1. Nathaniel Hawthorne

2. Background Born: Salem, Massachusetts in 1804 Long line of Puritans- including William Hathorne: One of the first Puritan Settlers in New England John Hathorne: Magistrate in the Salem Witch Trials Wrote novels and short stories Because of insufficient funds as a writer Hawthorne worked in the Boston Custom House. After The Scarlet Letter his career took off and he could support his family on those funds.

3. Style & Theme Inspired by Puritan New England Combines historical romance with heavy emphasis on symbols His depictions of the past are a version of historical fiction but he simply uses it as a vehicle to express Ancestral sin Guilt Retribution

4. Style & Theme Cautionary tales that suggest that guilt, sin, and evil are the most inherent natural qualities of humanity. Moral message with deep psychological complexity. Later works show his distaste for the Transcendentalist movement

5. Writing Started as a short story writer but he thought very little of them. Wrote four major romances: The Scarlet Letter (1850) The House of the Seven Gables (1851) The Blithedale Romance (1852) The Marble Faun (1860) Also wrote some nonfiction

6. Custom House