Nathaniel Hawthorne's personal family history, his boyhood in the Salem area of New England, and his reading of
works about New England's Puritan era influenced his choice of witch and Devil lore as fictional material. The witchcraft trials in Salem were evidence (in Hawthorne's interpretation) of the errors of judgment and popular belief which are ever-present in the human race. He considered the witch and Devil doctrine of the seventeenth century to be indicative of the superstition, fear, and hatred which governs the lives of men even in later centuries. From the excesses of the witch-hunt period of New England history Hawthorne felt moral lessons could be derived.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:unt.edu/info:ark/67531/metadc131343 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | Robb, Kathleen A. |
| Contributors | Kesterson, David B., 1938-, Miller, Lee W., Detrick, Robert |
| Publisher | North Texas State University |
| Source Sets | University of North Texas |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | 3, v, 118 leaves, Text |
| Rights | Public, Copyright, Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved., Robb, Kathleen A. |
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