Study Guide_ The Short Stories of Nathaniel Hawthorne

Introduction to Nathaniel Hawthorne's Short Stories

• Source: Adapted from "Hawthorne's Short Fiction" by Leland S. Pearson in The Cambridge Introduction to Nathaniel Hawthorne, Cambridge UP, 2012.

Overview of Works

• Authored five novels:

  • Fanshawe

  • The Scarlet Letter

  • The House of the Seven Gables

  • The Blithedale Romance

  • The Marble Faun

• Published three collections of tales:

  • Twice-Told Tales

  • Mosses from an Old Manse

  • The Snow-Image

• Known for short stories, particularly after his earlier novel disavowal.

Career Reflection

• Early career focused on short stories for 20 years.

• Published The Scarlet Letter at age 45—shifted to writing long works labeled as romances.

• Hawthorne preferred a dream-like quality to realism in his narratives.

Themes and Style

• Utilized familiar objects but depicted them through a moonlit, distorted lens, leading to thematic explorations of dark truths and spiritualism.

• Early works focused on audience sensibilities, avoiding potentially offensive content.

Significant Early Collections

• First collection, Twice-Told Tales, published in 1837 after multiple rejections.

• Included 18 tales, discarded over two dozen well-regarded stories, emphasizing audience impact over personal preference.

• Notable tales:

  • "The Gentle Boy"—most popular in his life.

  • "Wakefield", "The Gray Champion", "The May-Pole of Merry Mount", "The Minister’s Black Veil"—gained popularity posthumously.

Critiques and Reader Responses

• Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's Review: Praised Twice-Told Tales for its representation of small life and emotional depth.

Exploration of Domestic Fear

• Stories often depict darker themes of marriage and domestic life with gothic undertones.

• Example: "The Hollow of the Three Hills" portrays chilling domestic estrangement and its consequences.

Key Tales and Their Themes

The Minister’s Black Veil

• Examines identity and public perception through Reverend Hooper’s veil.

• Explores alienation and human relationships under drastic personal changes.

Wakefield

• Explores themes of absence and observation through the character Wakefield, who observes his wife's reaction after leaving.

• The narrative emphasizes a disconnect from domestic life and the ambiguity of his motivations for leaving and returning.