Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne is regarded as one of the masters of early American short fiction. Long-time fans and curious newcomers will appreciate this collection of Hawthorne's short stories, which brings together some of his most important early work and was praised by a chorus of illustrious contemporaries such as Melville, Poe, and Whitman.
Though he is now regarded as one of the masters of American literature, Nathaniel Hawthorne spent a sizable chunk of his peak writing years living in England. This volume collects a series of essays and sketches that Hawthorne penned during his stay abroad. They offer keen insight into the differences between the two cultures and the ultimately illusory nature of the idea of "home."
This collection of tales is an engaging compendium of Hawthorne's short stories, including many set in and around the writer's native New England. The title story is a charming fable-like tale that takes as its focus a long-famous geological feature in the New Hampshire mountains (the face-like granite protrusion collapsed in 2003).
One of Nathaniel Hawthorne's later works, Septimius Felton is a beguiling and thought-provoking tale of murder most foul. One of a series of the author's works that grapple with themes of immortality, Septimius Felton was written shortly before Hawthorne himself succumbed to a mysterious illness, a fact that lends a dimension of profound poignancy to the story.
Though Nathaniel Hawthorne is best remembered as the author of the quintessential American parable The Scarlet Letter, some of the New England writer's work was much less formal and traditional than that novel. In fact, some critics regard The Marble Faun, rife with impressionistic and fantastical elements, as downright experimental by comparison. It's a fascinating read that will please fans of Lovecraft and other uncanny horror.
...8) Fanshawe
Hawthorne's first published novel, Fanshawe combines romantic themes with an engaging look at college life in the early nineteenth century. Critics have noted that the novel has strong autobiographical components and is likely a thinly fictionalized account of the writer's own experiences as a student at Bowdoin College.
Widely regarded as one of the most important literary voices of nineteenth-century America, Nathaniel Hawthorne is best known as the author of such novels as The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables. In this collection originally intended for a young-adult audience, Hawthorn ekes instructive moral lessons and fascinating facts from the life stories of prominent figures in history.