Perceptions of The Scarlet Letter

It is an understatement to say that Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is a well known literary work. It’s been the topic of much conversation since it was published on March 16, 1850. Since we’re just a week away from the 162nd anniversary, I thought it’d be interesting to see how the novel has been perceived differently over the years.

• It was too short. After shopping the manuscript of The Scarlet Letter around to publishers, Hawthorne realized it was too short to be published on its own. In order to elongate it, he added the Custom House introduction, which was heavily based on his own experiences working at the Salem Custom House.
• It was written very deliberately. Many critics have questioned the way Hawthorne wrote the novel, choosing not to go very much into detail about the temptation that led to Hester Prynne’s adultery. In an article for The Atlantic written in April 1886, Julian Hawthorne, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s son, explains the way in which the novel is written, highlighting the strengths in the decisions he made in his writing.
• It is one of the first and finest examples of the allegorical romance. Hawthorne was criticized for his use of allegory by many people, including Edgar Allan Poe. Poe believed that Hawthorne’s use of allegory cut off emotional ties between the reader and the work. Poe also believed it caused conflict between the aesthetic quality of fiction. If it wasn’t categorized as fiction, it would have to have been history, which was not possible either as it is not entirely historically accurate.  Despite these criticisms, The Scarlet Letter went on to explore not only the historical, but the human through its use of allegory. There’s an essay that further explores this here.
• It’s been adapted for the screen (at least) 7 times. Some have tackled the task of taking Hawthorne’s words and bringing them to life, opening them to a new audience and different interpretation. Thus, The Scarlet Letter was seen as a silent black and white melodramatic film (1917); a classic silent black and white film (1926); a classic with a humorous edge with Colleen Moore, the star of the 1917 version (1934);  a Studio One production for CBS (1951); in German with subtitles (1972); a mini series for PBS (1979); and a free adaptation by Hollywood Pictures and Buena Vista film (1995). If 2010’s Easy A is any indication, we have yet to see the last of the novel’s influence.

American Cookery by Amelia Simmons

Hey guys! I wanted to share a quick and interesting piece of American literature: American Cookery by Amelia Simmons, the first American cookbook. Published in 1796, the book is 48 pages long and features a mix of recipes and advice on how to prepare certain foods, everything from picking the right pear to dressing a turtle! The book is interesting as both a historical cookbook and a piece of literature. The significance of this book in the life of post-Revolutionary War America was immense because there were literally no cookbooks that addressed the geographical and cultural needs of America. Probably the most significant ingredient Simmons uses (and she employs it extensively) is corn, which was not only absent in England (and therefore English cookbooks) but was a unique part of American cuisine. Recipes acquired from the Native Americans were never recorded until Simmons documented them. And one more truly significant technique she employs is the use of a chemical leavener called pearlash (an early form of baking powder) as opposed to yeast in cakes and pastries. This leavener was found exclusively from the ashes of certain trees in America and Simmons was the first to record its use. As a piece of literature it further supports the idea that this is a uniquely American work. Simmons writes in an American vernacular, calling certain dishes and ingredients as Americans called them: Johnny Cakes, squash and cookies being examples. The conversational tone she uses in her prose differed strongly form that of the proper English cookbook, which focused on a higher, often unattainable for the poor, level of cooking.

When I look over what Amelia Simmons accomplished in her book I’d like to read a little bit into the impact of it. Just as we’ve been discussing the relationships between of the characters in Wieland as being that of societal American self-discovery, I’d like to say that this cookbook works in the same way. For once there is a definitive record of how to prepare food from the world around you, for once you don’t have to rely on the British to dictate how you cook, for once there is a document for recipes which until then had been oral tradition, etc etc. Keeping in mind that the Revolution was still recent memory, American Cookery serves as another way to define America as a new country, society, and culture. Even in the full title of the book (see the picture below for the first page which features it) we find this segment:  adapted to the country and all grades of life. To me this seems like a uniquely American ideology, a proclamation for liberty and support of this country. Cheers to Amelia Simmons! Below I’ve posted the full text and the first page of the facsimile.

 

FULL TEXT:
http://www.fullbooks.com/American-Cookery.html

All info from Mary Tolford’s introduction:

Simmons, Amelia. The First American Cookbook: A Facsimile of “American Cookery,” 1796. Ed. Mary Tolford. Wilson. New York: Dover Publications, 1984. Print.

Letters between John & Abigail Adams

As a group, we’ve posted a lot of background information on John and Abigail Adams to get you familiar with the couple. There are over a thousand letters that John and Abigail exchanged between the time frame of their courtship (1762) and through his Presidency (1801).

Luckily for us, the Massachusetts Historical Society did a project with the letters a few years ago. Here they have complied and organized the letters. They have them categorized, but also have the original beside the easy to read typed version.

Please read several of these letters, of course we wouldn’t ask you to read all of them. If there are any that stick out to you, make note of them or bring them to class. We have a few picked out for our presentation (such as Abigail’s famous “Remember the Ladies” letter of March 31/April 5 1776). But reading them gives you a sense of what they were concerned about and their apparent love.

Massachusetts Historical Society– Letters

Enjoy!

Pima Stories of the Beginning of the World: The Story of Creation

Pima Stories of the Beginning of the World: The Story of the Creation

Selections from Awawtam, Indian Nights, Being the Myths and Legends of the Primas of Arizona (1911)

Included in The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Fifth Edition

In the beginning there was no earth – no water, no sun, no light. There was only a man. A man left to drift through the darkness, which was darkness itself; Juhwertamahkai, Doctor of the Earth. He wandered through nowhere and nothing until he’d wandered enough. He rubbed on his breast until he had moahhahttack, perspiration, or greasy earth.This he held out on the palm of his hand, tipping over three times. On the fourth try it stayed still, hanging in the middle of the air. There it now remains as the world.

First he created the greasewood bush. Then he made ants, little tiny ants, to live on the bush. But the little ants did not do any good, so he created white ants which enlarged the earth, until at last it was big enough for he himself to rest on. Next came a person, forging him out of the shadow of his eye to assist him, to be like him and to help him in creating trees and human beings and everything that was to be on earth. He named this man Nooee (the Buzzard). Nooee was given all power, but did not like the work he was created for and did not care to help; so the Doctor of the Earth created it himself.

Next came water, placing it in a hollow vessel to harden into ice. He placed the hardened ball in the sky, first in the North, but it did not work; then he tried the West, but it did not work; next he tried the South, but it did not work; finally he placed it in the East, where it worked just as he wanted it to. He made the moon the same way, trying the same places with the same results. But when he made the stars he tried something different, and filling his mouth with water spit into the sky. But the stars did not shine bright enough. He took the Doctor-stone, the tonedumhawteh, and smashed it up. He collected the pieces and threw them into the sky to mix with the water. Finally, when all was settled he created the mountains and everything that has seed and is good to eat.

The first parents were perfect; there was no sickness and no death. But when the earth was full, and there was nothing left to eat, they killed and ate each other. Juhwertamahkai did not like what had become of his people and so he let the sky fall on them. When it dropped, he took a staff a broke a hole through. A hole through which he and Nooee escaped, leaving nothing but death behind them.

Seated upon the ruins of the world he had created, Juhwertamahkai created a second heaven and earth, but the people turned grey in old age and their children became grey until eventually the babies were grey in their cradles. He did not like his people becoming grey in their cradles, and so he let the sky fall on them as well. On top of his second, he crafted a third. But these people made a vice of smoking, until the infants wanted to smoke in their cradles. He let the sky fall on them as well and set about building another heaven and earth exactly as before. This time though, he decided to leave his creations to their own devices.

At first the slope of the world ran westward and had no true valleys to catch water for people to drink. Juhwertamahkai sent Nooee to fly among the mountains to cut valleys with his wings so water could be caught and distributed. Now, the sun was male and the moon was female and together they met once a month. The moon soon became a mother and went to the mountain of Tahsmyettahn Toeahk (sun striking mountain) to bear her child. Having to return to work, she made a place for the child to rest among trampled weeds and the child, having no milk, gained sustenance on the earth. This child was the coyote, and as he grew went out to walk, and in his walk came to the house of Juhwertamahkai and Nooee, where the Doctor of the Earth dubbed him “Toehahvs,” after the name of the weeds upon which he was laid.

Out of the North came another powerful figure named Eeeetoy (Creator/Doctor of the Earth) who was greeted by Juhwertamahkai and Nooee as their younger brother at which he insisted that he was the eldest among them. After much dispute, and because he felt so strongly they agreed to call him Seeurhuh, or elder brother.

• How does this compare with the other stories of creation you may have read?
• What if any themes do you notice between this creation story and others? Are there any? Speaking generally what themes come into play now?
• How does it compare to the Iroquois stories?
• Is there anything striking about the Pima’s creation story to you particularly reading it from a modern perspective? Have people changed much since the time of its origin and now?

The Iriquois Creation Story: A Summary

The Iroquois Creation Story

A tale of the foundation of the great island, now North America;

–the two infants born, and the creation of the universe

 Story summarized from Sketches of the American History of the Six Nations (1827)

Included In The Norton Anthology of American Literature,

Fifth Ed Volume

            Before the creation of the universe, existed two worlds: the lower world existing in great darkness inhabited by monsters, and the upper world inhabited by creatures. A woman, supernaturally pregnant with twins, grew increasingly tired and weak. She was prepared a mattress in which she would lay and regain energy and nutrients. While she slept, she grew weaker and her body began sinking further into the darkness. The monsters of the great water began to surface in hopes of obtaining her and the earth. The creatures, in order to aid the woman, gathered underneath her in order to protect her from falling. The only savior able to hold her up was a turtle, who laid himself under the woman and held up her sinking weight. The woman was continually descending, and when the turtle carried her weight he begin to spread and a small quantity of earth was created on the turtle’s back. Still holding her, the turtle began to grow every minute and eventually created a small island, covered in bushes. The woman’s twins began fighting inside of her womb, and she gradually fell weaker until the babies were conceived and the world created remained dark. Not being able to bear the stress, the woman died. After some time, the turtle grew into a great region and the twins were grown. One of the twins, Enigorio whose name meant “The Good Mind”, was born with gentle disposition and a kind spirit. The other twin, Enigonhahetgea whose name meant “The Bad Mind”, was evil spirited. Enigorio was not satisfied with the darkness of him and his brother’s world, and despite the insisting of his brother, was determined to create light. Here began creation.

First, he took the head of his deceased mother and created an orb, which he established  as center of the creation. It is now known as the Sun, giving light to the day. He then took the rest of her body and formed another orb, which is now known as the moon. The moon was created to give light to the night. He then created stars to aid in the lighting of the night, and to regulate the days, nights, seasons and years. When the light extended to the dark world, the monsters would hide. Enigorio, The Good Mind, continued his work, and created creeks and rivers on the Great Island along with animals to inhabit the forests and fishes to inhabit the waters. He then created images in the form of himself and blew life into them through their nostrils to give them living souls. He named them Ea-gwe-howe, “real people”. He created thunder to watch over the earth, and frequent rains so the earth could be fruitful and vegetation could grow for the animals to prosper. The Bad Mind, while his brother was creating the universe, proceeded to try and reign over the blossoming universe and tried creating a species of mankind from clay. They became apes. He created high mountains, waterfalls and steep cliffs to put the earth in danger. The Good Mind exceeded in creating the universe despite his brother’s malicious intentions and attempted to enclose all the animals of game in the earth to deprive them from mankind. He felt bad for his brother, so he freed them to roam wherever they chose. The Good mind wanted his brother to aid him in inspecting the earth, but his brother’s behavior got so obnoxious he could not lead him anymore. The Bad Mind wanted to challenge his brother, so that the winner could reign over the universe once and for all. The Good Mind, on the day of the battle, tried reconciling with his brother but the evil twin wasn’t having it. He defeats him by stomping him into the earth with horns, the only instrument of death able to defeat his evil brother. The evil twin muttered his last words: “I will have equal power over the souls of the dead”. He sank down into eternal doom, reining the dark world below. The Good Mind retreats to visit the people on earth, teaching them to grow corn and pray. He then leaves the earth, and ascends into the sky.

• How does this story of creation compare with other popular stories of creation?
• How does it compare to the Pima Stories?
• What does it say about the religion of the Iriquois?
• How does it compare to Christianity? How is it different?