Nathaniel Hawthorne

a cura di I. Bruschi
 
 Set in the 17th century Puritan Boston, it is a classic of American literature.
 Hester Prynne has preceded her husband to Massachusetts, and has had a daughter from an illicit love affair. She is sentenced to wear a scarlet A (adultery) forever. She refuses to reveal her lover’s name but her husband will find out who he is. The ending is rich in dramatic turns of events.
 The Scarlet Letter is a psychological novel which faces themes such as love and hatred, guilt and punishment, rebellion and double-dealing.
 Stimulating inserts about the period and the themes of the novel enrich the book. 
 
 Teacher's Resources available online: Answer Key - Audioscripts - Key to Summing-up Activities.
 
 È un classico della letteratura statunitense, ambientato nella Boston puritana del XVII secolo. Hester Prynne ha preceduto nel Massachusetts l’anziano marito, e ha avuto una figlia da una relazione illegittima. È condannata a portare sul petto la lettera A (adultera). Si rifiuta di rivelare il nome dell’amante, ma il marito riuscirà a scoprirlo. Romanzo psicologico ricco di colpi di scena e personaggi dalle forti tinte.

Chapter 1 – The Punishment

Chapter 2 – Hester and Pearl

&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp Extension: The Puritans’ Way of Life

Chapter 3 – The Leech and His Patient

Chapter 4 – Hester and the Doctor

&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp Extension: The native Americans in Puritan New England

Chapter 5 – A Forest Walk

Chapter 6 – Conclusion

&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp Extension: Superstition and Witchcraft in Puritan New England

Summing-up activities

Glossary

who has strict views on sexual morality, disapproves of most kinds of entertainment and wishes to impose these beliefs on others. The first Puritans of New England, who were among the most radical in the old and new world, certainly disapproved of Christmas celebrations, festivities on Saturday night and banned many forms of entertainment   such as drama   for moral reasons. So people generally think of Puritans as sombre, stubborn5, cold, insensitive, anti-romantic people who were, as a famous American journalist wrote,  desperately afraid that somebody somewhere might have a good time.  However, this image is inaccurate; together with these real or imagined traits of intolerance, stubbornness and self-righteousness6, there is much more to their story. The Puritans, in fact, tried to live their lives as fully as they could. They often wore colourful clothes, danced, and even drank alcohol on occasion. They believed that sex was a blessing from God and that it had to be enjoyed fully, but only within marriage. They had large families. What Puritans opposed was anything that wasted time or resources. For example, they thought gambling7 and card playing were sinful, not because they were evil in themselves but because they wasted time. The Puritans believed that they were absolutely on the right track. However, being human, they could not create the ideal society that John Winthrop, the founder of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, had imagined; still they created a strong, active society that prospered and influenced American behaviour and attitudes much beyond their temporal and geographical boundaries8. 5. stubborn: determined never to change opinion. 6. self-righteousness: strong feeling of being morally good and right. 7. gambling: risk money in playing. 8. boundaries: limits, lines marking an end. The Puritans  arrival in Massachusets in 1630. 

The Leech and His Patient 3  Chapter BEFORE READING 1 The dictionary definition of  leech  is: blood-sucking worm. Which of these characters is the  leech  in the title of this chapter? c c c c 2 3 a. Governor Bellingham b. Arthur Dimmesdale c. Roger Chillingworth d. Reverend Wilson Remorse and the desire for revenge are the two dominating feelings in this chapter. To which characters would you attribute these feelings?   Remorse ..................................................................................................................................   Revenge ................................................................................................................................... Chapter 3 is mainly about the relationship between two men. In the box below is a list of feelings or circumstances which can connect two people. Rewrite them in the table in the two groups indicated. common job/school   curiosity   enmity   envy   friendship   interest   hate   love   remorse   revenge   sympathy   charity POSITIVE NEGATIVE  The Leech and His Patient  (M. H. Foote, 1878) 

Esplora il classico della letteratura statunitense "La lettera scarlatta" con Hester Prynne condannata per adulterio nella Boston puritana delXVII sec

The Scarlet Letter Collana RAINBOWS

Level B1 • Pre-Intermediate - Collana RAINBOWS

The Scarlet Letter

Flowbooks è una piattaforma di distribuzione dedicata al mondo della scuola e dell'università.  Con questa piattaforma di distribuzione, il team di sviluppo Flowbooks  si impegna a soddisfare le esigenze degli utenti digitali, rendendo l'utilizzo accessibile e piacevole.  Entra nella tua area di interesse!

Edisco è una Casa editrice indipendente che opera prevalentemente nel settore educativo.

Edisco

Flowbooks è innovazione didattica a portata di click