Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    A Study Guide for Nathaniel Hawthorne's The House of the Seven Gables
    A Study Guide for Nathaniel Hawthorne's The House of the Seven Gables
    A Study Guide for Nathaniel Hawthorne's The House of the Seven Gables
    Ebook56 pages30 minutes

    A Study Guide for Nathaniel Hawthorne's The House of the Seven Gables

    By Gale and Cengage

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    A Study Guide for Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The House of the Seven Gables," excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Novels for Students.This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Novels for Students for all of your research needs.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherCengage Learning - Gale
    Release dateSep 8, 2015
    ISBN9781535837453
    A Study Guide for Nathaniel Hawthorne's The House of the Seven Gables

    Read more from Gale

    Related to A Study Guide for Nathaniel Hawthorne's The House of the Seven Gables

    Related ebooks

    Teaching Methods & Materials For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Chasing The American Dream

      Oct 27, 2022

      Chasing The American Dream
      2 min read

    • Article

      Emily, Rewritten

      Jan 6, 2023

      The most mysterious member of the Brontë family, Emily Brontë died on 19 December 1848 at the young age of 30, leaving just one novel, Wuthering Heights, and a collection of poetry as her legacy. Yet, she is still recognised as one of the world’s gre

      3 min read

    • Article

      Don’t Print the Legend

      Sep 25, 2018

      Don’t Print the Legend
      11 min read

    • Article

      Saturday, July 30

      Jul 21, 2022

      Saturday, July 30
      1 min read

    • Article

      With Spotlight On Sunisa Lee, A Moment Of Pride For Hmong Americans

      Aug 2, 2021

      Sunisa Lee’s Olympic gold makes her the fifth U.S. woman in a row to win the all-around. She also represents an important “first” for Hmong Americans.

      4 min read

    • Article

      Shakespeare And Women

      Apr 15, 2021

      Shakespeare And Women
      2 min read

    • Article

      A Tale Of Two Convicts

      May 2, 2017

      A Tale Of Two Convicts
      9 min read

    • Article

      Your LETTERS

      Aug 13, 2021

      Your LETTERS
      7 min read

    • Article

      Thomas Wolfe Memorial

      Aug 13, 2019

      Thomas Wolfe Memorial
      5 min read

    • Article

      Second Chances

      Apr 10, 2022

      Second Chances
      3 min read

    • Article

      The Shelley Mysteries

      Sep 8, 2022

      The Shelley Mysteries
      18 min read

    • Article

      What’s So Great About Jane?

      Mar 26, 2020

      What’s So Great About Jane?
      3 min read

    • Article

      Tenor Of The Times

      Aug 7, 2022

      Tenor Of The Times
      4 min read

    • Article

      Last Chance For A Summer Fling: The 10 Best Books Of August 2020

      Aug 24, 2020

      An impressive stable of imaginative fiction, insightful memoir, and illuminating history rounds out our list of best new books for August 2020.

      2 min read

    • Article

      Science Fiction And Fantasy

      Mar 23, 2023

      Jacob Kerr Serpent’s Tail 2022 Hb, 212pp, £14.99, ISBN 9781800811492 Strange, disturbing, sometimes disorientating and more than a bit scary, with strong mythological elements, The Green Man of Eshwood Hall is the essence of folk horror. Izzy is 13;

      4 min read

    • Article

      The Enchanted Hill

      Sep 1, 2023

      The Enchanted Hill
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Forgotten Brontë Sister

      Jan 15, 2020

      The Forgotten Brontë Sister
      4 min read

    • Article

      Great Read

      Sep 8, 2021

      Great Read
      5 min read

    • Article

      Great Read

      Nov 2, 2022

      Great Read
      7 min read

    • Article

      Lethal Intrigue

      Mar 15, 2020

      Lethal Intrigue
      12 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for A Study Guide for Nathaniel Hawthorne's The House of the Seven Gables

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      A Study Guide for Nathaniel Hawthorne's The House of the Seven Gables - Gale

      1

      The House of the Seven Gables

      Nathaniel Hawthorne

      1851

      Introduction

      The House of the Seven Gables, published in 1851 by the notable Boston publisher Ticknor, Reed & Fields, is Nathaniel Hawthorne's third novel. Some of the novel's themes can be found in his previous writings, specifically in Legends of the Province House (1830s) and Peter Goldthwaite's Treasure (also written in the 1830s). In both of these tales, as in The House of the Seven Gables, Hawthorne explores issues of class and the pursuit of wealth against the backdrop of decaying residences. Interestingly, in terms of plot, The House of the Seven Gables reflects actual events in Hawthorne's life and his family's history. He came from a long history of privilege in New England, yet faced poverty following the death of his father. Some critics have drawn parallels between Hepzibah's reticence to open the cent-shop and Hawthorne's own angst about publishing his writing. Further, Hawthorne's great-grandfather, John Hathorne (as the family's name was then spelled), was one of three judges who presided over the witchcraft trials of 1692. Like Colonel Pyncheon, John Hathorne played a role (a direct one in fact) in putting people to death for alleged witchcraft practices. Some writers have commented on Hawthorne's interest in the legacy of past family sins, which is a central theme in The House of the Seven Gables, because of his great-grandfather's involvement in the death of twenty wrongfully accused people. In the end, the characters in The House of the Seven Gables appear to be freed from the curse that has haunted their families for centuries. Though some speculate that

      Hawthorne forced a happy ending to this work to satisfy his publisher, and ultimately his readers, perhaps Hawthorne himself believed in the possibility that people have the ability to escape their pasts.

      Author Biography

      Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts on July 4, 1804 to an esteemed family headed by Nathaniel Hathorne and his wife, Elizabeth Manning (The author added the W to his name later in life). Hawthorne had two sisters (one older and one younger), and after his father's death of yellow fever in Surinam in 1808, the family lived for ten years with his mother's side of the family. Hawthorne and his immediate family lived in the third story of a house that was also home to his grandparents and eight unwed aunts and uncles. In 1818, his mother moved the family to Raymond, Maine, where they lived in the home that Hawthorne's Uncle Richard built in anticipation of making Maine the new center for the Manning family.

      Hawthorne attended Bowdoin College and, following his graduation in 1825, returned to the Manning house in Salem to pursue his writing. In 1828, Hawthorne anonymously self-published his first novel, Fanshawe, which was a resounding failure. He remained in Salem until 1836, when he moved to Boston and worked as an editor of American Magazine of Useful and Entertaining Knowledge and later as the editor of Peter Parley's Universal History on the Basis of Geography. In 1837, Hawthorne published his first collection of stories, Twice-Told Tales, which launched his literary career. In 1837, he also met his wife-to-be, Sophia Peabody. The couple married in 1842 and had three children: Una, Julian, and Rose.

      Despite his growing notoriety, Hawthorne was forced to pursue alternative means of supporting his family. In 1842, he took his first political appointment with the Boston Customhouse. In 1846, Hawthorne became the surveyor of the Salem Customhouse. During this time, Hawthorne published his second book of stories, Mosses from an Old Manse. When Zachary Taylor took the presidency in 1849, Hawthorne lost his appointment in Salem and again turned to writing. He published The Scarlet Letter,

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1