His most popular book, The Scarlet Letter, earned Hawthorne international fame. ... Many of the authors of the period were influenced by the transcendental movement, which was flourishing at the time. ... This is very evident in The Scarlet Letter where he uses setting and characterization to create an image of the various characters who each symbolize a different human trait. ... Terence Martin sums up the meaning of Hawthorne's best known book, The Scarlet Letter in three sentences: "Taking its form in Hawthorne's imagination, the total context of The Scarlet Letter inheres in the ...

• Word Count: 855
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

American Renaissance Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter," belongs to the period known as American romanticism, the period called, by F.O. ... Recent texts have challenged Matthiessen's notion of an American Renaissance, pointing out that the work of major American authors of this period did not occur in a vacuum. ... Reynolds points out that a subversive literature existed prior to the work of the major authors of the American Renaissance, in the form of sensational crime novels, erotic writings, humor writing, etc. ... Herman Melville: an author of romantic fiction as was Ha...

• Word Count: 917
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate