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In this preface, Hawthorne also shares his definition of the romance novel as he attempts to imagine Hester Prynne's story beyond Pue's manuscript account. A careful reading of this section explains the author's use of light (chiaroscuro) and setting as romance techniques in developing his themes.
Hawthorne classifies his work as a “romance,” not a novel. A novel, he explains, is supposed to adhere very closely to ordinary experience. A romance, on the other hand, must present the truth of the human heart, but it may do so with greater creativity on the author’s part.
Summary. Hawthorne begins The Scarlet Letter with a long introductory essay that generally functions as a preface but, more specifically, accomplishes four significant goals: outlines autobiographical information about the author, describes the conflict between the artistic impulse and the commercial environment, defines the romance novel (which Hawthorne is credited with refining and ...
Preface Summary The author, Nathaniel Hawthorne, admits to having caused considerable excitement regarding his introductory essay, "The Custom-House." Having been fired under the umbrella of a minor scandal engendered by the Whig Party, Hawthorne is notably not happy with what he has been through.
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A summary of Preface in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The House of the Seven Gables. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of The House of the Seven Gables and what it means. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans.
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This theme is the “moral” of The House of the Seven Gables, as Hawthorne states in the Preface, and he takes many opportunities to link the misdeeds of Colonel Pyncheon to the subsequent misfortunes of the Pyncheon family. The Colonel’s portrait looms ominously over the action of the story, and the apoplectic deaths of three separate Pyncheons clearly fulfill Matthew Maule’s curse on ...