorne revealed, more incisively than any writer of his generation, th...
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Dec 14, 2011
John
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Everything I know about about literary criticism was learned in an amazing class on American Lit I took at the University of Colorado back in the 80s. The class itself was not so stunning. The teacher - if you can call him that - was an unenthusiastic resident assistant, and most of my classmates were bored beyond belief. They gorged themselves on Cliff Notes and Monarch Notes and tried to find the sycophantic path that the teacher was seeking from his bleary-eyed sheep.
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Feb 03, 2010
Jesse
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Hawthorne is the coolest. His allegories are mind blowing in these short stories. He always seems to leave me with an eerie feeling when I finish his creepy stories. For some reason...I like that.
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Feb 03, 2010
Jess
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Most people only think of The Scarlet Letter when they think of Hawthorne, but his short stories are amazing!
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Feb 03, 2010
Daniel
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I think Hawthorne wrote some of the best short stories of all time. Some are, but many are.
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Feb 03, 2010
Carmen
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There is something about Hawthorne's stories that leave the reader so unsettled, the stories themselves being unsettled. The Artist of the Beautiful, Rappaccini's Daughter, The Birthmark, Roger Malvin's Burial - all are so carefully rendered, and somewhat formal, but there is an undercurrent of darkness and restriction, unbridled chaos so close to the surface, yet never addressed directly. The stories I've listed appealed to me the most, particularly The Birthmark, a story touching on female bea
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Mar 03, 2010
Brittanie
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I am surprised, after being forced to read The Scarlet letter as a kid, how much I really like Hawthorne. In this book, I read "My Kinsman, Major Molinuex," "Young Goodman Brown," "The Birthmark," "Rappaccini's Daughter," and "Ethan Brand."
Feb 03, 2010
Kevin
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One of the first books I read in college. It is one that I've read countless times since. There are so many great short stories here that I can't pick one as a favorite. Much of Hawthorne's work takes place during early American history, using the Puritan faith as a model to build many of his characters. All of the stories included take you to that time with page-turning suspense that keeps you engrossed for hours.
May 07, 2010
Walt
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Hawthorne would fit right in with today's quirky television. I envision him writing for something strange like THE OFFICE. His writing makes me recognize how much language has changed from his time to ours. It is an attestation to evolution if nothing else is. I enjoyed the eerie sense of the stories --- some more than others. If you want a sense of early American language and storytelling, this is it.
Feb 03, 2010
Nils
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The first great American writer of fiction, working in the form that serves him best, with quick, moody, impressionistic tales that tap into and benchmark American romanticism for all the years after. =The Scarlet Letter= may be better known, but Hawthorne's atmospherics wear out in longer narratives. "The Artist of the Beautiful," "My Kinsman, Major Molineux," and "The Minister's Black Veil" stand out.
Feb 03, 2010
Amy
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i always feel there's so much under the surface of hawthorne's stories with darkness, the supernatural, and human ugliness. i think he was just so intelligent and perceptive about the human struggle in american society and the dark beauty and mystery of the world. i love his work.
Feb 03, 2010
CJ - You Carry On As If I Don't Love You
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I'll take Hawthorne over Poe almost any day (minus The Red Mask of Death and a few Poe poems, I like Hawthorne's stuff much better).
Feb 03, 2010
Rachel
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I can't spell this, but Rappacini's Daughter is my favorite short story. The rest of them are pretty good too.
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