About this title: Hawthorne's portrait of a utopian community whose collective ideals increasingly clash with the passions of individual members is based on his own experiences at Brook Farm. The novel tackles many of the burning issues of his day, including women's rights, spiritualism, and socialism. In spite of its seriousness, Henry James called it "the lightest, the brightest, the liveliest of Nathaniel Hawthorne's novels."
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Edition: Reprint
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: W. W. Norton Co
Date Published: 1958
ISBN-13:9780393001648ISBN:0393001644
Description: Very Good. NICE BOOK! NO SPINE CREASES & MILD SHELF WEAR ON COVER. LIGHTLY AGED PAGES, NO MARKINGS IN TEXT. Description: Hawthorne's portrait of a utopian community whose collective ideals increasingly clash with the passions of individual members is based on his own experiences at Brook Farm. The novel tackles many of the burning issues of his day, including women's rights, spiritualism, and socialism. In spite of its seriousness, Henry James called it "the lightest, the brightest, the ... read more
Description: Very good. Rare Dolphin Books 1961 paperback Edition-Light wear on cover/spine, underlining in Preface only the rest of the book has Clean and Tight pages-Very Nice-Please See our Feedback! read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Ohio State University Press
Date Published: 1964
Description: Poor. No Jacket. Size: 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall; Type: Ex Library Pages soiled in front, stiff like they have been watermarked. Cover very worn, marked with spots and very worn. ex library insignia. binding secure. no dust jacket. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Date Published: 1983
ISBN-13:9780140390285ISBN:0140390286
Description: Acceptable. Overall below average used book. May have highlighting, underlining, notes, price sticker on cover, or be an ex-library book. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Plume
Date Published: 1981
ISBN-13:9780452009905ISBN:0452009901
Description: Acceptable. Fair Condition. Considerable wear, but still very useable. Text has writing/underlining and highlighting. May have bookstore-related stamps/stickers/marks. Multiple copies may be available. MMP SHIPS W/IN 24 HOURS! FREE INSURANCE on all orders! E-mail notification! Careful, thorough packaging. Fast, personal service. No hassle, full refund return policy! COMBINE SHIPPING-TENS OF THOUSANDS OF OTHER BOOKS/CDs/MOVIES AVAILABLE! read more
Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Purchasing this book supports the King County Library System Foundation. Thriftbooks and KCLSF have partnered to help raise additional funds for the library system. Ex-Library book-will contain library markings. Book has appearance of light use with no easily noticeable wear. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
"Never did so many dependent clauses sound as sweet as a flute----a lovely display of language, dark romanticism, humor, and depth---the combination of which carried me away to higher loves, cavernous chills, and laughter. Indeed, how joyous to find this manifestation of a character that feels both idealism and cynicism so deeply, to which one thrives and grows by its relationship to the other. And from it, a deep beauty that captures that glimpse of the eternal, of essence behind form, of primordial mystery, of multifaceted truth, undaunted by the wreckage, but for a tear."
"The more I read Hawthorne, the more I like him--the person I believe him to have been. He has a nice bite, as evidenced by the following passage, narrated by Coverdale (who is equated with Hawthorne)that made me cackle aloud:
"While our enterprise lay all in theory, we had pleased ourselves with the delectable visions of the spiritualization of labor. It was to be our form of prayer and ceremonial worship. Each stroke of the hoe was to uncover some aromatic root of wisdom, heretofore hidden from the sun. Pausing in the field, to let the wind exhale the moisture of our foreheads, we were to look upward and catch glimpses into the far off soul of truth. In this point of view, matters did not turn out quite so well as we had anticipated."
At Brook Farm, a collective and model for Blithedale, Hawthorne endeavored to find a community of like-minded persons: a place where he could both work, provide for a family, and tend to his writing. As I know many of my contemporaries and I do, he found that the writing life can suffer in relationship to the work that is providing a steady income or reliable means. After ten days at the farm, he writes: "It is an endless surprise to me how much work there is to be done in the world." A familiar feeling that and one I find refreshing to know someone as accomplished as Hawthorne struggled against."
"What happens when a group of people with high ideals come together to form a utopian community? Hawthorne makes it clear from the beginning that Blithedale Farm is doomed. I remember liking this book very much."
"The Scarlet Letter is one of my favorite classic American novels. When I reread it again a couple years ago I was impressed with Hawthorne's writing. This last year I read a biography of the Peabody Sisters. Hawthorne married one of the Peabody sisters and the book described his involvement with the sisters and also made me want to read more Hawthorne.
This novel was based on Hawthorne's own time spent at the Utopian community Brook Farm and his obvious disillusionment with it and its advocates.
There were several passages I highlighted that captured Hawthorne's reflections on reformers but otherwise I didn't like the book, the plot or any of the characters."
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