Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allen Poe may be counted among the leading American writers to have defined contemporary literature. These personalities significantly elevated short story standards, banking of every literary element in order for strengthening their styles. However, the two utilized these tools rather differently. On the one hand, Hawthorne delved into and discovered human nature’s realities, while, on the other, Poe examined the hearts of people by critiquing their thinking, values, and actions. Both were able to emerge successful when it came to the exploration of short story details, employing words for developing a vibrant world for their readers. Via the genres of gothic and romance fiction, Poe and Hawthorne have effectively widened the horizons of readers, replacing unexciting, old stories with intriguing ones that deal with an enigmatic human reality as well as the inevitable realities underlying human nature.The novels and short tales of fiction teem with symbolism, attempting at offering deeper understandings of story plots. Typically, symbolism forms a component of the context’s natural backdrop or is integrated into the characters’ development. The aforementioned two elements of writing prove central to the styles of Hawthorne and Poe. Hawthorne regards setting to be highly vital to a tale’s comprehension and practicality....
However, the author doesn’t devote much time to illustrating several of his tales’ setting, in comparison to the depth of characters’ thinking described for readers’ benefit. For instance, in the story titled “The Minister’s Black Veil”, the character of Mr. Hooper is described in the following words, “If he erred at all, it was by so painful a degree of self-distrust, that even the mildest censure would lead him to consider an indifferent action as a crime” (Hawthorne para10). The author’s profound character analysis and development ends up making one feel as though one is very well-acquainted with the character and understands his/her innermost thoughts. On the other hand, consider Poe’s work titled “The Oval Portrait” where the author extravagantly describes the setting in the following words: “The chateau into which (we entered) was one of those piles of commingled gloom and grandeur which…had been temporarily and very lately abandoned.” (Poe 69). The author’s characterization allows readers to view characters responses and situational transformations (consider the case of “Hop-Frog”; readers learn about Hop-Frog via his clever though underhanded plan of getting rid of his existing lifestyle) (Poe 15-25).
Nathaniel Hawthorne The Scarlet Letter and the Minister's Black Veil Born in Salem, Massachusetts, Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1804-1864, is considered one of the great masters of American fiction, with tales and novels that reflect deep explorations of moral and spiritual conflicts (Hawthorne pp). He descended from a prominent Puritan family, and when he was fourteen years old, he and his widowed mother moved to a remote farm in Maine (Hawthorne pp). Hawthorne attended
Hawthorne Author Nathaniel Hawthorne's literary works constantly reference ideas of the supernatural and the religious ideas of the Puritans who colonized the United States. Of particular interest to Hawthorne is how these two things work together in that time period. Many of Nathaniel Hawthorne's works take place in Colonial times, a good century before the author himself was born. His own ancestors were active participants in Puritan society, even serving as
Reductive Entrapment: Hawthorne's "The Birthmark" In the essay "When We Dead Awaken" by Adrienne Rich, the author frankly alludes to the artistic captivity that male writers place women in, arguing that women have always been trapped and explored by poets [footnoteRef:1]and will no doubt, continue to suffer this experience. While some might argue that women are acting as the muse to the poet, and the male poet is placing women
The Raven Poe's famous poem, "The Raven," to most readers is a straightforward yet haunting, chilling tale of the loss of someone loved, and the troubling emotions and inner sensations that go along with a loss, no matter how the loss occurred. In this case, the "rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore..." is the one lost. Why did an angel name Lenore, one has to wonder? Is there
Duality of Character in Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allan Poe In Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story, "Young Goodman Brown," and in Edgar Allan Poe's story, "The House of Usher," there are main characters who have several characteristics in common. The main character in Hawthorne's story possesses a duality of character and undergoes a life-changing experience. The title character in Poe's story has a similar duality of character; he, too, undergoes a transformational
Hawthorne and Poe, both authors depict women who struggle and suffer at the hands of masculine stereotypes. In Hawthorne's "Rapaccini's Daughter" and The Scarlet Letter, and Poe's "Ligeia" the depiction of women characters illustrates each authors sensitivity to the plight of women in the 19th Century. Considering that Nathaniel Hawthorne lived and wrote in the radical cultural milieu of Concord, Massachusetts, alongside such women's rights luminaries like Emerson, the Alcott
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now