Publicada en 1850, "La letra escarlata" es un clásico de la literatura norteamericana escrito por Nathaniel Hawthorne, una novela histórica que narra el calvario personal de una joven acusada de adulterio y condenada por la ruda y religiosa sociedad de Nueva Inglaterra. Su vida, su silencio, su lealtad y su fortaleza ante las fuerzas del mal son un prodigio de la literatura de todos los tiempos.Ambientada en la Nueva Inglaterra de los puritanos del siglo XVII, "La letra escarlata" narra el terrible impacto que un simple acto de pasión desencadena en las vidas de tres mienbros de la comunidad : Hester Prynne, una mujer de espíritu libre e independiente, objeto del escarnio público; el reverendo Dimmesdale, un alma atormentada por la culpa, aunque digno de la estima general, y Chillingworth, un ser siniestro, cruel y vengativo, que maquina en la sombra.

Dans une de nos villes de la Nouvelle-Angleterre, au bord d’une ruelle étroite, une maison de bois aux teintes rouillées ; — elle a sept pignons élancés qui font face à différents points de l’horizon ; — au centre une massive cheminée groupant plusieurs tuyaux accotés l’un à l’autre. La rue s’appelle Pyncheon-street ; la maison est l’antique Pynchcon-House, et ce grand ormeau dont le tronc puissant se dresse devant la porte est connu de tous les gamins de la ville sous le nom de l’orme-Pyncheon. Quand je traverse par hasard la ville en question, il m’arrive souvent de descendre Pyncheon-street pour passer à l’ombre de ces deux monuments archéologiques, le grand orme et la maison battue des vents. Elle a pour moi comme une physionomie humaine ; j’y retrouve en quelque sorte la trace d’une longue vie et des vicissitudes qu’elle a dû subir. Bien racontées, elles nous offriraient un récit qui ne manquerait, à coup sûr, ni d’intérêt ni d’enseignements, et dont l’unité, qui plus est, pourrait sembler le résultat d’une préconception d’artiste. Mais quel in-folio, que d’in-douze ne réclamerait-il pas ?

Hester Prynne è una giovane donna di una piccola comunità puritana nella Nuova Inghilterra. La sua vita viene stravolta quando, durante l'assenza del marito, gli abitanti scoprono che Hester ha dato alla luce una figlia illegittima. La donna viene accusata di adulterio e, come punizione, le viene attaccata sul petto una lettera A scarlatta, che la condannerà a una lunga serie di umiliazioni...La lettera scarlatta è soprattutto un romanzo straordinariamente moderno che attinge alla grande forza delle donne e alla loro capacità di affrontare le avversità della vita a volto scoperto e con tenacia.

The Marble Faun, a romance set in beautiful Italy tells the story of Miriam, the painter with an unknown past. Throughout the novel, she is compared to many other women including Eve, Beatrice Cenci, Judith, and Cleopatra. Miriam is pursued by a mysterious, threatening man who is her evil genius through life.

Der Roman spielt im Boston des 17. Jahrhunderts. Puritanisches Denken und Leben prägt den Lebenswandel der Bevölkerung. Inmitten lebt Hester, deren Mann auf eigentümliche Weise verschwunden ist. Während seiner Abwesendheit wird sie schwanger und wird als Ehebrecherin Verurteilt. Noch in der Haft gebärt sie ihre Tochter Perle. Nach der Haftentlassung muss sie drei Stunden am Pranger stehen und als lebenslängliche Strafe den Buch scharlachroten Buchstaben "E" für "Ehebrecherin" tragen.

In A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys Nathaniel Hawthorne retells the Greek myths of Perseus and the Gorgons, Midas and the Golden Touch, Pandora (The Paradise of Children), Hercules and The Three Golden Apples, The Miraculous Pitcher and Bellerephon versus the Chimaera.

Ce recueil de nouvelles signées par Nathaniel Hawthorne contient 16 contes étranges et mystérieux dans la veine des maîtres du genre, au croisement d'Edgar Allan Poe et Arthur Conan Doyle.

"A pure hand needs no glove to cover it." Hester Prynne is condemned to wear the scarlet embroidered letter A on her breast, as punishment for her adultery. She resists all attempts of the 17th Century Boston clergy to make her reveal the name of her child’s father. Her husband, an old physician who had remained in Europe, arrives in America to see her on the pillory. Assuming the name of Roger Chillingworth, he seeks revenge … So begins the chain of events in the story often referred to as ‘The First Great American Novel.’ A stark tale of adultery, guilt, and social repression in Puritan New England, The Scarlet Letter is a foundational work of American literature. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s exploration of the dichotomy between the public and private self, internal passion and external convention, gives us the unforgettable Hester Prynne, who discovers strength in the face of ostracism and emerges as a heroine ahead of her time. As Kathryn Harrison points out, Hester is “the herald of the modern heroine.” *Includes image gallery.

La letra escarlata narra la historia de Hesner Prynne, una mujer acusada de adulterio y condenada a un castigo infame: Llevar marcada en el pecho la letra A, por adúltera.

In Tanglewood Tales (written as a follow-up to A Wonder Book for Girls & Boys), Nathaniel Hawthorne presents six more stories adapted from Greek mythology: The Minotaur (Theseus and the Minotaur), The Pygmies (Hercules and Antaeus the giant), The Dragon’s Teeth (Cadmus and the founding of Thebes), Circe’s Palace (Odysseus and Circe), The Pomegranate Seeds (Pluto’s abduction of Proserpina) and The Golden Fleece (Jason and the Argonauts).

In the latter part of the last century there lived a man of science, an eminent proficient in every branch of natural philosophy, who not long before our story opens had made experience of a spiritual affinity more attractive than any chemical one. He had left his laboratory to the care of an assistant, cleared his fine countenance from the furnace smoke, washed the stain of acids from his fingers, and persuaded a beautiful woman to become his wife. In those days when the comparatively recent discovery of electricity and other kindred mysteries of Nature seemed to open paths into the region of miracle, it was not unusual for the love of science to rival the love of woman in its depth and absorbing energy. The higher intellect, the imagination, the spirit, and even the heart might all find their congenial aliment in pursuits which, as some of their ardent votaries believed, would ascend from one step of powerful intelligence to another, until the philosopher should lay his hand on the secret of creative force and perhaps make new worlds for himself. We know not whether Aylmer possessed this degree of faith in man"s ultimate control over Nature. He had devoted himself, however, too unreservedly to scientific studies ever to be weaned from them by any second passion. His love for his young wife might prove the stronger of the two; but it could only be by intertwining itself with his love of science, and uniting the strength of the latter to his own. Such a union accordingly took place, and was attended with truly remarkable consequences and a deeply impressive moral. One day, very soon after their marriage, Aylmer sat gazing at his wife with a trouble in his countenance that grew stronger until he spoke. "Georgiana," said he, "has it never occurred to you that the mark upon your cheek might be removed?"

The Scarlet Letter caused quite a stir when it first appeared in February, 1850. The initial printing of 2,500 volumes sold out within ten days. It was one of the first mass-produced books in America and was widely read and discussed to an extent not much experienced in the young country up until that time. The Scarlet Letter – Original February 1850 Uncensored Version is the first incarnation of the book, before Hawthorne added a preface to a second edition of The Scarlet Letter which was published a month later. The story tells of Hester Prynne, condemned to wear the red letter A on her breast, as punishment for adultery – and because she resists all attempts of the Boston clergy to make her reveal the name of her child’s father. Prynne’s husband, an old physician who had remained in Europe, arrives in America to see her on the pillory. Assuming the name of Roger Chillingworth, he decides to seek revenge. Henry James once said of The Scarlet Letter, "It is beautiful, admirable, extraordinary; it has in the highest degree that merit which I have spoken of as the mark of Hawthorne"s best things—an indefinable purity and lightness of conception...One can often return to it; it supports familiarity and has the inexhaustible charm and mystery of great works of art."