The Scarlet Letter | The Scarlet Letter

At a glance:

Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne
First Published: 1850
Type of Work: Novel
Type of Plot: Psychological realism
Time of Work: Seventeenth or eighteenth century
Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction
Subjects: North America or North Americans, Northeast, U.S., Colonies or colonization, Mistaken or secret identity, Guilt, New England, Ministry or ministers, Seventeenth century, Adultery, Punishment, Good and evil, Revenge, Illegitimacy, Boston, Sermons, Gossip, Massachusetts Bay Colony, Needlepoint or needlework
Locales: Boston, MA

*Massachusetts Bay Colony. Early American New England colony established by British Puritans who were seeking religious freedom. This is the primary setting of the novel in which all the other places to be mentioned are found. While ostensibly seeking a place of freedom, the Puritans had created a society more repressive than America has ever known through the present day. Beauty and creativity in the surroundings the Puritans themselves created were not valued. A premium was instead placed on utilitarianism and frugality.

The Scarlet Letter | The Scarlet Letter

At a glance:

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