Después del éxito obtenido por El libro de las maravillas, Nathaniel Hawthorne recibió de sus editores la propuesta de escribir una nueva serie de cuentos infantiles basados en la mitología griega. Y de este encargo, que el autor acometió con gran ilusión, surgieron estos Cuentos de Tanglewood en 1853. En ellos recreó con su peculiar humor y sentido épico seis nuevas historias: el reencuentro de Teseo con su padre y su lucha con el Minotauro.
Here are the best of Hawthorne's short stories. There are twenty-four of them -- not only the most familiar, but also many that are virtually unknown to the average reader. The selection was made by Professor Newton Arvin of Smith College, a recognized authority on Hawthorne and a distinguished literary critic as well. His fine introduction admirably interprets Hawthorne's mind and art.
"Penguin Readers" is a series of simplified novels, film novelizations and original titles that introduce students at all levels to the pleasures of reading in English. Originally designed for teaching English as a foreign language, the series' combination of high interest level and low reading age makes it suitable for both English-speaking teenagers with limited reading skills and students of English as a second language. Many titles in the series also provide access to the pre-20th century literature strands of the National Curriculum English Orders.;"Penguin Readers" are graded at seven levels of difficulty, from "Easystarts" with a 200-word vocabulary, to Level 6 (Advanced) with a 3000-word vocabulary. In addition, titles fall into one of three sub-categories: "Contemporary", "Classics" or "Originals". At the end of each book there is a section of enjoyable exercises focusing on vocabulary building, comprehension, discussion and writing.;Some titles in the series are available with an accompanying audio cassette, or in a book and cassette pack. Additionally, selected titles have free accompanying "Penguin Readers Factsheets" which provide stimulating exercise material for students, as well as suggestions for teachers on how to exploit the Readers in class.
Nathaniel Hawthorne és, sens dubte, un delsiniciadors més rellevants del conte modern. Nascut a Estats Units a començaments del s. XX, va articular la seva literatura allunyat dels corrents literaris del seu temps, amb uns contes admirables que parteixen de situacions al limit entre limaginari i el real. Contundent i amb una saviesa narrativa insolita va encetar camins seguits mes tard pels mestres del genere. Amb narracions com Wakefield (que obre el present llibre) prefigura, en paraules de Borges, el mon de Herman Melville o el de Kafka. Mort Hawthornesegueix Borges, els altres escriptors van heretar la seva manera de somiar. Edgar Allan Poe, que va mostrar sempre per Hawthorne la devocio deguda al mestre admirable, deia que el senyor Hawthorne es original en tots els sentits, per acabar afirmant que te lestil mes pur, el gust mes fi, la millor erudicio, lhumor mes delicat, el dramatisme mes commovedor, la imaginacio mes radiant i lenginy mes consumat.
Choice collection of masterly short fiction. In addition to title story: "The Birthmark," "Rappaccini's Daughter," "Roger Malvin's Burial," "The Artist of the Beautiful," "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment," and "My Kinsman, Major Molineux."
A stark and allegorical tale of adultery, guilt, and social repression in Puritan New England, The Scarlet Letter is a foundational work of American literature. Nathaniel Hawthorne's exploration of the dichotomy between the public and private self, internal passion and external convention, gives us the unforgettable Hester Prynne, who discovers strength in the face of ostracism and emerges as a heroine ahead of her time.
La situació que Hawthorne ha retratat en aquesta novel·la és la fi d’una vella estirp de la Nova Anglaterra, ens diu Henry James comentant La casa de les set teulades. I afegeix: «Hawthorne ha estat
Hepzibah Pyncheon leads a sad, lonely life in the family home. Then her young niece, Phoebe, arrives, and also Hepzibah's brother Clifford. But where has Clifford been for so many years? Is there a connection between his absence and Matthew Maule's curse on the family and on the house? Can the Pyncheons ever know peace again? Nathaniel Hawthorne (1806-1864) is a famous American writer of novels and short stories, whose books are mainly concerned with subjects such as sin and punishment.
Ambientada en la Nueva Inglaterra de los puritanos del siglo XVII, La letra Escarlata narra el terrible impacto que un simple acto de pasión desencadena en las vidas de tres mienbros de la comunidad : Hester Prynne, una mujer de espíritu libre e independiente, objeto del escarnio público; el reverendo Dimmesdale, un alma atormentada por la culpa, aunque digno de la estima general, y Chillingworth, un ser siniestro, cruel y vengativo, que maquina en la sombra.
