Nathaniel Hawthorne Short Story Project

“Life is made up of marble and mud.” – Nathaniel Hawthorne

Although both are considered Romantics, Poe described conflict between the two sides of the intellect,

but Hawthorne described conflict between

intellect and heart.

What did Poe think of Hawthorne?

"Mr. Hawthorne's distinctive trait is invention, creation, imagination, originality—a trait which, in the literature of fiction, is positively worth all the rest," wrote a literary critic named Edgar Allan Poe in a review of Nathaniel Hawthorne's 1846 story collection, Twice Told Tales. "The style is purity itself. Force abounds. High imagination gleams from every page. Mr. Hawthorne is a man of the truest genius."

A few more things we may not remember about Hawthorne . . .

Hawthorne did not have a rosy view of human nature. Perhaps because of this, Hawthorne kept mostly to himself. He was painfully shy and rarely invited anyone to the home he shared with his wife and three children. A friend of his said at the time, "I love Hawthorne, I admire him; but I do not know him. He lives in a mysterious world of thought and imagination which he never permits me to enter.” If Hawthorne was alive today, he probably wouldn't even be on Facebook. Maybe it's easier to know him 150 years after his death, now that we have access to the journals and personal papers he fiercely guarded during his lifetime.

He did have some pretty famous friends and other writers who thought very highly of him . . .

For example . . .

For Hawthorne, who for years wrote in obscurity, penning stories and novels in the hours after his boring desk job (at The Custom House), the praise must have been welcome. Yet despite his success as a writer, friends and acquaintances noticed a brooding side to his character, as though he was haunted by something darker. "In his conversation, as in his books, you feel that there is some bitter fairy, which is biting him all the time, and which he is unable to conceal,” his friend Ralph Waldo Emerson said of him.

Herman Melville was writing a novel and

suffering from serious writer's block when he read

Hawthorne's short story collection Mosses From an

Old Manse. He was inspired, and eventually dedicated his finished novel, Moby Dick, to

Hawthorne.

And, you should also know Henry David Thoreau planted a vegetable garden for newlyweds

Nathaniel and Sophia Hawthorne as a wedding present! Not too shabby!

Okay back to the project . . .

You are going to be assigned one of Hawthorne’s short

stories to read and create a handout for. You will become an expert on the short story and will create a document that uncovers all one needs to know about your story!

Your handout will include the following:

Three appropriate visual images that represent your short story.Two significant quotes from your story.A three to five sentence summary of the story that you have written.A list and brief description of main characters.How you see Hawthorne’s definition of Romanticism – that information is on your project handout.How each of the 5 Is of Romanticism are represented in your piece!What major themes typical of Hawthorne fiction you found in your piece. The list of major themes is on your project handout.

You can also include anything else you feel that would be important to your story! Be creative!

Project OverviewTuesday, September 23rd

Assign project and readingsand begin reading! Read your story for homework!

Wednesday, September 24th

Hawthorne Analysis – This will be with others who have been assigned your same short story to read! You will have the chance to share ideas and discuss the story.

Tuesday, September 30th

Handout is due by 11:59pm to turnitin only!Quiz Over your short story and an additional short story of your choice!

All of the stories are in the Nathaniel Hawthorne short story book that will be checked out to you! You also can print out a copy of your story off our web page! You may want to do that so you can write on the piece and mark it up. You will

be responsible for your story on the final exam!

“Young Goodman Brown” “Roger Malvin’s Burial”

“The Birthmark” “The Artist of the Beautiful”

“Rappaccini’s Daughter” “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment”

Questions?