Many of Hawthorne’s novels and stories exhibit similarities to The Scarlet Letter. Several of his short stories, particularly “The Minister’s Black Veil,” “The Birthmark,” “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” and “Ethan Brand,” feature characters and events that strongly echo those in this novel. These stories, along with others like “My Kinsman, Major Molineux” and “Young Goodman Brown,” explore similar themes and use the history of Puritan New England as their backdrop. Additionally, The House of the Seven Gables (1851), a novel Hawthorne wrote right after publishing The Scarlet Letter, serves as a harsh critique of Puritan values.

It's no surprise that The Scarlet Letter has long been a popular subject for filmmakers, television producers, and the expanding market in audio and video recordings. During the silent film era, multiple adaptations of Hawthorne's story were created, the most notable being a 1926 blockbuster featuring Lillian Gish as Hester, newcomer Lars Hanson as Dimmesdale, and Henry Walthall as Chillingworth. This version, produced by Louis Mayer of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, was meticulously designed to downplay the heroine's sexual transgressions to avoid backlash from religious groups and maintain Gish’s screen reputation.

In 1934, Hollywood director Robert Vignola crafted an unusual version of the story, incorporating comedic elements into Hawthorne’s somber narrative. Starring Colleen Moore, Hardie Albright, and (once again) Henry Walthall, the film received mixed reviews. A German-language adaptation, largely faithful to the original, was released in 1973 and starred European film star Senta Berger. In both 1979 and 1991, the novel was adapted into television multi-part series by public broadcasting and national humanities agencies; both versions were praised for their faithful representation of the author's themes and the quality of the acting. The 1991 adaptation also featured a documentary detailing the research involved in producing the film.

In 1995, The Scarlet Letter made headlines again when Hollywood released a loose adaptation with a happy ending, starring one of the industry’s most alluring actresses, Demi Moore. However, reviews were universally negative, criticizing the quality of acting and condemning the scriptwriter, director, and producer for taking excessive liberties with the original story.

The novel has also been adapted into more than a dozen audio recordings aimed at students and general audiences. Noteworthy versions in these formats include a 1986 dramatic reading by actress Michael Learned, a 1989 audio version by actress Jane Seymour, and a 1995 recording by actress Leslie Ann Warren.

• The Scarlet Letter has been adapted into several films, starting with the 1926 silent version directed by Victor Seastrom, featuring Lillian Gish as Hester Prynne. The first sound adaptation was directed by Robert Vignola in 1934, produced by London Films, and starred Colleen Moore. This version is available from Nostalgia Family Video, although finding a rental copy might be challenging.
• More recent adaptations include a 1973 international version directed by Wim Wenders, which received positive reviews. This version, produced by Ingram International Films, is in German with English subtitles. In 1979, PBS aired a four-hour adaptation starring Meg Foster as Hester and John Heard as Dimmesdale, directed by Rick Harser. This version remains true to the novel and is available from PBS Home Video on four video cassettes. An educational version produced in 1991 can be obtained from Films for the Humanities and Sciences.
• One notable failure is the 1995 Hollywood production directed by Roland Joffe, starring Demi Moore as Hester, Gary Oldman as Dimmesdale, and Robert Duvall as Chillingworth. This film is available from Hollywood Pictures Home Video. It is advised not to use this film as a reliable guide to the novel.
• Several audio recordings of the novel exist as well. Audio Partners Inc. of Auburn, CA, released an abridged version in 1986 read by Michael Learned, titled Michael Learned reads The Scarlet Letter. The Brilliance Corporation produced an unabridged version in 1993, read by Dick Hill, which runs for 8 hours. Books in Motion also published an unabridged version in 1982, read by Gene Engene, lasting 7.5 hours.
• Additionally, there are two audio study guides or discussions of The Scarlet Letter. Lecturer Robert H. Fossum discusses the book on a thirty-eight-minute cassette in the series “19th Century American Writers,” produced by Everett/Edwards in 1976. Time Warner Audiobooks released a study guide narrated by Julie Amato in 1994 on a seventy-two-minute cassette.

Sources for Further Study

Baym, Nina “The Scarlet Letter”: A Reading. Boston: Twayne, 1986. Full-length critical introduction that examines the setting, characters, and themes. One fascinating chapter treats the scarlet “A” as a character. Includes a chronology and extended bibliography.

Bloom, Harold, ed. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter.” New York: Chelsea House, 1986. Part of the Modern Critical Interpretations series. Offers seven fascinating, fairly sophisticated critical essays written after 1962. Contains several approaches to the work as not a novel but as a typical American romance.

Boudreau, Kristin. “Hawthorne’s Model of Christian Charity.” In Sympathy in American Literature: American Sentiments from Jefferson to the Jameses. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2002. This chapter relates Hawthorne’s novel to the question of Christian charity in the writings of Puritan governor John Winthrop.

Colacurcio, Michael J. New Essays on “The Scarlet Letter.” New York: Cambridge University Press, 1985. Offers serious students a brief review of the different critical approaches brought to the novel from the time of its publication to the 1980’s.

Durst Johnson, Claudia. Understanding the Scarlet Letter: A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical Documents. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1995. This volume is an excellent source book for historical and critical texts relating to Hawthorne’s novel.

Gerber, John C., ed. Twentieth-Century Interpretations of “The Scarlet Letter”: A Collection of Critical Essays. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1968. Twenty essays for the beginning student that explore background, form, techniques, and interpretations. Includes a useful chronology that pairs dates in Hawthorne’s life with historical events.

Gross, Seymour, ed. A “Scarlet Letter” Handbook. San Francisco: Wadsworth, 1960. A discussion of Hawthorne’s earlier fiction, followed by a collection of brief essays on themes, characters, symbolism, and structure. Includes topics for discussion and student papers and an annotated bibliography.

Thomas, Brook. “Love and Politics, Sympathy and Justice in The Scarlet Letter.” In The Cambridge Companion to Nathaniel Hawthorne, edited by Richard H. Millington. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 2004. This essay examines the question of marriage as it relates to the Puritan tradition and to Hawthorne’s novel.

Turner, Arlin. The Merrill Studies in “The Scarlet Letter.” Columbus, Ohio: Charles E. Merrill, 1970. Essays for the general reader, including pieces on Hawthorne’s process of composition, reviews of the novel dating back to its publication in 1850, nineteenth century commentary, and a sampling of twentieth century approaches.

Sources

Baym, Nina. “Plot in Hawthorne’s Romances.” In Ruined Eden of the Present, edited by G. R. Thompson and Virgil L. Lokke. Purdue University Press, 1981, pp. 49-70.

———. The Scarlet Letter: A Reading. Boston: Twayn, 1986.

Bercovitch, Sacvan. The Office of the Scarlet Letter. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1991.

Carpenter, Frederic I. “Scarlet A Minus.” In College English, Vol. 5, 1944, pp. 173-80.

Coxe, Arthur Cleveland. “The Writings of Hawthorne.” In Church Review, January, 1851, pp. 489-511.

Duyckinck, Evert A. Review in Literary World, March 30, 1850, pp. 323-25.

Gerber, John C. Twentieth Century Interpretations of The Scarlet Letter. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1968.

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. Norwalk, Connecticut: Heritage Press, 1973.

James, Henry. Hawthorne. Macmillan & Co., London, 1879.

Matthiessen, F. O. American Renaissance: Art and Expression in the Age of Emerson and Whitman. Oxford University Press, 1941.

The Scarlet Letter; an annotated text, backgrounds, and sources. New York: Norton, 1962.

Whipple, Edwin Percy. Review in Graham’s Magazine, May, 1850, pp. 345-46.

Further Reading

Berlant, Lauren Gail. The Anatomy of National Fantasy, Hawthorne, Utopia, and Everyday Life. University of Chicago Press, 1991. This book discusses the links between The Scarlet Letter and the political climate of mid-nineteenth-century America, including the concept of Utopia as it related to American democracy.

Brodhead, Richard H. The School of Hawthorne. Oxford University Press, 1986. Brodhead explores Hawthorne's critical acclaim and how the literary trends of the time helped establish a “school” around his work, cementing his place in the literary canon. This book provides an insightful history of Hawthorne’s critical reception.

Critical Essays on Hawthorne’s ‘The Scarlet Letter,’ edited by David B. Kesterson. G. K. Hall, 1988. A collection of previously published critiques on Hawthorne’s novel.

Critical Response to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s ‘The Scarlet Letter,’ edited by Gary Scharnhorst. Greenwood Press, 1992. This compilation features critical essays by various scholars on the novel.

DeSalvo, Louise A. Nathaniel Hawthorne. Harvester Press, 1987. A feminist critique of Hawthorne’s works, highlighting the misogyny present in his texts.

Harris, Kenneth Marc. Hypocrisy and Self-deception in Hawthorne’s Fiction. University Press of Virginia, 1988. This study delves into Hawthorne’s focus on hypocrisy, tying it to his fascination with Puritanism.

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s ‘The Scarlet Letter,’ edited and with an introduction by Harold Bloom. Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. This edition includes a useful introduction by a renowned literary critic.

New Essays on ‘The Scarlet Letter,’ edited by Michael J. Colacurcio. Cambridge University Press, 1985. A collection of original critical analyses of Hawthorne’s novel.

Person, Leland S. Aesthetic Headaches: Women and a Masculine Poetics in Poe, Melville, and Hawthorne. University of Georgia Press, 1988. Person examines these authors’ struggles to create artistic representations of women, proposing the need for a “masculine poetics.” The book dedicates a full chapter to The Scarlet Letter.

Reynolds, Larry J. “The Scarlet Letter and Revolutions Abroad.” In American Literature, Vol. 77, 1985, pp. 44-67. Reynolds illustrates how Hawthorne was influenced by the European revolutions that started in 1848.

Rosa, Alfred F. Salem, Transcendentalism, and Hawthorne. Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1980. This book explores various historical influences on Hawthorne, such as the Massachusetts witch trials and the emerging Transcendentalist movement.

Ryskamp, Charles. “The New England Sources of The Scarlet Letter.” In American Literature XXXI, November 1959, pp. 257-272. This article examines historical events that may have inspired the plot and writing of Hawthorne’s novel.

Swann, Charles. Nathaniel Hawthorne: Tradition and Revolution. Cambridge University Press, 1991. This literary analysis delves into Hawthorne’s work, providing extensive historical context that can enhance various interpretations of his writings.

Thickstun, Margaret Olofson. Fictions of the Feminine: Puritan Doctrine and the Representation of Women. Cornell University Press, 1988. This book offers a comprehensive overview of how Puritan views on women have influenced literary works, including The Scarlet Letter.

Twentieth Century Interpretations of ‘The Scarlet Letter’: A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by John C. Gerber. Prentice-Hall, 1968. This collection features significant and pioneering essays on Hawthorne’s novel, discussing its structure, themes, techniques, and sources. The book also includes a bibliography.