“The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared
not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude!”--Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet
Letter In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne takes readers back to the
puritan days of the American colonies, into a society as unforgiving as its
harsh New England winters. The story of Hester Prynne, who bears a scarlet
“A” upon her breast as a symbol of her adultery, and that of her pious
lover who atones in tormented silence, is one that has captivated readers
since its publication in 1850. Adapted to numerous plays, films, and
operas, the original text is now available in a chic and affordable edition
as part of the Word Cloud Classics series from Canterbury Classics.