September 9, 2016

Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American novelist and short-story writer who was a master of the allegorical and symbolic tale. One of the greatest fiction writers in American literature, he is best known for The Scarlet Letter. The book is considered to be his "masterwork". Set in 17th-century Puritan Boston, Massachusetts, during the years 1642 to 1649, it tells the story of Hester, who conceives a daughter through an affair and struggles to create a new life of repentance and dignity. His use of allegory and symbolism make Hawthorne one of the most studied writers.