Nathaniel Hawthorne

19th-century American writer

5 quotes in the MindQuotes library.

About

Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) was a major American writer, born in Salem, Massachusetts, into a family steeped in Puritan heritage. After studying at Bowdoin College, he published his first collection of short stories, Twice-Told Tales, in 1837. His most famous novel, The Scarlet Letter (1850), explores themes of sin and guilt in Puritan New England. He also wrote The House of the Seven Gables (1851), The Marble Faun (1860), and children's classics. He served as U.S. Consul to Liverpool (1853-1857). His work, rich in allegory and symbolism, influenced many writers.

* 1804-07-04 — † 1864-05-19

Major works

Twice-Told Tales (1837)short story collection
The Scarlet Letter (1850)novel
The House of the Seven Gables (1851)novel
The Blithedale Romance (1852)novel
The Marble Faun (1860)novel

Key milestones

1837Publication of his first collection of short stories, Twice-Told Tales.
1850Publication of The Scarlet Letter, which brought him immediate fame.
1853Appointed U.S. Consul to Liverpool by President Franklin Pierce.

Themes

Sin and guiltPuritan heritageAllegory and symbolismMoral and spiritual conflictWeight of the past

Sources: britannica.com · poetryfoundation.org · nps.gov

“Happiness is as a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.”

— Nathaniel HawthorneTheme · Happiness

Create visual

“We must not always talk in the marketplace of what happens to us.”

— Nathaniel HawthorneTheme · Wisdom

Create visual

“Time flies over us, but leaves its shadow behind.”

— Nathaniel HawthorneTheme · Philosophy

Create visual

“Happiness, in this world, if it comes at all, comes incidentally. Make it the object of pursuit, and it leads us on a wild-goose chase, and it is never attained.”

— Nathaniel HawthorneTheme · Happiness

Create visual

“A bodily disease which we look upon as whole and entire within itself , may, after all, be but a symptom of some ailment in the spiritual part.”

— Nathaniel HawthorneTheme · Mental Health

Create visual