The Threads of “The Scarlet Letter”: A Study of Hawthorne’s Transformative Art (Newark, Delaware: University of Delaware Press, 2003)

Nathaniel Hawthorne brilliantly adapted his reading for his writing.  This study illuminates Hawthorne’s deft use of three works—Poe’s short story “The Tell-Tale Heart,” James Russell Lowell’s poem “A Legend of Brittany,” and Ebenezer Wheelwright’s novel The Salem Belle—in the elaboration of his masterpiece, The Scarlet Letter.  Greater recognition of Hawthorne’s transformative artistry enables greater understanding of the meaning of his most famous work.

Reviews

 “Were I guilty of a secret crime, I think I would throw up my hands and confess if I learned that Richard Kopley were on the case.  The Threads of The Scarlet Letter is a tour de force of dogged detective work and an exemplary use of meticulous and scrupulous research.”—Leland S. Person, Nathaniel Hawthorne Review

“Among the delights of this book are the myriad intersections of Poe, Hawthorne, Lowell, and Wheelwright in the literary world of antebellum America, with its wide range of aesthetic and intellectual concerns.”—Grace Farrell, Edgar Allan Poe Review