Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter published 150 years ago this year

First posted 7/3/2020; last updated 7/5/2020.

The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne

First Publication: 1850 Category: novel with themes of sin and redemption Sales: 1 million

Accolades (click on badges to see full lists):

About the Book: “The Scarlet Letter is Nathaniel Hawthorne’s masterpiece and one of the greatest American novels.” AZ It “was the first important novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne, one of the leading authors of nineteenth-century romanticism in American literature.” LC As “America’s first psychological novel, [it] is a dark tale of love, crime, and revenge set in colonial New England.” BN “The landscape…is uniquely American, but the themes…are universal – the nature of sin, guilt, and penitence, the clash between our private and public selves, and the spiritual and psychological cost of living outside society.” BN The story “revolves around a single, forbidden act of passion that forever alters the lives of three members of a small Puritan community.” BN “The main character, Hester Prynne, is condemned to wear a scarlet ‘A’ (for ‘adultery’) on her chest because of an affair that resulted in an illegitimate child.” LC She is “an ardent and fierce woman who bears the punishment of her sin in humble silence.” BN Arthur Dimmesdale, a Puritan pastor who is the father, “has kept their affair secret [as he] holds a high place in the community.” LC He “struggles with the agony of conscience and his own weakness.” AZ He is “a respected public figure who is inwardly tormented by long-hidden guilt.” BN “Roger Chillingworth, Hester’s husband, is “a man who seethes with an Ahab-like lust for vengeance,” BN serving up “calculating assaults on the frail mental state of the conscience-stricken cleric.” AZ “Constructed with the elegance of a Greek tragedy, The Scarlet Letter brilliantly illuminates the truth that lies deep within the human heart.” BN “The result is an American tragedy of stark power and emotional depth.” AZ Resources and Related Links: AZ Amazon BN Barnes & Noble LC Library of Congress (2012). “Books That Shaped America”

Charles Dickens' David Copperfield published 150 years ago

First posted 7/4/2020; updated 7/5/2020.

David Copperfield Charles Dickens

First Publication: 1850 Category: coming-of-age novel Sales: 1 million

Accolades (click on badges to see full lists):

About the Book: David Copperfield, Dickens’ eighth novel, was his favorite BN and is considered by many to be his greatest work. AZ “Written in the first person, it also perhaps his most autobiographical. BN “A classic coming-of-age story, it is the tale of its titular character from childhood to maturity which chronicles the struggle between the emotional and moral aspects of his life.” AZ The story is “filled with trials and tribulations which [the title character] struggles to overcome in his pursuit of a happy and fulfilled life.” AZ He “loses both parents at an early age, …escapes the torture of working for his pitiless stepfather to make something of himself and, with any luck, [will] find true happiness. David Copperfield features an unforgettable gallery of characters, including David’s cruel stepfather Mr. Murdstone, the unctuous Uriah Heep, the amiable Mr. Micawber, whom Dickens based on his father, and Dora Spenglow, whom David marries and calls his ‘child-wife.’ BN “Central to the theme of the novel is the idea of the disciplined heart. Dickens suggests that people basically fall into three categories: those who have one, those who don’t, and those who seek to cultivate one. It is this development of a disciplined heart inside David Copperfield which establishes the principal context of his relationships throughout the novel.” AZ Resources and Related Links: AZ Amazon BN Barnes & Noble TG Telegraph: The Perfect Library