Sunday, August 18, 2019
The Psychological Dimension of Nathaniel Hawthorneââ¬â¢s The Birthmark Essa
The Psychological Dimension of ââ¬Å"The Birthmarkâ⬠à à à à à à à à à à à à This essay will analyze Nathaniel Hawthorneââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"The Birthmarkâ⬠in order to demonstrate that it is a ââ¬Å"psychologicalâ⬠short story both in its themes and in its emphasis on the moral-psychological aspect of the main characters. There is probably unanimity among literary critics that Hawthorne is a ââ¬Å"psychologicalâ⬠writer. Consider some of their statements chosen at random from various critiques of Hawthorneââ¬â¢s literary works: Stanley T. Williams in ââ¬Å"Hawthorneââ¬â¢s Puritan Mindâ⬠says: What he wrote of New England was . . . .the subconscious mind of New England. It was. . . . unforgettable case histories of men and women afflicted by guilt, or, as he called it, by ââ¬Å"a stain upon the soul.â⬠. . . . His were grave and acute reflections upon the way in which the Puritan mind worked. . . .â⬠(43) Edmund Fuller and B. Jo Kinnick in ââ¬Å"Stories Derived from New England Livingâ⬠state that Hawthorne liked to ââ¬Å"explore uncertainties of belief that trouble a manââ¬â¢s heart and mindâ⬠(31). Clarice Swisher in ââ¬Å"Nathaniel Hawthorne: a Biographyâ⬠states that Hawthorneââ¬â¢s interest tended toward the heart and the psychological effects of these moral and ethical issuesâ⬠(13). A. N. Kaul considers Hawthorne ââ¬Å"preeminently a ââ¬Ëpsychologicalââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬ writer ââ¬â ââ¬Å"burrowing, to his utmost ability, into the depths of our common nature, for the purposes of psychological romance. . . . He was deeply preoccupied with the modern themes of alienation, isolation, and guilt consciousness ââ¬â and with modern spiritual problems generallyâ⬠(2). There appears to be more agreement among literary critics regarding the interpretation of Hawthorne as a ââ¬Å"psychologicalâ⬠writer than upon any other aspect of his writi ng. .. ...athaniel Hawthorne, edited by Clarice Swisher. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Melville, Herman. ââ¬Å"Hawthorne and His Mosses,â⬠The Literary World August 17, 24, 1850. http://eldred.ne.mediaone.net/nh/hahm.html Peckham, Morse. ââ¬Å"The Development of Hawthorneââ¬â¢s Romanticism.â⬠In Readings on Nathaniel Hawthorne, edited by Clarice Swisher. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Swisher, Clarice. ââ¬Å"Nathaniel Hawthorne: a Biography.â⬠In Readings on Nathaniel Hawthorne, edited by Clarice Swisher. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Waggoner, Hyatt. ââ¬Å"Nathaniel Hawthorne.â⬠In Six American Novelists of the Nineteenth Century, edited by Richard Foster. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1968. Williams, Stanley T. ââ¬Å"Hawthorneââ¬â¢s Puritan Mind.â⬠In Readings on Nathaniel Hawthorne, edited by Clarice Swisher. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Ã
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