A superb depiction of a utopian community that cannot survive the individual passions of its members. In language that is suggestive and often erotic, Nathaniel Hawthorne tells a tale of failed possibilities and multiple personal betrayals as he explores the contrasts between what his characters espouse and what they actually experience in an ‘ideal’ community. A theme of unrealized sexual possibilities serves as a counterpoint to the other failures at Blithedale: class and sex distinctions are not eradicated, and communal work on the farm proves personally unrewarding and economically disastrous. Based in part on Hawthorne’s own experiences at Brook Farm, an experimental socialist community, The Blithedale Romance is especially timely in light of renewed interest in self-sufficient and other cooperative societies.
Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Published: 08/25/1983
Series: Penguin Classics
Pages: 260
Weight: 0.45lbs
Size: 7.70h x 5.10w x 0.60d
ISBN: 9780140390285
Language: English
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