The Cosmopolitan Interpretation of Hawthorne`s Mode of Romance in Henry James`s Novels-Centered on The Blithedale Romance and The Bostonians

( Yeon Jin Hahm ) 한국비교문학회 2012 比較文學 Vol.56 No.-

Hawthorne was of crucial importance as the only previous writer of stature James knew of who had shown how American psychological experience could be treated in imaginative literature. Hawthorne was as important to James as he had been earlier to Melville, even though the novels of James and Melville have extremely different orientations. In his critical biography Hawthorne, James makes an implicit comparison between himself and Hawthorne, whose notation of the actual world around him was vague because he was not absorbed by it, as James was. James`s relationship to Hawthorne was thus complex and many-sided and involved both close kinship and essential conflict, affinity and dissent, agreement and disavowal, the psychological chords struck by Hawthorne are sounded again by James. The individual`s selfhood has unusual importance in Hawthorne, as it does again in James. As American writers, Hawthorne and James have many similarities; their fiction, continually interested in moral problems, has an extraordinary delicacy. Especially in assimilating The Bilthedale Romance into The Bostonians, to underscore themes he shared with Hawthorne, James also made Hawthorne`s material reflect his own more worldly attitudes-his sense of the limitations of the New England mind, his concern with manners, and the possibilities of aesthetic enrichment represented for him much more by Italy than by Boston. The difference between Hawthorne`s novel and James`s, however, is the difference between Hawthorne`s “shadows and confusions” and James`s lucid social relationships, which have been made possible by exposure to a larger culture than Hawthorne had at his disposal, In conclusion, the altered form of literary traditionality reflects James`s inauguration of not just a different way of writing but a different way of thinking about the kind of work. The historical drama of James`s career, as I read it, lies in his reconstruction, eventually of the practice of the novelist`s work. Especially I suggest that in the course of James`s reorganization of influence his pride and prejudice strongly and repeatedly intervene in his consciousness and cosmopolitan mind formation. The reaction of James`s cosmopolitan intelligence upon Hawthorne`s powerfully archetypal mind eventually helps to demonstrate how the American psychological tradition came into being in the nineteenth-century.

The Cosmopolitan Interpretation of Hawthorne’s Mode of Romance in Henry James’s Novels — Centered on The Blithedale Romance and The Bostonians

함연진 한국비교문학회 2012 比較文學 Vol.0 No.56

Hawthorne was of crucial importance as the only previous writer of stature James knew of who had shown how American psychological experience could be treated in imaginative literature. Hawthorne was as important to James as he had been earlier to Melville, even though the novels of James and Melville have extremely different orientations. In his critical biography Hawthorne, James makes an implicit comparison between himself and Hawthorne, whose notation of the actual world around him was vague because he was not absorbed by it, as James was. James's relationship to Hawthorne was thus complex and many-sided and involved both close kinship and essential conflict, affinity and dissent, agreement and disavowal. The psychological chords struck by Hawthorne are sounded again by James. The individual's selfhood has unusual importance in Hawthorne, as it does again in James. As American writers, Hawthorne and James have many similarities; their fiction, continually interested in moral problems, has an extraordinary delicacy. Especially in assimilating The Bilthedale Romance into The Bostonians, to underscore themes he shared with Hawthorne, James also made Hawthorne's material reflect his own more worldly attitudes—his sense of the limitations of the New England mind, his concern with manners, and the possibilities of aesthetic enrichment represented for him much more by Italy than by Boston. The difference between Hawthorne's novel and James's, however, is the difference between Hawthorne's "shadows and confusions" and James's lucid social relationships, which have been made possible by exposure to a larger culture than Hawthorne had at his disposal. In conclusion, the altered form of literary traditionality reflects James’s inauguration of not just a different way of writing but a different way of thinking about the kind of work. The historical drama of James’s career, as I read it, lies in his reconstruction, eventually of the practice of the novelist’s work. Especially I suggest that in the course of James’s reorganization of influence his pride and prejudice strongly and repeatedly intervene in his consciousness and cosmopolitan mind formation. The reaction of James's cosmopolitan intelligence upon Hawthorne's powerfully archetypal mind eventually helps to demonstrate how the American psychological tradition came into being in the nineteenth-century.

Hawthorne`s Spiritual Quest Beyond the Churches in The Marble Faun

( Moon Ju Shin ) 미국소설학회(구 한국호손학회) 2010 미국소설 Vol.17 No.1

This essay explores Nathaniel Hawthorne`s spiritual quest into the mystery of sin by examining his use of the Unpardonable Sin and the Fortunate Fall (felix culpa) in 7he Scarlet Letter and The Marble Faun. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne foregrounds "the Unpardonable Sin," which is his version of the unpardonable sin that Jesus speaks of Revised as it is, "the Unpardonable Sin" shows that the author is under the influence of New England Puritanism`s emphasis on the justice of God. In contrast, R e Marble Faun shows a shift in Hawthorne`s attitude toward sin. Employing the early Christian concept of the Fortunate Fall, Hawthorne tests an alternative to the Puritan way of understanding sin. While the unpardonable sin is related to Original Sin and the Puritan notion of the total depravity of humanity, the fortunate fall emphasizes God`s love for humankind. This shift in Hawthorne`s moral awareness does not indicate an artistic decline in the author`s work. Rather, it suggests a spiritual maturity as he breaks free from the limits of his Puritan worldview. By reflecting on the negative views of both Puritanism and Roman Catholicism pervasive in nineteenth century America, Hawthorne draws the reader into the two romances. He then goes on to shed positive light on the two religious traditions in an effort to bring both of them justice. In the process, he seeks an answer to his own lifelong question of the mystery of sin. By innovating such concepts as the unpardonable sin and the fortunate fall and crossing over the boundaries of Puritanism and Roman Catholicism, Hawthorne implies that the established Church is a means to salvation, not the ultimate authority over an individual. This focus on Hawthorne`s quest into the truth of sin reveals the concerns of nineteenth century New Englanders with regard to their spiritual situation.

[서 평] 인간의 본성과 사회적 유대: 나다니엘 호손의 「웨이크필드」

이종문(Jong-moon Lee) 통섭인문학회 2023 통섭인문학 Vol.2 No.2

Nathaniel Hawthorne's “Wakefield” is a psychologically explorative short story that delves into the human desire to break away from mundane routines and observe one's life and influence from an outsider's perspective. Wakefield makes a selfish and arrogant decision driven by a morbid vanity, curious about the impact of his absence on his wife and home. Hawthorne illustrates how Wakefield's self-centered choice leads from voluntary exile to social isolation, warning about the consequences of irresponsible actions on oneself and those around him. Through this unique and imaginative narrative, Hawthorne emphasizes not only the impermanence of human position, but also the importance of social bonds, even suggesting the potential for one to become an outcast of the universe. 나다니엘 호손의 「웨이크필드」는 평범한 일상에서 벗어나 외부인의 시각으로 자신의 삶과 영향력을 관찰하려는 인간의 본성을 심리적으로 탐색한 단편소설이다. 웨이크필드는 자신의 부재가 아내와 집에 끼치는 영향을 궁금해하는 병적인 허영심으로 인해 집을 떠나는 이기적이고 오만한 결정을 내린다. 호손은 웨이크필드의 자기중심적인 선택이 자발적인 추방에서 시작하여 사회적 고립으로 이어진다는 사실을 보여주며, 무책임한 행동이 자신과 주변에 미치는 영향에 대해 경고한다. 호손은 이 독특하고 기발한 이야기를 통해 인간의 자리는 영원하지 않고 쉽게 잊혀지며 심지어 우주에서 추방자가 될 수 있다는 교훈과 함께 사회적 유대의 중요성을 강조한다.

Hawthorne’s Spiritual Quest Beyond the Churches in The Marble Faun

신문주 미국소설학회 2010 미국소설 Vol.17 No.1

This essay explores Nathaniel Hawthorne’s spiritual quest into the mystery of sin by examining his use of the Unpardonable Sin and the Fortunate Fall (felix culpa) in The Scarlet Letter and The Marble Faun. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne foregrounds “the Unpardonable Sin,” which is his version of the unpardonable sin that Jesus speaks of. Revised as it is, “the Unpardonable Sin” shows that the author is under the influence of New England Puritanism’s emphasis on the justice of God. In contrast, The Marble Faun shows a shift in Hawthorne’s attitude toward sin. Employing the early Christian concept of the Fortunate Fall, Hawthorne tests an alternative to the Puritan way of understanding sin. While the unpardonable sin is related to Original Sin and the Puritan notion of the total depravity of humanity, the fortunate fall emphasizes God’s love for humankind. This shift in Hawthorne’s moral awareness does not indicate an artistic decline in the author’s work. Rather, it suggests a spiritual maturity as he breaks free from the limits of his Puritan worldview. By reflecting on the negative views of both Puritanism and Roman Catholicism pervasive in nineteenth century America, Hawthorne draws the reader into the two romances. He then goes on to shed positive light on the two religious traditions in an effort to bring both of them justice. In the process, he seeks an answer to his own lifelong question of the mystery of sin. By innovating such concepts as the unpardonable sin and the fortunate fall and crossing over the boundaries of Puritanism and Roman Catholicism, Hawthorne implies that the established Church is a means to salvation, not the ultimate authority over an individual. This focus on Hawthorne’s quest into the truth of sin reveals the concerns of nineteenth century New Englanders with regard to their spiritual situation.

Nathaniel Hawthorne`s History and Act of Writing

( Kyung Jun Sung ) 한국근대영미소설학회 2012 근대 영미소설 Vol.19 No.2

This essay aims to examine Hawthorne`s interrogation of idealism and history in his short stories, especially "Earth`s Holocaust" which has been neglected by critics. For this purpose, this article interrogates his stance on the contemporary reform movement and the reform because his ideas about idealism and history are entwined with his attitude toward the reform. I also investigate Hawthorne`s idea about the act of writing revealed in the narrative form because it represents his ideas about idealism and history in his writings. Hawthorne is critical of the contemporary reform movement and the reform. Rather than objecting to the reform itself, Hawthorne criticizes the fact that the reformers insist only on their own voice, suppressing and silencing the others` voices. Hawthorne illustrates that, through the process that one dominant voice silences all the other voices, swung by idealism, history can be a ``nightmare.`` Hawthorne also never allows one voice to dominate the whole narrative in his act of writing. He never lets one voice dominate the readers` act of reading. Thus, Hawthorne never fixes his mouthpiece on one character such as the narrator or the observer, and represents his thoughts through multi-voices of the characters including the minor characters. By making various strata of meanings between the statement and what he really thinks, Hawthorne allows and sometimes forces the readers to participate in the interpretation of the story through their act of reading. In this sense it could be said that Hawthorne`s attitude toward idealism and history realizes itself in his act of writing.

"A Latent Satire" for Romantic Utopianism: Nathaniel Hawthorne`s The Blithedale Romance

송호림 ( Ho Rim Song ) 21세기영어영문학회 2011 영어영문학21 Vol.24 No.1

Emphasizing humanitarianism and philanthropy, the reform movements in nineteenth-century America flourished with the intellectual support of Transcendentalism, which sought spiritual uplift through self-reliance. Both the reform movements and Transcendentalism are grounded on America`s national ideology, utopianism. However, Nathaniel Hawthorne had a sceptical view on such idealistic utopianism and urged reformers` self-examination of their own conscience and morality rather than social reforms. The Blithedale Romance is Hawthorne`s satire on utopian reforms and reformers. Although it is an undeniable fact that the text is based on his short experience at Brook Farm, a utopian community built on Transcendental beliefs, Hawthorne asks the reader not to regard the work as a realistic report of his experience at the institution, arguing The Blithedale Romance is not a realism novel but a Romance midway between the real and the fictitious. Nevertheless, by exploring the reformer characters` moral conscience and dark psychology in his Romance, Hawthorne latently satirizes his contemporary reformers and their romantic utopianism. In order to avoid showing his direct criticism on reformers and their activities, in addition to his emphasis on the genre of his work as Romance, he also diverts the reader`s concern to romantic relationships between the characters through his unreliable narrator. With his problematic narrative and ambiguous conscience, the narrator, indeed, serves as a literary device that makes The Blithedale Romance a Romance text and Hawthorne`s satire latent.

Unveiling a Lady?: Hawthorne and the "Scribbling Women"

( Jeong Hee Sohn ) 근대영미소설학회 2002 근대 영미소설 Vol.9 No.2

This paper aims to explore how Nathaniel Hawthorne`s reaction to his contemporary women writers illuminates the cultural and literary scene of mid-nineteenth-century America, and how Hawthorne and the "scribbling women" functioned as cultural performers in the same literary scene. Hawthorne has often been claimed to have a hosttle attitude toward women writers, particularly in view of his derogatory remark on the "damned mob of scribbling women." However, considering that he also praised some of these "scribbling women," It can be argued that his attitude toward these women writers was ambivalent. In fact, Hawthorne`s response to these scribblers unwittingly provides a useful basis for a revisionary discussion of the literary scene of mid-nineteenth-century America. In various sources, Hawthorne persistently emphasizes that women writers reveal or unveil their most private part of life beyond women`s role prescribed by domestic ideology of his day. In this regard, the image of the Veiled Lady, which constitutes a central motif in The Bluthedale Romance, can be argued to show the crux of Hawthorne`s conceptualization of the "scribbling women." The Veiled Lady represents the paradoxical position of women writers: on the one hand, she symbolizes women controlled by domestic ideology, but on the other hand, she herself embodies woman`s participation m the public realm. The literary works by Hawthorne and women writers were produced by the cultural situation in which they in common had to struggle with the questions of how to represent the concerns proposed by domestic ideology and how to appeal to the growing reading public As a result, Hawthorne`s response to the changes in the literary marketplace is well exemplified by the forced ending of The House of the Seven Gables which can be read as one in a domestic novel. On the other hand, Uncle Tom`s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, one of the "scribbling women," cannot simply labelled as a sentimental domestic novel with its deep concern with the slavery issue and huge social response it brought forth. Then, as we can draw from the fact that both Hawthorne and Stowe employed the same cultural situation in which domestic ideology pervaded and the literary market was undergoing a radical change, Hawthorne and the "scribbling women" were cultural performers, who responded to the same cultural scene, sometimes in a different way but more often in a similar way.

“Be True!” vs. “From Pain into Sympathy”: Eliot`s Adam Bede as a Rewriting of Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter

( Kyoung Min Han ),( Yonghwa Lee ) 미국소설학회(구 한국호손학회) 2015 미국소설 Vol.22 No.1

This essay compares Nathaniel Hawthorne``s The Scarlet Letter and George Eliot``s Adam Bede, focusing on the theme of moral transgression and its repercussions. Despite obvious indications of Hawthorne``s influence on Eliot``s novel, there are significant differences between the two novels, especially in the conception of female protagonists. This essay contends that Eliot``s division of Hester into Hetty and Dinah plays a crucial role in recasting Hawthorne``s rather theological question into a philosophical and even anthropological one that excludes theism. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne intensely grapples with what constitutes moral sin. For Hawthorne, a failure to be true to oneself is a much graver sin than violating the rules and beliefs of one``s community. Instead of exploring what really is sin, Eliot suggests in Adam Bede that the more important question is to what extent one must share responsibility for moral mistakes and errors of one``s fellow human beings. As compared with Eliot, Hawthorne focused more on the self``s relationship to the community than on the community``s relationship to the self. If Hawthorne basically pursued emancipation of the self from blind and unquestioning obedience to communal norms and values, Eliot saw the need to establish a community based on a new set of values, a community which can have a tighter moral grip on its individual members who would otherwise suffer due to the collapse of conventional moral values that had hitherto served to keep their world in order.

나사니엘 호손의 『 블라인드 데일 로망스 』에 제시된 노예제도의 문제

정진만 미국소설학회 2013 미국소설 Vol.20 No.1

This essay aims to explore Nathaniel Hawthorne’s political attitude toward slavery suggested in The Blithedale Romance (1852), as a way of reexamining and questionizing Jean Fagan Yellin’s claim that Hawthorne fails to show slavery issue in his romances. The Blithedale Romance was published amidst the period of the heated debate over the issue of slavery all over the United States. To elucidate Hawthorne’s conservative politics on the slavery, first, this essay focuses not only on the veil imagery in the frame story (story within a story) of a Veiled Lady, but also on the bond-slave motif reiterated throughout the text in the mutually asymmetrical master/slave relationships among main characters such as Prischilla, Zenobia, Hollingsworth, Westervelt, and the narrator Coverdale. Second, this essay examines the author’s conservative attitudes toward his contemporary progressive reformists, considering the author’s own experiences and observations in 1841 at the experimental utopian community, Brook Farm, as a crucial basis of creating The Blithedale Romance, and his presidential campaign biography of Franklin Pierce, Life of Franklin Pierce (1852). Lastly, this essay investigates the author’s psychological fear of violence which, from Hawthorne’s perspective, seemed to occur among some renowned radical activists’ antislavery movements in antebellum America. To explore Hawthorne’s fear of violence, this essay focuses on the philanthropist Hollingsworth’s commitment of violence to Zenobia’s heart and her dead body in a psychological and physical manner, respectively. This study would help us understand that Hawthorne’s The Blithedale Romance is a political romance insinuating his skeptical conservatism in abrogating slavery system, the peculiar institution of the United States.