Play Audiobook Sample
The Scarlet Letter Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(3.00) - 270,603 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
Hailed by Henry James as "the finest piece of imaginative writing yet put forth in the country," Nathaniel Hawthorne'sThe Scarlet Letterreaches to our nation's historical and moral roots for the material of great tragedy. Set in an early New England colony, the novel shows the terrible impact of a single passionate act on the lives of three people: the fiery, tortured Reverend Dimmesdale; the obsessed, vengeful Chillingworth; and the defiant Hester Prynne, who, unwilling to name her partner in adultery, is condemned to wear a scarlet "A" on the breast of her gown for the remainder of her life. She and her illegitimate daughter become outcasts, forced to live solitary lives—until Hester's estranged husband arrives and stirs up trouble.
WithThe Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne became the first American novelist to forge from our Puritan heritage a universal classic—a masterful exploration of humanity's unending struggle with sin, guilt, and pride.
Download and start listening now!
"This superbly-written book shows us how life would be if the Westboro Baptist Church's of the world took over society. It reminds us of the importance of grace and forgiveness, both for ourselves and others, and suggests that the worst sins of the world are not our sexual sins, but rather hate and judgmentalism. It also reminds us of the importance of eliminating our facades and truly facing our "dark side," an act which Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale was unable to do. While Hester Prynne was forced into such a revelation through the birth of her out-of-wedlock child, she shows courage and depth in redeeming her life through caring for others."
— Keith (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
-
“[Nathaniel Hawthorne] recaptured, for his New England, the essence of Greek tragedy.”
— Malcolm Cowley -
“The Scarlet Letter isn’t a pleasant, pretty romance. It is a sort of parable, an earthly story with a hellish meaning.”
— D. H. Lawrence -
“Considered a masterpiece of American literature and a classic moral study.”
— Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature -
“The finest piece of imaginative writing yet put forth in the country.”
— Henry James -
combines the strength and substance of an oak with the subtle organization of a rose, and is great, not of malice aforethought, but inevitably. It goes to the root of the matter, and reaches some unconventional conclusions, which, however, would scarce be apprehended by one reader in twenty. For the external or literal significance of the story, though in strict correspondence with the spirit, conceals that spirit from the literal eye. The reader may choose his depth according to his inches but only a tall man will touch the bottom…very story may be viewed under two aspects: as the logical evolution of a conclusion from a premise, and as something colored and modified by the personal qualities of the author. If the latter have genius, his share in the product is comparable to nature's in a work of human art,—giving it everything except abstract form… A gloomy and energetic religious sect, pioneers in a virgin land, with the wolf and the Indian at their doors, but with memories of England in their hearts and English traditions and prejudices in their minds; weak in numbers, but strong in spirit; with no cultivation save that of the Bible and the sword; victims, moreover of a dark and bloody superstition,—such a people and scene give admirable relief and color to a tale of human frailty and sorrow. Amidst such surroundings, then, the figure of a woman stands, with the scarlet letter on her bosom… But a writer who works with deep insight and truthful purpose can never be guilty of a lack of decency. Indecency is a creation, not of God or of nature, but of the indecent.whoever takes it for granted that indecency is necessarily involved in telling the story of an illicit passion has studied human nature and good literature to poor purpose.
— Atlantic (an excerpt from the review) -
“A gloomy and energetic religious sect, pioneers in a virgin land…with memories of England in their hearts and English traditions and prejudices in their minds; weak in numbers, but strong in spirit; with no cultivation save that of the Bible and the sword…Such a people and scene give admirable relief and color to a tale of human frailty and sorrow.”
— Atlantic
The Scarlet Letter Listener Reviews
-
" Very much liked this; the matter of Pearl's father confused me at first, but once it was cleared up, I loved this book "
— Alexandra, 2/20/2014 -
" Love the symbolism in this. I teach this with my 11th graders. "
— Sarah, 2/18/2014 -
" I read this as assigned reading in high school, so my opinion of the book is cluttered with all the stupid analysis of the symbolism, the rose symbolizing the joy and the thorns representing the pain and blah blah. That would have ruined any other book, but this classic survived because... well... the same reason all classics survive. Because it's great, and because it deals with the human condition in an honest way. This book delves into the nature of hypocrisy, sexism and discrimination. "
— Anthea, 2/17/2014 -
" This is a book that I read for a class. I've read it before, but like most books new things appear as you read them in different points of life. It has many layers of meaning and although I don't agree with certain things in the book it was a good read. "
— Makeda, 2/15/2014 -
" The Scarlet Letter, overall, was a pretty good book. Nathaniel Hawthornes dark romatic style was slightly depressing. Although I did enjoy his detailed imagery throughout the novel, some of the words and sentence structers were difficult to comprehend. All in all, The Scarlet Letter had a very good story line and plot, however, it was a difficult read. "
— Joelle, 2/14/2014 -
" Good book but the author is to wordy for me; one can skip several pages and Hawthorne would be still talking about the same thing. He has several good themes that I liked such as how revenge will corrupt you. His style is dark romantic and maybe if one likes romantic novels this would be a good book but I am really one for action and adventure so this book wasn't my favorite. "
— Billy, 2/9/2014 -
" The Scarlet Letter in my opinion was a great book. Hawthorne committed his peice to be very dark and gloomy; yet romantic in ways the reader understands. The powerful imagery and complex vocab he incorporates throughout this work can easily be perceived by anyone reading. Although the many conflicts and themes can be hard to figure due to his dense explanations, this read was very enjoyable and kept me wanting more each chapter. "
— Andrew, 2/8/2014 -
" I thought the the book had a good message and an interesting writing style. However, i thought that the plot was a bit slow and dry at some points. It was also very heard to read and understand. "
— Chris, 1/27/2014 -
" Yes, I gave The Scarlet Letter a 2. "
— Kristin, 1/24/2014 -
" Well written, with some thought-provoking sentences, but ultimately a long-winded book about religion, good and evil. Also, I found Nathaniel Hawthorne's male chauvinism highly unpalatable. The best part of his novel is the character, Pearl, the otherworldly child of Hester Prynne. "
— Sophie-louise, 1/22/2014 -
" I hated this book very much. Reading it in my English class was an awful experience "
— Katrina, 1/16/2014 -
" Loved it! The trascendental writing was a bit tough to get through at times but the recurring themes about people and society give the reader so much to think about. "
— Caroline, 1/13/2014 -
" I did not like this book...never again "
— Sierra, 1/12/2014 -
" It makes me love sparknote so much... "
— Bao, 1/2/2014 -
" Although the book had a great storyline and plot, it was a difficult read and became very time consuming with all of these symbols present. If you have plenty of time and knowledge about history I highly recommend reading this book; however, I would much rather watch the movie. "
— Marissa, 1/1/2014 -
" great plot but old english "
— Anny, 12/17/2013 -
" Love the symbolism in this. I teach this with my 11th graders. "
— Sarah, 12/7/2013 -
" Read this one in school. Love sucks! "
— Maria, 12/4/2013 -
" required to read in high school but i fell in love with it in many ways i can relate. "
— Melissa, 12/2/2013 -
" Hate. Only book I ever sparknoted in high school. For real I read all the others, even grapes of wrath... :P "
— Alina, 11/15/2013 -
" My favorite parts of this book are the imagery & symbolism. "
— Bree, 10/25/2013 -
" still..a very timely story even though it is a classic. At present, same treatment but in a different way is still shown or given to women who commits adultery because of discrimination and religion. "
— Jeniffer, 10/4/2013 -
" A book that shows the great strength of one woman against the unfair opinions of the populace and the bias of that socity of men verus women. "
— Teresa, 9/11/2013 -
" This book...I think that...oh well I just plain did not like it, that's all. "
— Tania, 9/5/2013 -
" I liked this book because it was suspenseful. "
— Cassidy, 8/10/2013 -
" Can't believe I waited this long to read it. "
— Bonnie, 7/1/2013 -
" One of my ultimate favorites. I've read it so many times I've lost count. "
— Kellibid, 6/20/2013 -
" I read it in high school. I you're not used to the "language" you will be lost. But if you have an English teacher explain it to you it's fantastic. "
— Steven, 6/14/2013 -
" I loved this book. It is a book from 1850. It shows values of loyalty, faith, love, etc. But it is also revolutionary and 'before its time'. In a world where women had few rights, this author bravelly defeats them. "
— Isotilia, 3/31/2013 -
" I'm still amazed by the book. It's one of the best I've read in awhile. It's too bad, though, that its cover says too much about the story and spoils it. Hawthorne was a poet. "
— Eduardo, 3/29/2013 -
" Words in book seemed like I am reading poetry. Good classic "
— Swetha, 3/26/2013 -
" I really did not enjoy this book. "
— Tess, 3/26/2013 -
" I liked this book, but at times I just felt it was so long-winded and pointless that I had to stop reading. It had some really, really good prose in it, but a lot of it was just out-right unnecessary. "
— Ian, 3/20/2013 -
" One of my all time favorites! "
— Rosemond, 11/13/2012 -
" Despite the fact that I've dressed up as Hester Prynne for two separate Halloweens, I didn't care for this book very much. I think my aversion to it wasn't that it was badly written. I just didn't care for the people in the story, and I have to care about the characters to want to read it. "
— Julie, 11/6/2012 -
" I've been reading this for ages, really dragging my feet over it too, I found once I made myself pick it up it flowed but it was the incentive to actually get reading it that slowed me down! Maybe I just need to read some more classics so that I can adjust to the formal writing style properly! "
— Emily, 10/27/2012 -
" Starts brilliantly and as the ploy unfold the heroine is wonderful. Draws slowly in the middle and completes well. Beautifully written as is typical of books of this era. Not for people who do not like older forms of writing. "
— Jean, 8/8/2012 -
" Difficult language but quite a good story! "
— Kaitlyn, 6/28/2012 -
" Love- try When She Woke by Hilary Jordan for a modern take "
— Diana, 11/3/2011 -
" I enjoyed this substantially more when I read it again after I was required to read it in high school. Hawthorne makes liberal use of the comma - just ignore them and it flows much better. ;) "
— Kristy, 5/22/2011 -
" You know, surprisingly I liked this book when I read it in high school. For all the rap I heard about it, I thought I wouldn't like it. But I felt that the characters were real. And wasn't there a twist-up in the end? I don't remember . ..it's been so long! =) "
— Rebecca, 5/22/2011 -
" I've always enjoyed this book because I find something new to focus on every time I read it. This time around was the contemplation of Chillingworth's moral decline. "
— Nisha, 5/21/2011 -
" <br/>Read for school. Painful as all hell. "
— Dav8d777, 5/21/2011 -
" As most people, I had to read this for a high school English class. This book is a classic and I actually enjoyed reading it and found the messages is conveyed interesting. "
— Katie.bloomfield, 5/18/2011 -
" As most people, I had to read this for a high school English class. This book is a classic and I actually enjoyed reading it and found the messages is conveyed interesting. "
— Katie.bloomfield, 5/18/2011 -
" I appreciate this book more as an adult reader than I did in high school. It is intriguing for many reasons. The hypocrisy of piety rings through the pages. That scarlet "A" is such a unique symbol. Always a good read! "
— Geneal, 5/13/2011 -
" I appreciate this book more as an adult reader than I did in high school. It is intriguing for many reasons. The hypocrisy of piety rings through the pages. That scarlet "A" is such a unique symbol. Always a good read! "
— Geneal, 5/13/2011 -
" I hated this book. So much. :| I hate Hawthorne in general. "
— Huma, 5/11/2011 -
" It was written very long ago and to understand the writing took a little while. But good book "
— Chole, 5/10/2011 -
" It was written very long ago and to understand the writing took a little while. But good book "
— Chole, 5/10/2011
About Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804–1864) is considered to be one of the greatest American authors of the nineteenth century. He was born in Salem, Massachusetts, and made his ambition to be a writer while still a teenager. He graduated from Bowdoin College in Maine, where the poet Longfellow was also a student, and spent several years traveling in New England and writing short stories before his best known novel, The Scarlet Letter, was published in 1850. His writing was not at first financially rewarding, and he worked as measurer and surveyor in the Boston and Salem Custom Houses. In 1853 he was sent to Liverpool as American consul and then lived in Italy before returning to the United States in 1860.