The reader's demands and Hawthorne's response: The shaping of his fiction

This dissertation presents and discusses the contemporary ideology, editorial policies, and critical theories of the early nineteenth century and then revaluates Hawthorne's short fiction published from 1830 to 1852. Popular culture, as it was disseminated by the mass media, affected the formation of his prose style, his choice of material, and his publication efforts. To sell his work, Hawthorne had to consider the ideology supporting the American endeavor, glorifying women, and upholding moral standards. In addition, the reviewing system, far from impartial, was controlled by a social network; personalities influenced business decisions. Although he utilized the conventions of the marketplace, Hawthorne subverted a popular format that promoted uniformity in technique and theme. My reading of Hawthorne's tales and sketches reveals his literary innovation: Hawthorne used a camouflage of culture to make his fictions acceptable to the popular reader and disguised his explorations of human motivations in sub-texts. In my explication of primary texts, I set Hawthorne's works next to his contemporaries' works to demonstrate how, although he used some of the same surface themes and literary formats, he went beyond their work by incorporating his theory of romance in his fiction and constructing writing that discerning readers could interpret in more than one way. My concern is with Hawthorne's use of popular literary convention to express his theory of romance, convey his thoughts on being an artist in a democratic society, and unfold his psychological dramas. My findings demonstrate how Hawthorne turned the restrictions of the marketplace into an impetus for creating a unique art.