Fanshawe

Hawthorne, Nathaniel, 1804-1864Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.9

Word count: 235K words
Chapters: 24

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Fanshawe by Nathaniel HawthorneAuthor: Hawthorne, Nathaniel, 1804-1864,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Dec 1, 2004

Editor's review

Fanshawe was Hawthorne's first published novel, bearing clear marks of an apprentice work: the plot revolves around a secret romance and a mystery of identity at a college, the narrative pace is slow, and the characterization does not yet reach the depth of The Scarlet Letter, yet the author's enduring concern with guilt, secrecy and moral dilemma is already visible. For readers studying the evolution of Hawthorne's craft, the value of this work lies not in its maturity but in its traceability — it shows how themes that recur later first took shape in a plainer form. The Project Gutenberg edition is freely accessible and full-text searchable, making it suitable as a base text for close reading. One need not expect thrills or a strong plot; observing it as the starting point of an important novelist is, in fact, the more rewarding approach.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literary scholars studying Hawthorne's development and the origins of American Romanticism
Students of English and American literature seeking free access to the English original for textual searching
Comparative literature readers interested in early American narrative forms
Deep readers who wish to observe the seeds of themes in an author's debut work

Not a good fit for

General fiction readers expecting fast-paced suspense or strong plot conflict
Learners whose English reading ability is not yet sufficient for nineteenth-century prose
Readers who want only Hawthorne's mature masterpieces and prefer not to explore early apprentice works

Reading tips

Read The Scarlet Letter or the representative short stories first, then return to this book to see the seeds of themes more clearly.
Note recurring images of secrecy, guilt and isolation as you go, and organize the themes after finishing.
Do not force yourself to finish in one sitting; proceed chapter by chapter alongside biographical material on Hawthorne.
For research purposes, use the electronic edition's full-text search to locate and closely read relevant passages.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book suitable as an introduction to Hawthorne?

Not really. It is Hawthorne's first novel, and its narrative and characterization are not yet mature, so first-time readers may underestimate the author. It is better to read The Scarlet Letter or The House of the Seven Gables first, then come back to understand this early work's place and significance.

What are the features of the Project Gutenberg edition?

This edition is a free eBook in English, easy to download, copy and full-text search, suitable for close reading and research citation. But it is a public-domain electronic text without modern scholarly notes or introduction, so readers need to supply their own background materials.

What level of English is needed to read this book?

The text is nineteenth-century American prose, with long sentences and rather formal diction. A good command of English reading is advisable, or reading with a dictionary and a translation for comparison. Readers with weaker English may struggle with long sentences and period vocabulary.

Comments

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About the author

Hawthorne, Nathaniel, 1804-1864 Author

Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804–1864) was an American novelist known for his engagement with Puritan tradition and moral allegory. He wrote about sin, guilt, confession, and social prejudice in a restrained style with vivid imagery, often using historical settings and legendary tales to reveal the subtleties of human nature. The collection here holds 98 of his works, including the frequently translated novel The Scarlet Letter, the short-story collection Twice-Told Tales, and children's books drawn from myth and legend such as A Wonder Book for Girls & Boys, Tanglewood Tales, The Gorgon's Head, and The Three Golden Apples, showing his dual interest in New England history and classical myth. His writing has had a lasting influence on American literature's treatment of conscience and identity. Publicly available details of his life are limited, so they are not elaborated here.