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    The Scarlet Letter A Romance Novel

    Uploaded by

    Syeda Amarah Zahid
    This document discusses Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter and defines some key elements of the novel. It states that the book is a romance, not a novel, meaning it combines realistic and imaginative elements. Some examples of imaginative elements include Pearl seeming to have witchcraft and the scarlet letter A appearing on Dimmesdale's chest. However, it also contains realistic characters, settings, and depictions of 17th century Puritan society. Overall, the document analyzes how Hawthorne uses both realistic and fantastical elements to tell a psychologically realistic story through the genre of romance.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    The Scarlet Letter A Romance Novel

    Uploaded by

    Syeda Amarah Zahid
    135 views16 pages
    This document discusses Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter and defines some key elements of the novel. It states that the book is a romance, not a novel, meaning it combines realistic and imaginative elements. Some examples of imaginative elements include Pearl seeming to have witchcraft and the scarlet letter A appearing on Dimmesdale's chest. However, it also contains realistic characters, settings, and depictions of 17th century Puritan society. Overall, the document analyzes how Hawthorne uses both realistic and fantastical elements to tell a psychologically realistic story through the genre of romance.

    Original Description:

    Overview of the novel The Scarlet Letter as a romance novel

    Original Title

    The Scarlet Letter a Romance Novel

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    This document discusses Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter and defines some key elements of the novel. It states that the book is a romance, not a novel, meaning it combines realistic and imaginative elements. Some examples of imaginative elements include Pearl seeming to have witchcraft and the scarlet letter A appearing on Dimmesdale's chest. However, it also contains realistic characters, settings, and depictions of 17th century Puritan society. Overall, the document analyzes how Hawthorne uses both realistic and fantastical elements to tell a psychologically realistic story through the genre of romance.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    135 views16 pages

    The Scarlet Letter A Romance Novel

    Uploaded by

    Syeda Amarah Zahid
    This document discusses Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter and defines some key elements of the novel. It states that the book is a romance, not a novel, meaning it combines realistic and imaginative elements. Some examples of imaginative elements include Pearl seeming to have witchcraft and the scarlet letter A appearing on Dimmesdale's chest. However, it also contains realistic characters, settings, and depictions of 17th century Puritan society. Overall, the document analyzes how Hawthorne uses both realistic and fantastical elements to tell a psychologically realistic story through the genre of romance.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    of 16
    At a glance
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    Some of the key takeaways are that The Scarlet Letter is classified as a romance rather than a novel, combining realistic and imaginative elements. It explores themes of guilt, sin, and morality in a Puritan community.

    Some of the realistic elements include the punishment given to Hester which was true to the time period, as well as the vivid portrayals of the characters and settings which seem believable.

    Some of the fantastical elements include Pearl possibly having witchcraft, Mistress Hibbins being depicted as a witch, and mysterious sights like the scarlet letter appearing on Dimmesdale's flesh.

    THE SCARLET

    LETTER
    A Romance, Not a Novel
    Romance Novel
    • Not a love story between two protagonists
    • Romance means not adhering strictly to reality
    • Combining  realistic and imaginative elements to tell a moving and
    dreamlike story
    • Incorporates fantastic elements while remaining emotionally and
    psychologically realistic
    • Familiar scenes in the moonlight and warmed slightly by coal-fire
    • In the preface of the book, Hawthorne defines romance as taking place
    “somewhere between the real world and fairy-land, where the Actual and
    the Imaginary may meet, and each imbue itself with the nature of the
    other.” 
    Examples
    • The scarlet letter A seen by Dimmesdale when he stands on the scaffold
    during his vigil in night
    • A token of guilty secret seen by Chillingsworth on the breast of sleeping
    minister
    • The revelation of letter A imprinted in Dimmesdale’s flesh and witmessed
    by no. of people in the crowd
    • Pearl pointed out that sunlight runs away from Hester
    • Final descent of Chillingsworth into the regions of hell
    • Chillingsworth changed into an ugly person
    Gothic elements
    • Certain suggestions borrowed from gothic novel to add weirdness and
    horror
    • Example:
     Wooden jail has a grim appearance
    Oaken door looked more antique than anything else in the world
    Governor’s house decorated with strange and cabalistic figures
     Strong suggestion of intrigue and murder in portraits
    Mistress Hibbins depicted as a witch
    o Constantly talks about black man who haunts the forest
    Pearl seems to have witchcraft in her
    o Not a normal child
    o Her furies and frenzies signify a diabolical touch to her nature
    • According to Mr. Willson, she has witchcraft in her
    • Chillingworth calls her a strange child
    • Many people believe her to be a “demon offspring”
    • Hester herself gets irritated by her erratic behaviour
    Realistic elements
    • Story contains convincing characters and convincing situation
    • Example:
    • Punishment awarded to Hester is true to facts of history
    • Female spectators in the crowd true to Puritans age
    • All characters are vividly portrayed
    • Hester
    o Her haughtiness in the face of her public humiliation
    o Her social endurance of punishment
    o Her intense maternal anxiety to keep Pearl by her side
    o Her sufferings on account of Pearl’s persistent questioning
    o Her suggestion to minster to flee to other land
    o Strong minded, strong willed who refuses to consider her act as sinful
    o Unusual woman
    o Her life is tragic but she rises above her tragedy
    o Throws dust into the eyes of people
    o His cowardice and his hypocrisy damage him more than his sin
    Other realistic elements
    • Minor characters
    • Description of town
    • The forest
    • The market place
    • The Puritan community
    • The portrayal of crowd
    CONCLUSION
    • Hawthorne through his writing as a romance writer depicts the dark and
    gloomy side of mankind in all its guilt and pain.
    Reference
    • NKM Excellent series, Masterpiece critical study
    • Prepared by Syeda Amarah Zahid

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