Research Catalog

Title

Reading like a serpent : what the scarlet a is about / Marilyn Chandler McEntyre.

Author

McEntyre, Marilyn Chandler, 1949-

Publication

Eugene, Or. : Wipf and Stock Publishers, c2012.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Holdings

Details

Description

ix, 134 p.; 23 cm.

Summary

"Many remember The Scarlet Letter as required reading for reluctant sixteen year olds. The unnamed, elusive narrator of Hawthorne's 'tale of human frailty and sorrow' is--some readers might say maddeningly--indirect, ambiguous, and inconsistent. Readers who hope to arrive at satisfying judgments about the book's four iconic characters--Hester, Arthur, Roger, and Pearl--are often left to arrive at their conclusions by guess and inference. The narrator provides what seems to be willfully incomplete information. His point of view shifts from one moral or historical perspective to another without announcement or apology. Reading Like a Serpent invites readers to reconsider this American classic as Hawthorne's challenge to the American public to become more generous, versatile, and responsible readers--especially of the Bible, a book Hawthorne hoped to rescue from moralistic literalists and legalists, reminding us that 'the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.'"--Publisher's website.

Subject

• Hawthorne, Nathaniel, 1804-1864
• Puritans in literature
• Women in literature

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (p.133-134).

Processing Action (note)

• committed to retain

Contents

Preface -- A prophet at play. Scripture reconsidered. Judge not -- Not by bread alone -- Become as little children -- Render unto Caesar -- Confess one to another -- Into the wilderness -- Those not against us -- Sick in prison -- A great price.

ISBN

• 1610975545
• 9781610975544

Owning Institutions

Harvard Library