The Scarlet Letteran introduction

Why Read this Old Book?

1.Pop culture requires us to be familiar with it– There's this episode of The Simpsons (which is more

about The Crucible, but alludes to The Scarlet Letter)

– There’s this episode of One Tree Hill

– There’s this commercial

– There is this episode of The Gilmore Girls…

2.Art inspires new art: many artists have created works based on this famous novel– There’s this song by Destiny's Child

– There’s the film Easy A

3.It’s a book that often shows up on the AP Literature & Composition exam

4.It’s a novel that helps readers empathize with those living under the thumb of judgment

Isn’t this just another story about Puritans?

The Romantic EraHawthorne wrote during the Romantic era of literature.

Romanticism was a literary and art movement that spanned the length of the 18th & 19th centuries (1700’s-1800’s)

– characterized by imagination, emotion, individualism, solitary lifestyles (away from society), and freedom

– Romantic writers believed that imagination was superior to reason, they loved nature, and had a a fascination with the past

– Romanticism was a response to the Neoclassical era that preceded it, which was an era that appealed to intellect rather than emotion: it was characterized by a focus on order, logic, technical precision, dignity, and decorum

Mostly set in Puritan Boston, but written in 1850

So, this is a Romance?

Surprise! It’s actually a Gothic Romance!– Gothic Romance often weaves gloom, mystery, and

occasionally terror into the traditional romantic text

– Not always, but often, Gothic Romances weave in supernatural elements, too

– This style of writing originated in England in the 1760’s

– The two most famous American Gothic Romance writers are Poe and Hawthorne

That means that in The Scarlet Letter, readers should be on the look out for: imagination, emotion, individualism, solitary lifestyles, freedom, a love of nature, a fascination with the past, some gloom, some mystery, and possibly some terror and/or supernatural elements… Sounds good to me!

Well, not really…

Frame NarrativeNot your typical novel structure…

yet it is one you’re familiar with.

just a bit about the structure

The Painted Drum

The Scarlet LetterNarrator = Faye Narrator = unnamed

manThe story of the drum’s origin (spanning

decades prior to Faye’s life)

The story of Hester Prynne(in Puritan

Boston)

in 21st cent. New Hampshire

in 19th cent. Salem, MA

Parts 1 & 4 of the novel The opening chapter, “The Custom House”

Homework!

1.Read the background on Hawthorne (the first 3 pages of the handout) and annotate the text. Use this key to help you:– = anything that you knew before– = anything that connects to

something you learned/read/heard about before

– ! = anything that surprises you

2.Read “The Custom House” information (page 4 of the handout)

Due Tomorrow

The Scarlet LetterDAY 2

getting started

Journal Entry 8 Answer these questions:

1.How does our society punish those who break the law?

2.What role does shame play in our punishments of criminals, particularly once they have returned to society?

Getting Started1.First, let’s check out our

books.

2.While you wait for your classmates to return, read the “Background” and the “Vocab. Preview” on page 1 of your study guide.

3.As a class, let’s read the first few chapters together. While we read, work on page 2 of your study guide.

Homeworkall DUE on MONDAY

1. Read all of chapters 1-8

2. Complete the study guide

3. OPTIONAL: Want 5 bonus points? Read “The Custom House” & write a 12-sentence paragraph answering one of the following questions (using only “The Custom House” to support your answer):

“What is the Narrator’s opinion of others, namely his coworkers and his Puritan ancestors?” OR “What element(s) of Romanticism surface(s) in this chapter?”

If you find listening to the novel helpful, there is a free audio

version! Simply search Google for “Librivox Scarlet

Letter”