On The Inheritance And Transcendency Of Gothic Tradition By Nathaniel Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne is a great American Gothic romance writer in the New England Renaissance in the nineteenth century. Not only does he inherit the Gothic tradition in English and American literature, but also transcends it. He has mixed the Gothic novels with his romances in themes and styles. He describes the struggles against the dilemma of instinct and death of human beings and he points out that, the only cure of the tortuous world is love. The greatness of Hawthorne lies in his infusing the lightness of hope when exposing the darkness of human natures. He paints the Dark Romanticism passed dowm from the tradition of English and American literature to the light gray Gothic romance, whose purpose is to teach men to pursue brightness through the darkness and to gain free of spirit and the possession of self.The thesis presents briefly Hawthorne's Gothic romances in the Introduction and points out the neglect of Hawthorne's Gothic romances in academic circles. In my opinion, Hawthorne's Gothic romances inherit and transcend the Gothic tradition in English and American literature. The thesis consists of three chapters. Chapter One summarizes the origin and development of the Gothic tradition in English and Americanliterature. Chapter Two expounds the characteristics of Hawthorne's Gothic romances from the aspects of content and plot, scene and atmosphere, and art techniques through the thorough reading of his works. Chapter Three expounds further the inheritance and transcendency of Gothic tradition by Hawthorne. The Gothic elements in Hawthorne's writing shows in his purpose of writing, theme of writing, scenes and plots, settings of characters and art techniques. He shows his transcendency of Gothic tradition in digging the hidden sin, appealing the goodness of human natures and proper measures of plots.Hawthorne's Gothic romance reaches three main aims. First, it reproduces the complexed process to the recognition of self of men by the art techniques. Second, it invents various characters to show the essence of typical events, which reflects the problems and worries of human beings. Third, it exposes the sins of everybody and, at the same time, presents the existing essence of human and divinity. He explores the truth of human souls and depicts the lightness of human natures behind the darkness. Hawthorne's deep introspection and thorough exploration of life and human natures shows the ideaistic value and beaty-appreciating significance of his transcendental inheritance of Gothic tradition.