|
| <-
Previous Page | First Page MonkeyNotes-The
House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Table
of Contents | Printable
Version
STUDY QUESTIONS
1. Explain how Hawthorne
has succeeded in transforming the character of Hepzibah.
2. Phoebe's
arrival at the house of the seven gables brings about a reversal of fortunes in
the lives of the inhabitants. Explain how this happens.
3. What are the changes that occur in Clifford's character? Is there a complete
change in his character?
4. Holgrave has often been described as a representative
American. Do you agree with this view? Give reasons for your answer.
5. Discuss the use of symbols in the House of the Seven Gables. 6. How does Hawthorne
explore the theme of isolation in the novel?
7. How does Hawthorne manage
to convey the dual nature of the Judge? Explain with reference to his actions
and the symbolism used.
8. How does Hawthorne create an atmosphere of
evil in the novel? SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Gollin, Rita
K. Nathaniel Hawthorne and the Truth of Dreams.
Baton Rouge: Louisiana State
University Press, 1979.
Mattheissen, F.O. American Renaissance. New York,
1941.
Waggoner, Hyatt. Hawthorne: A Critical Study. Cambridge:
Harvard
University Press, 1963.
Havens, Elmer A. "The 'Gold Branch' as Symbol
in The House of
the Seven Gables."
Modern Language Notes, 64
(January, 1954), pp. 20-22
COMMENT
ON THE STUDY OF LITERATURE
The study of literature is not like
the study of math or science, or even history. While those disciplines are based
largely upon fact, the study of literature is based upon interpretation and analysis.
There are no clear-cut answers in literature, outside of the factual information
about an author's life and the basic information about setting and characterization
in a piece of literature. The rest is a highly subjective reading of what an author
has written; each
person brings a different set of values and a different
background to the reading. As a result, no two people see the piece of literature
in exactly the same light, and few critics agree on everything about a book or
an author. In this set of PinkMonkey® Literature Notes for a well-known
piece of literature, we at PinkMonkey.com have tried to give an objective literary
analysis based upon the information actually found in the novel, book, or play.
In the end, however, it is an individual interpretation, but one that we feel
can be readily supported by the information that
is presented in the guide.
In your course of literature study, you or your professor/teacher may come up
with a different interpretation of the Mood or the theme or the conflict. Your
interpretation, if it can be logically supported with information contained within
the piece of literature, is just as correct as ours. So is the interpretation
of your teacher or professor.
Literature is simply not a black or white
situation; instead, there are many gray areas that are open to varying analyses.
Your task is to come up with your own analysis that you can logically defend.
Hopefully, these PinkMonkey® Literature Notes will help you to
accomplish that goal.
Table of Contents | Printable
Version
Copyright ©1997-2000 PinkMonkey.com
www.pinkmonkey.com
All Rights Reserved. Distribution without the written consent of PinkMonkey.com
is prohibited.
Table of Contents | Printable
Version
<- Previous
Page | First Page MonkeyNotes-The
House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne |
|
