THESCARLETLETTER(红字)电子版

THESCARLETLETTERbyNathanielHawthorneEDITOR'SNOTENathanielHawthornewasalreadyamanofforty-six,andatalewriterofsometwenty-fouryears'standing,whenTheScarletLetterappeared.HewasbornatSalem,Mass.,onJuly4th,1804,sonofasea-captain.Heledthereashyandrathersombrelife;offewartisticencouragements,yetnotwhollyuncongenial,hismoody,intenselymeditativetemperamentbeingconsidered.ItscoloursandshadowsaremarvelouslyreflectedinhisTwice-ToldTalesandothershortstories,theproductofhisfirstliteraryperiod.EvenhiscollegedaysatBowdoindidnotquitebreakthroughhisacquiredandinheritedreserve;butbeneathitall,hisfacultyofdiviningmenandwomenwasexercisedwithalmostuncannyprescienceandsubtlety.TheScarletLetter,whichexplainsasmuchofthisuniqueimaginativeart,asistobegatheredfromreadinghishighestsingleachievement,yetneedstoberangedwithhisotherwritings,earlyandlate,tohaveitslasteffect.Intheyearthatsawitpublished,hebeganTheHouseoftheSevenGables,alaterromanceorprose-tragedyofthePuritan-Americancommunityashehadhimselfknownit—defraudedofartandthejoyoflife,starvingforsymbolsasEmersonhasit.NathanielHawthornediedatPlymouth,NewHampshire,onMay18th,1864.Thefollowingisthetableofhisromances,stories,andotherworks:Fanshawe,publishedanonymously,1826;Twice-ToldTales,1stSeries,1837;2ndSeries,1842;Grandfather'sChair,ahistoryforyouth,1845:FamousOldPeople(Grandfather'sChair),1841LibertyTree:withthelastwordsofGrandfather'sChair,1842;BiographicalStoriesforChildren,1842;MossesfromanOldManse,1846;TheScarletLetter,1850;TheHouseoftheSevenGables,1851:TrueStoriesfromHistoryandBiography(thewholeHistoryofGrandfather'sChair),1851AWonderBookforGirlsandBoys,1851;TheSnowImageandotherTales,1851:TheBlithedaleRomance,1852;LifeofFranklinPierce,1852;TanglewoodTales(2ndSeriesoftheWonderBook),1853;ARillfromtheTown-Pump,withremarks,byTelba,1857;TheMarbleFaun;or,TheRomanceofMonteBeni(4EDITOR'SNOTE)(publishedinEnglandunderthetitleofTransformation),1860,OurOldHome,1863;DolliverRomance(1stPartinAtlanticMonthly),1864;in3Parts,1876;Pansie,afragment,Hawthorne'lastliteraryeffort,1864;AmericanNote-Books,1868;EnglishNoteBooks,editedbySophiaHawthorne,1870;FrenchandItalianNoteBooks,1871;SeptimiusFelton;or,theElixirofLife(fromtheAtlanticMonthly),1872;DoctorGrimshawe'sSecret,withPrefaceandNotesbyJulianHawthorne,1882.TalesoftheWhiteHills,LegendsofNewEngland,LegendsoftheProvinceHouse,1877,containtaleswhichhadalreadybeenprintedinbookforminTwice-ToldTalesandtheMossesSketchedandStudies,1883.Hawthorne'scontributionstomagazineswerenumerous,andmostofhistalesappearedfirstinperiodicals,chieflyinTheToken,1831-1838,NewEnglandMagazine,1834,1835;Knickerbocker,1837-1839;DemocraticReview,1838-1846;AtlanticMonthly,1860-1872(scenesfromtheDolliverRomance,SeptimiusFelton,andpassagesfromHawthorne'sNote-Books).Works:in24volumes,1879;in12volumes,withintroductorynotesbyLathrop,RiversideEdition,1883.Biography,etc.;A.H.Japp(pseud.H.A.Page),MemoirofN.Hawthorne,1872;J.T.Field'sYesterdayswithAuthors,1873G.P.Lathrop,AStudyofHawthorne,1876;HenryJamesEnglishMenofLetters,1879;JulianHawthorne,NathanielHawthorneandhiswife,1885;MoncureD.Conway,LifeofNathanielHawthorne,1891;AnalyticalIndexofHawthorne'sWorks,byE.M.O'Connor1882.CONTENTSINTRODUCTORY.THECUSTOM-HOUSECHAPTERI.THEPRISON-DOORCHAPTERII.THEMARKET-PLACECHAPTERIII.THERECOGNITIONCHAPTERIV.THEINTERVIEWCHAPTERV.HESTERATHERNEEDLECHAPTERVI.PEARLCHAPTERVII.THEGOVERNOR'SHALLCHAPTERVIII.THEELF-CHILDANDTHEMINISTERCHAPTERIX.THELEECHCHAPTERX.THELEECHANDHISPATIENTCHAPTERXI.THEINTERIOROFAHEARTCHAPTERXII.THEMINISTER'SVIGILCHAPTERXIII.ANOTHERVIEWOFHESTERCHAPTERXIV.HESTERANDTHEPHYSICIANCHAPTERXV.HESTERANDPEARLCHAPTERXVI.AFORESTWALKCHAPTERXVII.THEPASTORANDHISPARISHIONERCHAPTERXVIII.AFLOODOFSUNSHINECHAPTERXIX.THECHILDATTHEBROOK-SIDECHAPTERXX.THEMINISTERINAMAZECHAPTERXXI.THENEWENGLANDHOLIDAYCHAPTERXXII.THEPROCESSIONCHAPTERXXIII.THEREVELATIONOFTHESCARLETLETTERCHAPTERXXIV.CONCLUSIONTHECUSTOM-HOUSEINTRODUCTORYTOTHESCARLETLETTERItisalittleremarkable,that—thoughdisinclinedtotalkovermuchofmyselfandmyaffairsatthefireside,andtomypersonalfriends—anautobiographicalimpulseshouldtwiceinmylifehavetakenpossessionofme,inaddressingthepublic.Thefirsttimewasthreeorfouryearssince,whenIfavouredthereader—inexcusably,andfornoearthlyreasonthateithertheindulgentreaderortheintrusiveauthorcouldimagine—withadescriptionofmywayoflifeinthedeepquietudeofanOldManse.Andnow—because,beyondmydeserts,Iwashappyenoughtofindalistenerortwoontheformeroccasion—Iagainseizethepublicbythebutton,andtalkofmythreeyears'experienceinaCustom-House.TheexampleofthefamousP.P.,ClerkofthisParish,wasnevermorefaithfullyfollowed.Thetruthseemstobe,however,thatwhenhecastshisleavesforthuponthewind,theauthoraddresses,notthemanywhowillflingasidehisvolume,ornevertakeitup,butthefewwhowillunderstandhimbetterthanmostofhisschoolmatesorlifemates.Someauthors,indeed,dofarmorethanthis,andindulgethemselvesinsuchconfidentialdepthsofrevelationascouldfittinglybeaddressedonlyandexclusivelytotheoneheartandmindofperfectsympathy;asiftheprintedbook,thrownatlargeonthewideworld,werecertaint