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House of the Seven Gables, The

By Buck Schirner, Nathaniel Hawthorne

(25)

| Audio Cassette | 9781590862995

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Book Description

When it was first erected, the House of Seven Gables typified the mechanical Colonel Pyncheon; but it developed through the years until, by Hepzibah's time, it has become humanized and almost organic. The history of the house is thus a record of continuity and change. Hawthorne's The House of the Continue

When it was first erected, the House of Seven Gables typified the mechanical Colonel Pyncheon; but it developed through the years until, by Hepzibah's time, it has become humanized and almost organic. The history of the house is thus a record of continuity and change. Hawthorne's The House of the Seven Gables is a study of guilt and renewal from generation to generation. At the time of the Salem witch trials, the patriarch of the Pyncheons covets the property of a tradesman and manipulates public opinion so as to get Matthew Maule hanged for witchcraft and acquire the land. The dying man's curse on the Pyncheon family comes true generation upon generation and relationships between the families are colored forever by this "original sin." That is, until six generations later when the long-hidden truth is revealed.

The House of the Seven Gables is Hawthorne's most humorous novel, it is also the work in which he is most serious in his devotion to the powers of beauty and imagination and his hatred of economic materialism and Philistinism.

2 Reviews

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  • 1 person find this helpful

    I think this book is overlooked by many. Instead, it's just amazing! The way Hawthorne describes scenes, places and people, the incredible wit and sharpness in his observations, the way he sometimes lingers for pages on a single scene to involve us in the macabre, chilling stillness of it, or to sim ... (continue)

    I think this book is overlooked by many. Instead, it's just amazing! The way Hawthorne describes scenes, places and people, the incredible wit and sharpness in his observations, the way he sometimes lingers for pages on a single scene to involve us in the macabre, chilling stillness of it, or to simply mock a character- is amazing. The characters are so hopeless, gloomy, forlorn, and yet so alive and heroic. I still think of poor old Hepzibah with affection, and I kind of miss her. Highly recommended. I wish I could go see the real house in Salem, which belonged to Hawthorne's relatives, and had only four gables at his time. The seven gables were added back in early 20th century when the house was turned into a museum, and even a cent-shop like the one run by Hepzibah in the novel was built.

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    Valeria said on Mar 3, 2008 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

  • A time capsule

    Wordy, pedantic, familial soap-opera... yes, yes, and yes.

    As much is made of Hawthorne's mastery of the English language, his style doesn't translate to the modern reader terribly well in The House of the Seven Gables. Many reviews here criticize the slow-moving story line, frequent digress ... (continue)

    Wordy, pedantic, familial soap-opera... yes, yes, and yes.

    As much is made of Hawthorne's mastery of the English language, his style doesn't translate to the modern reader terribly well in The House of the Seven Gables. Many reviews here criticize the slow-moving story line, frequent digressions, and over-abundance of adjectives. Be that as it may, it's a wonderful period view of New England society. I, too, found the first half to be difficult going much of the way, but the detailed snapshot of life in the mid-19th century kept me going.

    It's not a horror story, it's a time capsule.

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    Andyberschauer said on Oct 27, 2009 about the Hardcover edition | Add your feedback

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