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Overview
Edited and introduced by Yale University professor and distinguished literary critic Harold Bloom, Bloom's Guides are comprehensive study guides for both students and adults. Emphasizing summary and analysis, these volumes are designed to provide the necessary materials with which readers can gain a better understanding of the most widely read works in Western literature.
Key Features
Introductions by renowned critic Harold Bloom consider each work and its significance.
Brief Biographical sketches offer insight into each author's life.
"The Story Behind the Story" details the circumstances surrounding the inception and development of the work.
Summaries with analysis review and explain key points of each work.
Selections from critical essays written by leading scholars provide accessible explorations of the work.
Annotated bibliographies direct readers to additional materials on the subject and explain the importance of each.
Essential for any student of literature looking to enhance his or her reading experience, Bloom's Guides are highly useful for test preparation, independent scholarship, or book group discussions.
Synopsis
An allegorical tale of passion, adultery, guilt, and social repression, Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter introduces readers to Hester Prynne, America's first great fictional heroine. Hawthorne's story is a masterpiece of American literature, and this updated volume explores how the author powerfully conveys the theme of the influence of Puritanism on societal attitudes.