A Radical New Genre

The short story, or short fiction, is a relatively “new” genre. It did not come into prevalence until the 19 th century (mid–1800s). Originally, they were considered kind of silly and trashy— the first short stories in America were moral tales, and were light on conventions like plot, climax, and character development. In places like the UK, Charles Dickens became famous serializing his novels. There was no outlet for this in the U.S.

The short story, originally often called a tale or sketch, was simply invented out of necessity. Washington Irving (“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”) was largely considered the first writer to blend the moral tale with characteristics of the essay form. (1819–1820.) Nathaniel Hawthorne expanded on this form in the 1830s, when he published stories that employed techniques such as suspense, sentimentality, and focused on a primary conflict.

Fiction Characterization Plot Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Denouement Suspense Dialogue Mood Tone

Born in Salem, Massachusetts in His great grandfather was John Hathorne, a famous judge in the Salem Witch Trials (1692–1693), who never repented of his decisions. Nathaniel added the “w” to the spelling of his last name. Moved back to Salem after college, began publishing stories in 1828.

Hawthorne Hotel, Salem, Mass. Est

Examination of a Witch, Thompkins H. Matteson, 1853

Moved to the experimental community Brook Farm in Left after a year: “It is my opinion that a man’s soul may be buried under a dung heap or in a furrow of the field just as well as under a pile of money.” Married Sophia Peabody in 1842, they moved to Concord, Mass., and rented a house from prominent transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson.

The Hawthornes moved back to Salem in 1845 because his mother was dying. He discovered an old, faded fabric letter “A” in the attic, which inspired him to write his novel, The Scarlet Letter, published in The Scarlet Letter is about an adulteress, Hester Prynne, and her lover, Arthur Dimmesdale. It is totally beautiful and you should read it.

Began a close friendship with Herman Melville around Melville wrote glowing reviews of Hawthorne’s work. Melville dedicated his masterpiece, Moby Dick, to Hawthorne. Their friendship ended mysteriously between 1852–1856.

The Portable Hawthorne. Edited by Malcolm Cowley. Publisher TK: “Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription Project.” The University of Virginia. Salem.lib.virginia.edu/generic.html. 22 Jun Salem.lib.virginia.edu/generic.html “The Short Story.” The Cambridge History of English and American Literature in 18 Volumes: Volume XVI. Bartleby.com/226/2104.html. 22 Jun Bartleby.com/226/2104.html “The Hawthorne Hotel of Salem, Massachusetts.” Darkdestinations.blogspot.com/2009/07/hawthorne-hotel- of-salem-massachusetts.html. 22 Jun Darkdestinations.blogspot.com/2009/07/hawthorne-hotel- of-salem-massachusetts.html “Nathaniel Hawthorne – Biography.” The European Graduate School. Egs.edu/library/nathaniel- hawthorne/biography/. 22 Jun 2014.Egs.edu/library/nathaniel- hawthorne/biography/