| Hawthorne’s monumental masterpiece The Scarlet Letter has attracted much attention since its publication. It is believed to be a book worth reading from generations. Drawing from the insights of the Reader-response criticism, this thesis reinterprets Hawthorne’s masterpiece by probing into the unique way Hawthorne improves upon the art form of Romance. It argues that Hawthorne’s brand of Romance differentiates itself both from traditional British Romance and from the realism after Hawthorne. While sharing the features of the novel form, The Scarlet Letter is a fascinating "psychological romance" whereby Hawthorne utilizes the art of romance to expose the somberness of New England Puritanism and the foibles of human nature. Faced with an interpretive community anxious to establish a national culture and situated under a "horizon expectation" that eschews traditional romance, Hawthorne deftly rewrites the Romance by deceptively conforming to the contemporary cultural norms. |
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