Gambling Art: A Psychoanalytic Interpretation of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Custom-House Introduction

Type :

School essay

Pages :

3 pages

Format :

.doc

Published date :

10/19/2007

Category :

Philosophy & literature

Sub category :

Literature

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Summary :

Introduction
The Custom House introduction
The manufactured naivety of the readers
The emotional intimacy between the reader and the characters
Conclusion
Works cited

Abstract

In the preface of the second edition of The Scarlet Letter, nathaniel hawthorne discusses the "unprecedented excitement" generated by the publication of his novel (5). Ironically, this public excitement, and more importantly, the ensuing public discontent, originated not in the novel itself but in hawthorne's cleverly devised custom-house introduction, a light-hearted sketch about his position at the Salem, Massachusetts custom house. According to hawthorne in Salem, a website funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities through the Peabody Essex Museum, "The Scarlet Letter was not a best seller, but the publicity surrounding hawthorne's dismissal as surveyor at the custom house was the equivalent of an interview on the "Today" show and boosted initial sales" (Whitney). Early readers, curious as to the circumstances surrounding such a prominent figure's fall from grace, purchased the book initially for hawthorne's perception of the events before even realizing the merit of the story itself. Yet in his preface, hawthorne seemingly minimizes the importance of the sketch, claiming it can be "wholly admitted, without loss to the public, or detriment to the book" (5).