Psychoanalytic Readings of Hawthorne’s Romances

While this book may not be able to settle the Hawthorne culture wars, it strives to carefully unpack the difficult, unexpected, and salutary transformations made by each of Hawthorne's romantic protagonists as they encounter and contend with the tragic crises of their unconscious experience. This empathetic approach allows Diamond to offer clear and striking interpretations that underscore the enduring relevance of Hawthorne's work to all who yearn for resolution and liberation in the face of profound and often prolonged moral and spiritual conflicts. --Ariel Clark Silver, President-Elect, Nathaniel Hawthorne Society In this innovative book Dr David Diamond applies his Freudian psychoanalytic understanding to the pivotal emotional transformations major characters undergo in reaction to life crises in Hawthorne's four classic romances. Closely following Hawthorne's narrative, the author provides a new and interesting contribution to the extensive Hawthorne literature by filling in psychological gaps in each of these novels. His clear and concise writing will help both the serious scholar and the general reader gain a greater understanding of these American masterpieces. - Jonathan F. Borus, Stanley Cobb Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, USA Blessedly free of Freudian terminology, Diamond's study carefully and judiciously incorporates Freud's important insights to reveal the motivations underlying the actions of the principal characters in Hawthorne's four major novels. In my view, the individual readings supersede all previous psychological interpretations. Older readers will be surprised, perhaps gratified, to discover that Dimmesdale once again claims central importance in The Scarlet Letter. - Frederick Newberry, Professor Emeritus of American Literature, Duquesne University, USA Dr. Diamond writes extremely well, so the book is highly readable. The greatest strength of the work is its originality. The reader of this study will come away with a new appreciation of Nathaniel Hawthorne's deep understanding of human nature. The book is very definitely a valuable addition to the criticism on Nathaniel Hawthorne's work. I felt as if I understood the The Scarlet Letter better and appreciated it more after reading the chapters devoted to it even though I have read the book many times, taught it for at least forty years, and have published on the novel myself. - Mimosa Stephenson, Professor Emeritus, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, USA The great strength of this study is Diamond's passionate close readings, all of which are informed by a genuine desire to make sense of the Hawthornean text. While articulated in terms of Freudian concepts, Diamond's close attention to how the main characters are presented in the text is sufficiently attentive to detail to be rewarding in itself. -Magnus Ullen, Professor of English, Stockholm University