The Blithedale Romance (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781417931088)

The Blithedale Romance is a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, first published in 1852. The story is set in the fictional community of Blithedale, located in rural New England. The main character, Miles Coverdale, is a young man who joins a group of social reformers at Blithedale, hoping to escape his mundane life and find a sense of purpose. The community is led by the charismatic and enigmatic Hollingsworth, who is dedicated to the cause of social reform and the rehabilitation of criminals. However, tensions arise within the community as personal rivalries and romantic entanglements threaten to tear it apart. As the story unfolds, Coverdale becomes increasingly disillusioned with the community and its members, ultimately leading to a dramatic climax. The Blithedale Romance is a complex and multi-layered novel that explores themes of love, loyalty, betrayal, and the struggle for social justice. It is considered one of Hawthorne's most important works and a significant contribution to American literature.1894. Hawthorne, who, like Edgar Allan Poe, took a dark view of human nature, was a central figure in the American Renaissance. His best-known works include The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables. Renouncing the city for a pastoral life, a group of utopians set out to reform a dissipated America. But the group is a powerful mix of competing ambitions and its idealism finds little satisfaction in farmwork. Instead, of changing the world, the members of the Blithedale community individually pursue egotistical paths that ultimately lead to tragedy. Hawthorne's tale both mourns and satirizes a rural idyll not unlike that of nineteenth-century America at large. The Blithedale Romance shadows the Brook Farm, in Roxbury, which was occupied and cultivated by a company of socialists. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne
ISBN-10: 1417931086
ISBN-13: 9781417931088
Publisher: Kessinger Publishing
Language: English
Published: 04/01/2005
Pages: 284
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.92lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.64d

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 10.6
Point Value: 16
Interest Level: Upper Grade
Quiz #/Name: 52119 / Blithedale Romance