The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

THE SCARLET LETTER opens with a long introduction on the book came about. The unidentified narrator was the surveyor of the customhouse in Salem, Massachusetts. In the customhouse’s attic, he discovered a number of documents, one of them were a manuscript that was bundled with a scarlet, gold-embroidered patch of cloth in the shape of an “A.” The manuscript was written by surveyor in the past. It narrated events in great detail that took place around two hundred years before the narrator’s time. When the narrator lost his job at the customs, he decided to write a fictional story based on the events contained in the manuscript. The Scarlet Letter is the fictional story he wrote.

Hawthorne begins The Scarlet Letter with this long introductory essay that served as a preface. This preface though was aimed to accomplish four important tasks: 1). outlines information pertaining to the author’s autobiography, 2). describes the contradiction between the artistic inclination and the commercial setting, 3). defines the romance novel (which Hawthorne is credited for his efforts in refining and mastering the craft), and 4). confirms the basis of the novel by explaining that he had discovered in the Salem Custom House the faded scarlet A and the parchment sheets that contained the historical manuscript on which the novel is based.

Despite its claim, there is no existing serious, scholarly work that supports the idea that Hawthorne ever actually had in his possession such letter or manuscript. This narrative technique, typical of the narrative traditions of his time, serves as a way of giving his story an air of historic authenticity.

Of the American writers from the mid-nineteenth century whose names are still recognized today, the majority are writers of prose narrative, such as Nathaniel Hawthorne. The Scarlet Letter is one the products of prose narrative genre.

The kind of narration employed in The Scarlet Letter is that of an omniscient narrator. Editorial omniscience pertains to an interruption by the narrator to be able to describe a character for a reader, such as the part of the story where the narrator of The Scarlet Letter describes Hester’s relationship to the Puritan community. Narration that enables the characters’ actions and thoughts to speak for themselves is termed neutral omniscience. A number of modern writers use neutral omniscience to enable readers to arrive at their own conclusions.

Limited omniscience happens when an author confines the role of the narrator to the single viewpoint of either a major or minor character. The way people, places, and events are seen by the character is the way they are seen by the reader. Sometimes a limited omniscient narrator can be use in more than one character, specifically in a work that dwells on two characters interchangeably from one chapter to the next. Short stories, however, are often limited to a single character’s point of view.

Hawthorne organizes the story of Hester and Minister Dimmesdale around three vital scenes, each of these scenes occur on the scaffold outside the prison in Boston. Each is used to reveal some important information about his hero and heroine. All throughout the novel, the author balances his narrative among scenes describing the career of Hester among the villagers, the growing agony felt by Dimmesdale over his secret sin, and the subtle efforts of Chillingworth to uncover his wife's lover.

Brief History of Narratives

Literary narratives appeared in the 1850’s. It seemed to be the means authors used to counter the pressing issues of the day - a political crisis over slavery, which threatened the nation’s existence and produced a compromise meant to suppress the controversy. At this moment, Hawthorne emphasized certain elements present in their own earlier writings and in those of Poe and set their work apart from national narrative. The “Custom-House” introduction to Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter shows an attempt by author to detach himself from national concerns.

It presented a startling contrast not only to national narrative but also to local and personal narratives, both of which addressed and reflected the concerns of everyday public life, the literary narrative of The Scarlet Letter deviates from the conventional narratives to be able to cultivate a freely imaginative space.

Through the irony of Hawthorne works of literary narrative, it does not only differ from but also appears to rise above and, indirectly, to criticize the common life. Yet their critical authority was based on the fact that it was limited to influential audiences, mysterious topics, and indirect methods. The potential triumph of creating a “different world” through writing was often viewed by the authors themselves as boringly recurring, lonely labor. The moment in which the “literary” writer was transformed into an “artist” marks a crisis in the relation of narrative to its readers, for the work of the artist was understood to draw its main worth from its personal relation to the writer’s self.

Narrative technique: Romance versus Novel

Jonathan Arac (714) in his “Narrative Forms” stated:

“Hawthorne, in his longer works, maintains an extremely high proportion of narration to dialogue, while at the same time abandoning most of the materials—that is, the actions— of traditional narration…. Hawthorne defined the special ‘medium’ of the romance writer as ‘moonlight, in a familiar room’ …. The key figure in Hawthorne’s long narratives, in keeping with his theatricality, is the ‘sensitive spectator’ … another of the bridging devices by which Hawthorne’s romances function….

In an Emersonian movement of compensation, the sensitive spectator responds to the absent and contrary features of a face or context, feeling the pain in bravery and the triumph in humility that together make Hester a reconciliation of opposites, embodying the power Coleridge had attributed to the imagination.”

Narrative persona: “The Custom-House”

What is the purpose of the Introductory section? This question is effectively addressed by Jonathan Arac (711):

“ This interdependence of romance and everyday marks the relation of “The Custom-House to “The Scarlet Letter”, that is, of the introductory sketch of modern life to the long tale of seventeenth century with which it shares a book.… it offers to prove the ‘authenticity’ of the narrative, but it does so by invoking ‘literary propriety’, an appeal to convention rather than a warrant of authenticity. By taking possession through “The Custom-House” of the (physical) scarlet letter as his property, the author of “The Custom-House” personalizes the narrative.

There are many correspondences between the authorial figure of “The Custom-House” and the characters of “The Scarlet Letter”. Both Hester in the tale’s opening and Hawthorne in the sketch are subjected to disapproval by an imagined crowd of Puritan authorities. Both Dimmesdale in the tale and Hawthorne in the sketch are split by a passionate inner life that is wholly at odds with their ‘official’ public position.

Both Chillingworth in the tale and Hawthorne in the sketch display prowess as critical analysts of character….A recurrent mood of “The Custom-House” … is harried dejection…. Consider a major rhetorical motif in “The Custom-House”, the insistence that the gloom of “The Scarlet Letter” stems in part from an act of revolutionary victimization…. The sketches of ‘official’ character that occupy Hawthorne in the avowedly antipolitical literary practice of “The Custom-House” correspond to his occupation during his maximal political involvement…”

Igor Stravinsky - Symphony of Psalms

It is not a symphony in which I have included Psalms to be sung. On the contrary, it is the singing of the Psalms that I am symphonizing.' --- Igor Stravinsky

Biography

Igor Fedorovich Stravinsky was born and raised at Oranienbaum on the Gulf of Finland on 5 June 1882 (O.S.) or 17 June (N.S.). His father wanted him to pursue law so he enrolled in the course. The strong attraction to music though took him back to his roots. He composed piano pieces. His musical abilities were further honed through the able guidance of Rimsky-Korsakov, one of the famed Russian Five.

Stravinsky befriended Rimsky-Korsakov's son. He spent a lot of his time composing on his own. At that time he was taking private lessons in harmony and planned to enroll in the Russian Conservatory. Fate decided to step in when he met Rimsky-Korsakov, the head of the Conservatory. Never the one to withhold help to a true artist and seeing the promise the young man showed, Rimsky-Korsakov volunteered to teach Stravinsky himself. Stravinsky, of course, jumped at the rare opportunity.

At the conservatory, Rimsky-Korsakov required his students to perform their works. Stravinsky chose his composition called Fireworks. His music caught the attention and impressed Sergei Diaghilev. He believed Stravinsky would be the ideal person to

compose ballet music for his Russian Ballet. Diaghilev commissioned his three famous works The Firebird, Petrushka, The Rite of Spring.
When war broke out, Stravinsky and his family left for Switzerland. When the war ended, he realized he was too far from the important music centers in Europe. In 1920, he moved to France.

The French Composer in France

Diaghilev passed away on 19 August 1929 leading to the disbandment of the Russian Ballet. Stravinsky felt disassociated to his native land due to this. He had not step foot in Russia for the past fifteen years since he left in 1914. He managed to become one of the leading musical figures in France though. Besides, Diaghilev's troupe was based in Paris, and most of Stravinsky's works had their premières in Paris.

Despite his popularity in France, he felt unappreciated. He was commissioned to compose only one work called Persephone which was to be presented in France under Ida Rubinstein and her company. The Americans and the Germans showed more interest in his works than French. He received positive reviews on his compositions from the former countries compared to France.

Success in Europe

Stravinsky played the solo part of his composition Capriccio on its first performance at the Salle Pleyel, Paris, on 6 December 1929. It received much acclaim. The demand for his services grew quickly. The next five years saw Stravinsky performing in a number of Europe's key cities.

It was during this time of his where his works met much success and acclaim that he was commissioned by his dear friend Koussevitzky, who became the permanent conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, to compose a symphonic work to mark their fiftieth concert season in 1930. He composed the Symphony of Psalms.

Symphony of Psalms

Symphony of Psalms was the product of Stravinsky’s efforts in his bid to attend to his friend Serge Kussevitzsky’s request for a symphony that would honor the fiftieth anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1930. Stravinsky’s dramatic works Oedipus Rex and Apollo paved the way for Symphony of Psalms. The former works were similar to his religious works in their splendor and musical composition even though pagan in subject matter.

The dedication to the Boston Orchestra was: "Cette Symphonie composée à la glorie de Dieu...". Stravinsky's faith was in full bloom when he wrote the Symphony of Psalms. This was attested by the fact that he was a regular communicant of the Orthodox Church in 1926.

The Symphony of Psalms was wrenched from the author’s soul. It represented his efforts to explicitly express his faith and desire to pay tribute to God. The resulting effect was a highly dramatic work that evoked man’s inner longings for the everlasting arms of God. The fact that he was a pious believer did not imply that the work should be viewed as a personal confession of faith. Symphony of Psalms is the projection of Stravinsky's own faith which typifies the faith of a devoted congregation. Because of that, Symphony of Psalms never lost its sense of drama.

In the Symphony of Psalms, Stravinsky used three of David's Psalms, in the Latin version of the Vulgate. He presents them in consonance with the spirit exhibited in the Old Testament. Before Christ came and earned salvation for men, man's relation to God, as shown in the sacred Mosaic texts, is incomplete. The grace which comes from God can only be won for the Christians through the Redeemer, Jesus Christ. But even under such circumstances, attaining grace is still possible at certain very special moments.

It is only on such occasions of perfect grace that faith enables to help us get rid of all the problems of existence, to dissolve the dramatic tensions of human life, and to calm the turmoil of the spirit. In the absence of grace, faith is only able to offer us consolation as it grants prayer and invocation, thus giving us deeper awareness on the emotional level where the dramatic tone of alternate struggle and passivity of the Old Testament and the pain and suffering of life are real and common.

Stravinsky wrote the third movement first, which is dated April 27, 1930 where an inscription, `a week after Ascension,' is found. The first movement was finished on August 15th, `Assumption Day in the Roman Church'. The second movement was finished on July 17. Stravinsky attached `a drawing of the Crucifixion' into his sketchbook, and wrote on it the following: `Adveniat regnum tuum'; and in an interview in May 1930 he stated that `the more one separates oneself from the canons of the Christian Church, the further one distances oneself from the truth,' but also `the overflowing of the framework in art testifies to a lack of internal discipline, which weakens the work.'

Form

Stravinsky did not intend to imitate the standard nineteenth century symphony, comprised of four distinct movements. Even before Symphony of Psalms, he was able to produce a special symphonic form for the Symphonies of Wind Instruments whereby several periodic episodes were connected to form a single movement. His wanted the Symphony of Psalms to be an original symphonic work performed on a grandiose scale without adhering to conventions.

He wanted `to create an organic whole without conforming to the various models adopted by custom, but still retaining the periodic order by which the symphony is distinguished from the suite' (Craft, Chronology of a Friendship).

When Stravinsky called his previous work Symphonies of Wind Instruments instead of Symphonies for Wind Instruments, he actually meant to emphasize the initial meaning of the word symphony, which is to bring together various instruments to produce a single. The symphony later pertains to a four-movement work with a particular structure. This is also apparent in his work Symphony in Three Movements.

Symphony of Psalms is actually comprised of three movements, but there is no gap or abrupt change in each movement, which follow one upon the other. He stressed that `it is not a symphony on which I have included Psalms to be sung. On the contrary, it is the singing of the Psalms that I am symphonizing' which was apparent in the way he treated the voices, like the way he treated the orchestra musically.

Gabriel Paichadze, his publisher, asked him to produce orchestral piece that does not have chorus, `....something popular': but Stravinsky wanted a psalm symphony for a long time which he kept to himself and he insisted on doing just that (Craft, Dialogues).

He wanted the work to present extensive contrapuntal development, and in order to carry out what he had in mind, he chose `a choral and instrumental ensemble in which the two elements should be on an equal footing, neither of them outweighing the other' (Craft, Chronology). For his text, he chose from the Vulgate verses 13 and 14 of Psalm 38, verses 2, 3 and 4 of Psalm 39, and the whole of Psalm 150. He prefaced the score with the instruction that the words should be sung in Latin all the time.

Analysis

Symphony of Psalms first movement is intended to be a Prelude to the Double Fugue of the second movement. It starts with arabesque appregios in the woodwind interspersed with a number of chords of E minor. The strings are then used then enter replaced by the altos.

The three movements which comprise the Symphony of Psalms do not pause between them. Symphony is used to refer to an assembly of musical strands and does not denote any particular form. The fundamental structure of the music is not to be associated with the `sonata form'; the first movement is a Prelude, and the second a Double

Fugue for voices and instruments. The theme of the instrumental Fugue is communicated by the oboe and then demonstrated by the flute. Oboes and flute also play the first development of the Fugue, which sounded like a soft organ.

Contrasting musical motifs pave the way for the eloquence of the third movement. Unlike traditional final movements that are composed during Stravinsky’s time spanning the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the Alleluia does not project a sense of triumph that is captured at the beginning of the movement. Instead one gets a feel of relief in the motif, emphasized by a crescendo and followed immediately by decrescendo.

Addendum

What I liked most in my class is tackling the works of the famous composers especially those that I admire. It offers me a glimpse of their lives and what contributed to their greatness. I feel my musical experience has grown during the semester. It made me appreciate music more.

“Shays’ Rebellion"

Shays' Rebellion pertains to the armed revolt in western Massachusetts from 1786 to 1787. Shays’ rebellion is characterized as a political battle of armed protesters. The rebellion was led by Daniel P. Shays, a veteran of the American Revolutionary War, hence their name Shaysites (or “Regulators”) rebels derived from its leader. The Shaysites were comprised of disgruntled small farmers whose protests were fueled by huge debts and taxes. In order to meet their debts, many small farmers had to sell their land at a price lower than one-third of the prevailing fair market price to eastern Massachusetts real estate speculators. It led to extreme poverty for families that sold their land. It also meant the loss of their right to vote since this right was associated with land ownership.

Furthermore, rewriting of credit schemes which were allowed at Massachusetts at that period was strongly opposed by the wealthy and influential people such as Governor James Bowdoin. The punishment for inability to pay debts was often imprisonment. The farmers believed that the punishment did not fit the crime. It was seen as unfair treatment of the wealthy to the poor. The perceived injustice became the battle cry of the Shaysites.

The rebellion commenced on August 29, 1786. Initial protests were initially peaceful. A Massachusetts militia scored the victory against the weakened Shaysite forces on February 3, 1787. The cause Shaysite fought for however served as the impetus that formed the Constitutional Convention in May, 1787. One of the pressing issues tackled in the convention was the reevaluation of the Articles of Confederation due to its apparent lack when it comes to institutional response to the revolt.

Eventually the forces behind the rebellion were dissipated due to the growing economy and the elections that replaced the incumbent powers with individuals supportive to the rebellion. These elections, despite the prohibition, involved many of Shays' followers.

The Utopia Reader

The Utopia Reader as edited By Gregory Claeys and Lyman Tower Sargent.

The Utopia Reader edited By Gregory Claeys and Lyman Tower Sargent tackles the Utopian literature – from the earliest stages to the present. Utopia Reader is a single-volume anthology spanning the whole gamut of utopian writing. The book provides an overview of the history of utopianisms through well known texts at the same time the little known but usually engaging selections.

Utopian Reader is a series of skilful, stimulating essays about historical and philosophical utopias. It also presents a superb compilation of illustrations and photos tracing the annals of utopia as far back as Plato. What makes it a cut above the rest is the broad range of disciplines, works and forces that are identified as utopic.

The book stretched as far back as before Thomas More’s “Utopia” then tackled Edward Bellamy’ “Looking Backward: 2000-1887,” Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World”, Hesiod’s “Works and Days” to George Orwell’s “Nineteen Eighty-Four”.

The Nineteenth Century Utopia is different from the rest of the section because it starts with the historical account of American communal utopias such as the Shakers, the Amana community, and Oneida. These communities were patterned on the ideals of utopianism.

Shakers, or United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, are the most enduring and successful of the many Utopian communities established in America in the 18th and 19th centuries. The first Shakers, led by Ann Lee, came to America from Manchester, England, in 1774. They established the foundation for a sect near Albany, New York, which has endured for more than 220 years. Shakers were united by their shared faith and a commitment to common property, celibacy, confession of sins, equality of men and women, pacificism and separation from the world.

Amanas left Germany in 1842, settling near Buffalo, New York to seek religious freedom. In 1855, the “Community of True Inspiration” moved west, forming their first village along the Iowa River. All land and buildings were owned by the community; families were assigned living quarters, and each person over school age worked at assigned tasks in the kitchens, fields, factories or shops. In 1932, the people voted to end the communal way of life.

Oneida Perfectionists was a religious utopian community founded by John Humphrey Noyes. They adopted a system of communism “included all property of family living and associations” as a way to live. Two years later, the community adopted Noyes’ teachings of “Mutual Criticism,” “Complex Marriage” marriage or pentagamy, where every male was declared married to every female (and vice versa) in 1879 and “Male Continence” where a “couple would engage in sexual congress without the man ever ejaculating, either during intercourse or after withdrawal.”

After discussing the utopian theories behind the three communities, the topic shifts to the writings of Butler, Bellamy, Marx, Engels and others.

Edward Bellamy was an American author, most famous for his utopian novel which was set in the year 2000 called Looking Backward. The novel waspublished in 1888.

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels co-authored the famous piece The Communist Manifesto in 1848. The pamphlet was based on Engels’ The Principles of Communism. The 12,000-word pamphlet was finished in six weeks. It aimed to make communism understandable to a wide audience. It was named The Communist Manifesto and was published in February 1848. Engels also edited several volumes of Das Kapital after Marx’s death.

Utopia Reader presents an extensive and substantial introduction to the utopian works, starting classics to our recent, contemporary times. It provides various essays and derives excerpts from the original texts. The editors’ commentary does not provide analysis to the work rather it provided sketchy historical and biographical background on the work and author.

Despite its broadness of scope, the collection however does not feature the works of authors that tackles utopianism in the context of science fiction. Among such sci-fi utopian authors include: Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451,” Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale, “Ursula K. Le Guin’s “The Dispossessed” and Anthony Burgess’ “A Clockwork Orange”. Still, it does not diminish the fact that despite its limitation, Utopia Reader provides the most comprehensive introduction to the utopian tradition.

The quest for utopia or the perfect place has captured man’s fertile imagination for centuries. Perhaps the biblical account of the Garden of Eden must have spurred such quests. Through the years the ideas have evolved and grown such as finding utopia in the high-tech Biosphere. Utopia Reader presents an interesting chronology on the evolution of utopia. If making the world a better place is what interests you, this book will offer helpful insights. Beyond that, it also provides a compelling read. A perfect package fit for the idealism it preaches.

Bookstove :: Gwendolyn Cuizon

Collections of book reviews I published elsewhere in the web. Do check it out: Bookstove :: Gwendolyn Cuizon  and Embody Greatness.