| 納撒尼爾·霍桑 | |||||
閱讀霍桑 Nathaniel Hawthorne在小说之家的作品!!! | |||||
霍桑1804年7月4日霍桑出生於馬薩諸塞州塞勒姆鎮一個沒落的世傢。他的祖輩中有人曾參與清教徒異端的事件，為著名的1692年“塞勒姆驅巫案”的3名法官之一。這段歷史對霍桑的思想産生了深刻的影響。霍桑的父親是一名船長，在他4歲時去世。
1821年霍桑在親戚資助下進入博多因學院，同學中有詩人朗費羅與後來當選為總統的皮爾斯等。
1825年大學畢業，回到塞勒姆鎮，從事寫作。曾匿名發表長篇小說《範肖》(1828)和幾十個短篇作品，陸續出版短篇小說集《古宅青苔》(1843)、《雪影》(1851)等，逐漸得到重視和好評。霍桑的短篇小說大多取材於新英格蘭的歷史或現實生活，着重探討人性和人的命運等問題。
1836年和1846年霍桑兩度在海關任職，1841年曾參加超驗主義者創辦的布魯剋農場。他於1842年結婚，在康科德村居住。
1848年由於政見與當局不同，霍桑失去海關的職務，便致力於創作活動，寫出了他最重要的長篇小說《紅字》(1850)。這部作品以殖民地時期新英格蘭生活為背景，描寫一個受不合理的婚姻束縛的犯了為加爾文教派所嚴禁的通姦罪而被示衆，暴露了當時政教合一體製統治下殖民地社會中的某些黑暗。
《紅字》發表後獲得巨大成功，霍桑繼而創作了不少作品。《帶有七個尖角閣的房子》(1851)反映了資本主義發展初期的血腥掠奪。另一部小說《福𠔌傳奇》(1852)以布魯剋農場生活為題材，表達了作者對這種社會改良的嘗試失望的心情以及對狂熱的改革者的厭惡。
皮爾斯當選為美國總統後，霍桑於1853年被任命為駐英國利物浦的領事。1857年後僑居意大利，創作了另一部討論善惡問題的長篇小說《玉石雕像》(1860)。
1860年霍桑返回美國，在康科德定居，繼續寫作。
1864年5月19日霍桑去世，身後留下4部未完成的長篇小說。
Nathaniel Hathorne was born in 1804 in the city of Salem, Massachusetts to Nathaniel Hathorne and Elizabeth Clarke Manning Hathorne. He later changed his name to "Hawthorne", adding a "w" to dissociate from relatives including John Hathorne, a judge during the Salem Witch Trials. Hawthorne attended Bowdoin College, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa in 1824, and graduated in 1825; his classmates included future president Franklin Pierce and future poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Hawthorne anonymously published his first work, a novel titled Fanshawe, in 1828. He published several short stories in various periodicals which he collected in 1837 as Twice-Told Tales. The next year, he became engaged to Sophia Peabody. He worked at a Custom House and joined Brook Farm, a transcendentalist community, before marrying Peabody in 1842. The couple moved to The Old Manse in Concord, Massachusetts, later moving to Salem, the Berkshires, then to The Wayside in Concord. The Scarlet Letter was published in 1850, followed by a succession of other novels. A political appointment took Hawthorne and family to Europe before their return to The Wayside in 1860. Hawthorne died on May 19, 1864, leaving behind his wife and their three children.
Much of Hawthorne's writing centers around New England, many works featuring moral allegories with a Puritan inspiration. His fiction works are considered part of the Romantic movement and, more specifically, dark romanticism. His themes often center on the inherent evil and sin of humanity, and his works often have moral messages and deep psychological complexity. His published works include novels, short stories, and a biography of his friend Franklin Pierce.