The Scarlet Letter
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Summary
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers interested in American literary classics and early colonial history
- Literature lovers seeking deep reading and exploration of human nature, guilt, and redemption
- Readers studying psychological realism and symbolic technique
- Readers looking for texts with profound social critique and early stirrings of feminist consciousness
Not a good fit for
- Readers seeking light entertainment and fast-moving plots
- Readers with no interest in or discomfort with religious-historical background and moral reflection
Reading tips
- While reading, note the rich meanings of the red A as a core symbol and how it evolves through the story.
- It is advisable to understand the characters' behavior and situation in light of seventeenth-century New England Puritan society.
- Pay attention to Hawthorne's descriptions of light and shadow, the forest, and the scaffold; they often carry important symbolic meaning.
About the publisher
Shanghai Translation Publishing House is a Chinese publisher oriented mainly toward translation and publishing. Its publications cover foreign literature, world classics and classic works, as well as social culture, folk literature and classical poetry. The database contains 2,618 titles, including Never Let Me Go, Les Misérables (2 volumes), Don Quixote (illustrated collector's edition), The Complete Comedies of Molière (4 volumes), The Complete Novels of Kafka (3 volumes), The Collected Works of Dostoevsky (9-volume set), Reason and Persons, and Oedipus Rex (Translation Classics). Its author resources include foreign writers such as Kazuo Ishiguro, Victor Hugo, Cervantes and Molière, as well as translators such as Zheng Kelu, Sun Jiameng, Li Jianwu and Zhang Kun. The publisher has brands such as "Translation Classics Selections" and "Translation Documentary," and emphasizes translated works in foreign literature and the humanities and social sciences, while also publishing bilingual dictionaries and foreign-language educational books. Public information is limited; the above is based on the book information in the database.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 译本序
- 第二版 前言
- 海关——《红字》的前言
- 一 牢狱门口
- 二 市场
- 三 认出
- 四 会见
- 五 赫斯特做针线
- 六 波儿
- 七 总督的过厅
- 八 机灵的孩子与牧师
- 九 医生
- 十 医生和他的病人
- 十一 心的深处
- 十二 牧师的守夜活动
- 十三 赫斯特的另一种视角
- 十四 赫斯特和医生
- 十五 赫斯特和波儿
- 十六 林中散步
- 十七 教区牧师和教区居民
- 十八 一片阳光
- 十九 小溪旁的孩子
- 二十 迷惑中的牧师
- 二十一 新英格兰的节日
- 二十二 游行
- 二十三 红字的暴露
- 二十四 尾声
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About the author
Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804–1864) was a nineteenth-century American novelist. Publicly available information is limited, but his life and work can be roughly traced: he came from a Puritan family in New England and was deeply influenced by Puritan history and tradition, and his works often revolve around sin, guilt, redemption, and moral dilemmas. His representative work The Scarlet Letter, set in colonial Boston, tells the story of Hester Prynne, a woman condemned for adultery, and reveals the complexity of human nature through symbolism and psychological depiction; it is regarded as a classic of American Romantic fiction. He also wrote A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys, which retells classical myths in a clear and graceful style suitable for young readers. Hawthorne's writing is restrained and delicate, making use of allegory and symbolism, with concise and suggestive language, and has had a profound influence on later American literature.
