| Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of the most influential novelists in the history of American literature.His description of human nature and his concern for social issues enable his works to attract widespread and lasting attention.The Blithedale Romance,which is the only novel that Hawthorne uses first person narration and the only one that reflects his personal experiences in Brook Farm among his works,has an irreplaceable significance in understanding his thoughts.This novel is considered as one of the most typical works of criticizing Transcendentalism.With Brook Farm as its prototype,the emotional entanglement between the four protagonists as its clue,The Blithedale Romance displays a failed reform plan.Although Hawthorne lived in the Transcendental circle in Concord for ten years,and had close contacts with the Transcendentalists,he always stood outside of the ideological trends and reforms calmly and conscientiously.Starting from the Transcendental thoughts,this thesis teases out the relationship between Hawthorne and the "Transcendental Era",Hawthorne's attitude towards social issues driven by Transcendentalism,and finally through analyzing the Blithedale reform,Zenobia's failed feminism and the relationship between individual and society to explore Hawthorne's anti-Transcendental view of society in The Blithedale Romance.It is found that Hawthorne is not a recluse but a sober observer and critic standing on the edge of society.He is aware that radical social reform and optimistic individualism will result in people's ignorance of social problems arising therefrom.The study of Hawthorne's anti-Transcendental view on society will not only help us keep in perspective the context of the nineteenth-century America,but provides a channel for deliberating about the realistic issues. |
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