Romanticism in Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown, The Birthmark, and Rapp

Romanticism in Young Goodman Br possess, The Birth-Mark, and Rappaccinis Daughter Nathaniel Hawthorne gives his own commentary of romanticism in the preface to The family line of Seven Gables. concord to Hawthorne, the generator of a mash may claim a authoritative latitude and may deepen and enrich the shadows of the picture, as long as he does not swerve aside from the truth of the human heart. The writer of a romance will be wise...to mingle the Marvelous as long as he does it to a slight, however if he disregards this caution, he will not be committing a literary crime (Hawthorne, House of Seven Gables, preface). Nathaniel Hawthorne consistently stays true to his standards of romanticism. The application of these standards is most riotous and lucid in Young Goodman Brown, The Birth-Mark, and Rappaccinis Daughter. The chief difference between a novel and a romance as defined by Hawthorne, and in general, is that the writer of novel must stick to reality, whereas the write r a of romance, Hawthorne in this case, may claim a certain latitude (T.H.O.S.G., preface). This latitude is expressed in Rappaccinis Daughter, ...Dew-drops that hung upon leaf and blossom, and, while giving a brighter beauty to to each one rare flower, brought everything in the limits of an ordinary experience (Hawthorne, Rappaccinis Daughter 655). Although a life-size portion of the story is spent on describing the vegetation that grow in the garden, Hawthorne symbolizes the flowers as dark and mysterious, not realistic. Hawthornes use of exaggeration is seen more keenly in The Birth-Mark. Hawthorne exaggerates this birthmark to mythical proportions, dreadful Hand or rubicund Hand is how he refers to Georgianas birth-mark.... ...ed that to be successful. Although, it is possible to write a romance without referring to the supernatural, and certainly many have done so, its the Marvelous, that keeps one coming foul for more. In all three stories, Hawthorne refers to the Marvel ous, thus remaining true to his definition of romanticism. One may ponder if Hawthornes definition of romanticism, as defined in the preface to the House of Seven Gables, was written for that certain work or if his definition of romanticism applies to all his work. As the three works study show, he follows his definition of romanticism throughout his work. Hawthorne succeeds at setting enamour standards for romanticism and then applying them in his work. Thus, he is remembered as one of the sterling(prenominal) Romantic authors of all time, both by his definition of romanticism and ours. (1057)