The Scarlet Letter 1850-1900

From 1850s

[edit] The First Review

The earliest review of The Scarlet Letter came from the Boston Post March 21, 1850. This was five days after the novel was first released. One of the first things that the review does is classify The Scarlet Letter as a romance novel, The review then goes on to say:

"Hundreds of our readers must already be conversant with this book; and as we were compelled by its attractiveness, to read every word between the covers, it is probable that our praise or blame is a little behind the times, and therefore of small account."

The review also describes the characters as:

"poetical embodiments of the highest, strongest, most tenacious and most inconsistent principles of our nature."

The lack of dialogue in novel leads the reviewer to conclude that this makes the novel a "prose poem," and should be judged by poetical standards. This review largely increased Nathaniel Hawthorne's reputation as a novelist.

Lease, Benjamin. "'The Whole is a Prose Poem': an Early Revew of the Scarlet Letter." American Literature (1972): 128-130

[edit] Holden's Review

In "Holden's Review", The Custom House was found "to be detrop in its present place, however agreeable it may be aparant by itself; and it strikes us that Mr. Hawthorne would be doing himself a good turn by omitting it in the next edition."

This review also agrees that The Scarlet Letter "is a pure romance, and, as a work of art, is as nearly perfect as the story of Cupid and Psyche." The review then goes on to discuss The Custom House's misplacement in the whole of the novel.

Barnes, Daniel R. "Two Reviews of The Scarlet Letter in Holden's Dollar Magazine." American Literature. 1973: 648-652.