"The Minister’s Black Veil“ in a Contemporary Context
"The Minister’s Black Veil“ in a Contemporary Context

Summary/Abstract: In his book on Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry James stated that the American writer was “the most valuable example of the American genius” he knew, providing “the most vivid reflection of New England life that has found its way into literature” (James 1988: 12, 13). In addition to a volume of tales, various sketches, and children’s books, Hawthorne only produced a handful of novels, which alone earned him the status of being extensively read and taught in the canon of American literature. One of the reasons for the endurance and the topicality of Hawthorne’s writing is owing to the fact the author committed himself to exploring the universal experience of human nature and society as a whole by often beginning with what appear to be tales with a bucolic scene, gradually widening in breadth only to address at last the overarching themes of presumed guilt, unrelenting preoccupation with sin, crimes against the human heart, authority, and obsessiveness.

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