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Michael's Reviews > The Scarlet Letter
The Scarlet Letter
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Whenever I go back and reread books that I loved the first time I read it, I get nervous thinking about the chance that I won't like it the second time around. I read The Scarlet Letter for the first time when I was a sophomore in high school, and four years later, quite a lot has changed.
This novel was just as incredible as I remember it to be, though. I realize that this is one of the most despised novels of all time, but I think it has to do with the age at which people have to read it. I think it's fair to say that a majority of readers are in high school and are being forced to read it for their English class. Required reading is bad enough as it is, but having required reading such as this is another monster entirely. Hawthorne is wordy (very wordy). There are a lot of lengthy, gratuitous descriptions about things that have no relevance to the plot. There also is not a lot of action to drive the story forward. I still think it's incredible, though. I love diving into the lives of characters and discovering the inner workings of their psyche, and Hawthorne is great at this. And I still found myself absorbed into the plot even though I knew everything that was going to happen.
No, this type of novel isn't for everyone. Still, though, even if you don't particularly enjoy reading it, I think it's still easy to appreciate it as a work of literature.
This novel was just as incredible as I remember it to be, though. I realize that this is one of the most despised novels of all time, but I think it has to do with the age at which people have to read it. I think it's fair to say that a majority of readers are in high school and are being forced to read it for their English class. Required reading is bad enough as it is, but having required reading such as this is another monster entirely. Hawthorne is wordy (very wordy). There are a lot of lengthy, gratuitous descriptions about things that have no relevance to the plot. There also is not a lot of action to drive the story forward. I still think it's incredible, though. I love diving into the lives of characters and discovering the inner workings of their psyche, and Hawthorne is great at this. And I still found myself absorbed into the plot even though I knew everything that was going to happen.
No, this type of novel isn't for everyone. Still, though, even if you don't particularly enjoy reading it, I think it's still easy to appreciate it as a work of literature.
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[deleted user]
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Apr 30, 2012 12:06PM
The Blue Letter. My new book. You should read it. Ill mail it to you. ;)
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It's too bad that some people get turned off by certain books or authors because they have been forced to read them in school and then hate them because of the experience. I've heard such people say they can't stand authors like Shakespeare or Dickens because of this type of trauma. I think that's so sad.
It's something English teachers never think about before putting classics on their reading lists. I'm ready to beat my English teacher senseless with my copy of The Catcher in the Rye.
I want to read this because i read a small story by him and enjoyed it (:
