what you should know about Nathaniel Hawthorne born in 1804 Nathaniel Hawthorne was a key figure in the American Romantic Movement best known for his novel The Scarlet Letter and His short stories collection twice told Tales which remain a staple in high school and college literature courses American Romanticism was a literary movement that emerged in the 19th century and emphasized emotion individualism and the beauty and power of nature Hawthorne's works are in many respects quintessential works of Romanticism often focused on themes of sin guilt and morality most notably in The Scarlet Letter In The House of the Seven Gables his writings are marked by a deep psychological complexity and a keen understanding of The Human Condition Hawthorne's work is a product of a 19th century New England that was grappling with the cultural Legacy of its Puritan religious founding Hawthorne himself was a descendant of one of the judges who presided over the Salem witch trials consequently he was drawn to themes of human nature guilt and sin but also the darker side of moralism and judgmentalism Hawthorne's most famous work The Scarlet Letter is a novel set in puritan New England it tells the story of Hester prin a woman who conceives a daughter out of wedlock through an affair and is forced to wear a Scarlet a for adulterous on her chest as punishment Hawthorne uses this unique historical setting to explore complex moral and societal questions Hawthorne was also a wildly prolific short story writer his collections twice told tales and mosses from an old Mance include many of his most famous short stories such as Young Goodman Brown and rapachini's daughter Hawthorne however was also at least in his younger years an idealist he was briefly a part of the Brook Farm Community a social utopian experiment in communal living based on transcendentalist principles though he left disillusioned The Experience informed his later works including the satirical novel The blythedale Romance there are few writers with a more profound impact on the development of American literature than Nathaniel Hawthorne authors like Henry James and Hermann Melville were highly influenced by Hawthorne's writing and his nuanced exploration of human nature and morality continues to Captivate readers his works at Classics and essential parts of the American literary canon thanks for watching please like share and subscribe and check out the playlist to see more videos in our great books explained series and follow what you should know about to learn more about everything