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| '''''The Blithedale Romance''''' (]) was the third of the major romances of ]. ] (in '']'', ]) called it "the lightest, the brightest, the liveliest" of Hawthorne's "unhumorous fictions." | '''''The Blithedale Romance''''' (]) was the third of the major romances of ]. ] (in '']'', ]) called it "the lightest, the brightest, the liveliest" of Hawthorne's "unhumorous fictions." | ||
| Much of the action of the novel is set at Blithedale, a utopian ] community that is founded upon anti-] ideals, yet is destroyed by the ]ed behavior of its members. Among those members are: Hollingsworth, a ] ] who intends to turn Blithedale into a colony for the reformation of criminals; Zenobia, a strong-minded ] who ironically finds Hollingsworth's misogyny irresistible; and Miles Coverdale, the ], a professional poet given to acts of ]. | Much of the action of the novel is set at Blithedale, a utopian ] community that is founded upon anti-] ideals, yet is destroyed by the ]ed behavior of its members. Among those members are: Hollingsworth, a ] ] who intends to turn Blithedale into a colony for the reformation of criminals; Zenobia, a strong-minded ] who ironically finds Hollingsworth's misogyny irresistible; Priscilla, a sweet, shy teenage girl who turns out to be Zenobia's half-sister; and Miles Coverdale, the ], a professional poet given to acts of ]. | ||
| Blithedale is based loosely on ], a short-lived commune where Hawthorne lived from April to November ]. Hawthorne's sardonic attitude toward Brook Farm is reflected in the numerous letters he wrote from Brook Farm to ], his future wife. The character of Zenobia is said to have been modelled upon ], an acquaintance of Hawthorne and a frequent guest at Brook Farm. | Blithedale is based loosely on ], a short-lived commune where Hawthorne lived from April to November ]. Hawthorne's sardonic attitude toward Brook Farm is reflected in the numerous letters he wrote from Brook Farm to ], his future wife. The character of Zenobia is said to have been modelled upon ], an acquaintance of Hawthorne and a frequent guest at Brook Farm. The circumstances of Zenobia's death were inspired by the suicide of a certain Miss Hunt, who drowned herself on the morning of July 9, 1845. Hawthorne helped to search for the body that night, and later recorded the incident at considerable length in his journal.<ref>1</ref> | ||
| ==Notes== | |||
| 1. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. ''The Blithedale Romance: an Authoritative Text; Background and Sources; Criticism'' (Seymour Gross, Editor). New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1978, pp. 253-257. | |||
| ==External links== | ==External links== | ||
Revision as of 05:19, 11 February 2007
The Blithedale Romance (1852) was the third of the major romances of Nathaniel Hawthorne. Henry James (in Hawthorne, 1879) called it "the lightest, the brightest, the liveliest" of Hawthorne's "unhumorous fictions."
Much of the action of the novel is set at Blithedale, a utopian socialist community that is founded upon anti-capitalist ideals, yet is destroyed by the self-interested behavior of its members. Among those members are: Hollingsworth, a philanthropic misogynist who intends to turn Blithedale into a colony for the reformation of criminals; Zenobia, a strong-minded feminist who ironically finds Hollingsworth's misogyny irresistible; Priscilla, a sweet, shy teenage girl who turns out to be Zenobia's half-sister; and Miles Coverdale, the unreliable narrator, a professional poet given to acts of voyeurism.
Blithedale is based loosely on Brook Farm, a short-lived commune where Hawthorne lived from April to November 1841. Hawthorne's sardonic attitude toward Brook Farm is reflected in the numerous letters he wrote from Brook Farm to Sophia Peabody, his future wife. The character of Zenobia is said to have been modelled upon Margaret Fuller, an acquaintance of Hawthorne and a frequent guest at Brook Farm. The circumstances of Zenobia's death were inspired by the suicide of a certain Miss Hunt, who drowned herself on the morning of July 9, 1845. Hawthorne helped to search for the body that night, and later recorded the incident at considerable length in his journal.
Notes
1. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Blithedale Romance: an Authoritative Text; Background and Sources; Criticism (Seymour Gross, Editor). New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1978, pp. 253-257.
External links
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