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Hawthorne at Salem

Scholars' Forum - Hawthorne in Salem

Scholars' Forum

Welcome to the Scholars' Forum

Front Cover of <I>The Democratic Review</I>, January, 1838
Front Cover of The Democratic Review, January, 1838 (courtesy of Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA)		  

This section features complete papers, articles, and lectures on Hawthorne and his world by Hawthorne scholars, college and university faculty, and graduate students.

Scroll down this page to see a list of all papers, articles, and lectures grouped by topic and author. You may click on a topic or author to see papers, articles, and/or lectures related to that topic.

Papers, articles, and lectures are also listed under the particular area, topic, and subtopic. After you click on an area (e.g., Literature), topic (e.g. The Custom House Sketch), and subtopic (e.g., Fact and Fantasy), click on "Scholars' Forum" in the Resources list and you can read papers, articles, and lectures related to that subtopic 
 

Special Features

  1. In some cases lectures are available in audio as well as text format. If this is the case, an audio icon will appear in the upper right-hand corner of the text-version of the lecture. Click on the icon to hear the audio.
  2. To read biographical notes on the author, click on the picture (if included) or on the name of the author.

A list of papers presented at the Hawthorne Society Bicentennial Conference in Salem, MA in July, 2004 (listed alphabetically by author).

Dr. Dominique Régis Claisse, Université de Valenciennes, France , "The Missing Mother in The House of the Seven Gables - A study in Feminine Nature," paper delivered at the conference of the Nathaniel Hawthorne Society, celebrating the Hawthorne bicentennial in Salem, MA, July 1-4

Dr. Clark Davis, Dept. of English, University of Denver, "Reading and Respect: Hawthorne as Stranger," paper delivered at the conference of the Nathaniel Hawthorne Society, celebrating the Hawthorne bicentennial in Salem, MA, July 1-4

Dr. John L. Idol, Jr., Professor emeritus, Clemson University: "Villain, Goad, or Something Else: Chillingworth as Depicted by Hawthorne and Christopher Bigby," paper delivered on July 1, 2004.

Dr. Albert Keith Whitaker, Boston College, "Neoconservative Nathaniel: Bioethics and 'The Birth-Mark'", paper delivered on July 1, 2004.

Lectures and Articles Listed Alphabetically by Author

Arner, Robert D. "The Story Of Hannah Duston: Cotton Mather To Thoreau," American Transcendental Quarterly, 18 (1973). 19-23.
Atkinson, Jay. Author and lecturer at Boston University. You Tube video in which Atkinson talks about his book Massacre on the Merrimack: Hannah Duston’s Captivity and Revenge in Colonial America at North Shore Community College, 20 April, 2017.
Baker, Emerson W. Salem State University. "Using Material Culture to Teach History and Literature." Lecture delivered at The House of the Seven Gables Historic Site on September 22, 2000.
Baker, Emerson W. and James Kences. "Maine, Indian Land Speculation, and the Essex County Witchcraft Outbreak of 1692," article from Maine History, volume 40, number 3, Fall 2001 (pp. 159-189).
Bense, James. Department of English, Minnesota State University Moorhead, MN. "Hawthorne's Repudiation of His Autobiographical Self in Our Old Home." Paper delivered at the American Literature Association Conference on May 24, 2003.
Carrez, Stephanie. France. "Symbol and Interpretation in The Scarlet Letter." Paper delivered at the conference of the Nathaniel Hawthorne Society, celebrating the Hawthorne bicentennial in Salem, MA, July 1-4
Claisse, Dominique Régis. Université de Valenciennes, France. "The Missing Mother in The House of the Seven Gables - A study in Feminine Nature." Paper delivered at the conference of the Nathaniel Hawthorne Society, celebrating the Hawthorne bicentennial in Salem, MA, July 1-4
"The Transatlantic Quest In Nathaniel Hawthorne's Romances."
Coale, Samuel Chase. Wheaton College, Norton, MA. "Hawthorne as Early Icon: The Mystery of Silence." Paper delivered at the Nathaniel Hawthorne Society Conference, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME, June 13, 2008.
"Hawthorne in the Berkshires: 'The World Must Be Made to Mean.'" Paper delivered at the Nathaniel Hawthorne Society Conference, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams, MA, June 13, 2014.
Davis, Clark. Dept. of English, University of Denver. "Reading and Respect: Hawthorne as Stranger." Paper delivered at the conference of the Nathaniel Hawthorne Society, celebrating the Hawthorne bicentennial in Salem, MA, July 1-4, 2004.
Dawson, Hugh J. "The Scarlet Letter's Angry Eagle and the Salem Custom House," article on the eagle of the Salem Custom House from the January, 1986 , vol. 122 issue of The Essex Institute Historical Collection (30-34).
Donavel, David. Chair. Department of English, Masconomet Regional High School, Topsfield, MA. "Feathertop: Smoke and Mirrors."
Dunphy, Mark. Lindsey Wilson College, Columbia, KY. "In the Wake of Hawthorne's 'Wakefield': Breaking the Habit of Cohabitation and Ennui Redux in Daniel Stern's 'Wakefield' and Andrei Codrescu's Wakefield." Paper delivered at the conference of the Nathaniel Hawthorne Society, Bowdoin College, Brunswick ME, June 14, 2008.
"Home [Un]Sweet Home: Hawthorne's Fear and Loathing of Home in Our Old Home," Paper delivered at the American Literature Conference, Boston, May 24-27, 2007.
English, Karen. Dept. of English, San Jose State University. "Nathaniel Hawthorne as Bronson Alcott's 'Coy Maiden' ." Paper delivered at the conference of the Nathaniel Hawthorne Society, in Concord, MA, June 11, 2010.
Felton, Robert Todd. author of A Journey Into the Transcendentalists' New England. "Hawthorne and Transcendentalism." Lecture delivered at The House of the Seven Gables Historic Site, Salem, MA on October 4, 2006. (courtesy of R.T. Felton and Roaring Forties Press)
Foulds, Diane E. "Who Scalped Whom?" Historians Suggest Indians Were As Much Victims As Perpetrators.
Gavenda, David B. park guide, Salem Maritime National Historic Site. From letters and conversations with Mary Cate, friend of Miss Rebecca Manning of Salem, MA.
Gollin, Rita K. SUNY, Geneseo. "Figurations of Salem in 'Young Goodman Brown' and 'The Custom-House.'" Lecture delivered at Phillips Library, Peabody Essex Museum on September 23, 2000.
"'My Dear Longfellow': The Collegiality of Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow." Lecture delivered at the Concord School of Philosophy, Concord, MA, on June 24, 2007.
Goodpasture, Caitlyn. Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX. "Hepzibah and The House of the Seven Gables: When the Other Continues the Cycle of Othering." Paper delivered at the Nathaniel Hawthorne Society Conference, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams, MA, June 13, 2014.
Goss, David. "Hawthorne's Salem." Lecture delivered at the Phillips Library, Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA on November 14, 2002. (courtesy of Professor David Goss)
Greven, David. Assistant Professor of English, Connecticut College, New London, CT. "Passions of Hawthorne's New Eve: Female Desire in The Scarlet Letter." Paper delivered at the American Literature Association Conference in 2006.
Gruesser, John. Department of English, Kean University. "Playing with the (Birth) Mark: Aylmer's Failed Attempt to Achieve Perfect Whiteness." Paper delivered at the American Literature Association Conference in May, 2001.
Heath, William R. Professor Emeritus. Department of English, Mount Saint Mary's College. "Thomas Morton and 'The May-Pole of Merry Mount.'" (Introduction by Hawthorne in Salem Website Contributor John W. Stuart, Ph.D)
"The Dream of Undying Fame: Hawthorne's First Novel Fanshawe." Paper delivered at Nathaniel Hawthorne Society Meeting, Bowdoin College, June 14, 2008.
"’The forgotten art of gayety’: The Puritans and Merry Old England." Essay by Professor Emeritus William R. Heath, Department of English, Mount Saint Mary's College. January 19, 2016.
Herbert, T. Walter. Department of English, Southwestern University. "Different from Himself: Hawthorne and the Masks of Masculinity." Paper delivered at the American Literature Association Conference on May 23, 2003.
Hewitson, James, University of Minnesota, Duluth. "Mechanization and Nationalism in 'Chiefly about War Matters.'" Paper delivered at the Modern Language Association Conference in San Diego, CA, December 2003.
Idol, John L. Jr., Professor Emeritus. Clemson University. "Illustrations of The House of the Seven Gables: A Help Or a Hindrance?" Lecture delivered at The House of the Seven Gables Site on September 15, 2000.
"Villain, Goad, or Something Else: Chillingworth as Depicted by Hawthorne and Christopher Bigby." Lecture delivered on July 15, 2004. 
"Illustrations and Adaptations of Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Golden Touch': A Selective Overview." Paper delivered at Nathaniel Hawthorne Society Meeting, Bowdoin College, June 13, 2008. 
"Illustrations and Adaptations of 'The Golden Touch': A List in Progress." Illustrations appearing in Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys, Boston: Ticknor, Reed, and Fields, 1852 and subsequent issues and editions.
Johnson, Claudia Durst. Professor Emeritus, University of Alabama. "The Secular Calling and the Protestant Ethic in The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables." Lecture delivered at The House of the Seven Gables Historic Site on October 20, 2000.
Jones, Buford. Duke University. "The Persecution of Quakers and Witches in 'The Gentle Boy,' 'Young Goodman Brown,' and Related Works." Lecture delivered at The House of the Seven Gables Historic Site on October 13, 2000.
Kesterson, David. University of North Texas. "Hawthorne and Melville." Lecture delivered at Phillips Library, the Peabody Essex Museum on September 23, 2000.
Marron, Orley K. Dept. of English, Bar Habn University, Israel. "Eden and the Re-Creation of the Artist." Paper delivered at the conference of the Nathaniel Hawthorne Society, in Concord, MA, June 11, 2010.
McFarland, Philip. Teacher Emeritus, Concord Academy. "Hawthorne in Concord." Lecture delivered at The House of the Seven Gables Historic Site on April 6, 2005.
Millington, Richard. Smith College. "The Meanings of Hawthorne's Women." Lecture delivered at The House of the Seven Gables Historic Site on September 8, 2000.
Moore, Margaret B. Independent scholar, Athens, GA. "Salem and Hawthorne." Lecture delivered at North Shore Community College on August 31, 2000. 
"The Mystery of Old Moodie." Paper delivered at Nathaniel Hawthorne Society Summer Meeting, Northampton, Massachusetts, June 21-23, 2002.
Pennell , Melissa. University of Massachusetts, Lowell. "Subverting the Subversive: Hawthorne’s Containment of Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter." Paper delivered at Salem State University on March 10, 2004.
Person, Leland S. University of Cincinnati. "The Scarlet Reader: Newton Arvin on Hawthorne and Melville." Paper delivered at Nathaniel Hawthorne Society Summer Meeting, Northampton, Massachusetts, June 21-23, 2002.
Plunkett, Kevin. Merrimack College, North Andover, MA. "Wakefield’s Ghost: Surveilling Consciousness in Hawthorne and Beyond." Paper delivered at the Nathaniel Hawthorne Society Conference, June 13, 2014.
Ponder, Melinda. Pine Manor College. "Hawthorne and 'The Sphere of Ordinary Womanhood.'" Lecture delivered at Phillips Library, the Peabody Essex Museum on October 14, 2000.
"Nathaniel Hawthorne: The Morning of His Life His Boyhood Years and Emergence as an Artist Part One. Images: The Worlds of Hawthorne's Childhood," September, 1981, an essay submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master's degree in American Studies at Boston College.
Ramsey, Jarold. "Thoreau's Last Words-- and America's First Literatures" in Redefining American Literary History, Edited by A. LaVonne Brown Ruoff & Jerry W. Ward, Jr. The Modern Language Association, New York, 1990. pp. 52-61.
Sampson, Edward C. "The 'W' in Hawthorne's Name" from the Essex Institute Historical Collections, vol. 100, 1964, (pp. 297-299).
Riss, Arthur. Salem State University, Salem MA. "'Chiefly About War Matters' and the Problem of Human Rights"
Sanchez-Eppler, Karen. Professor of American Studies and English, Amherst College, Amherst, MA. "To Be My Own Human Child: Parenting and Romance." Paper delivered at the American Literature Association Conference on May 24, 2003.
Stone, Greg. Dept. of English, University of Tulsa. "The Ideal Identity: Nathaniel Hawthorne and the Loss of Native American Culture." Paper delivered at the conference of the Nathaniel Hawthorne Society, in Concord, MA, June 12, 2010.
Stuart, John W. Department of English, Manchester-Essex Regional High School, Manchester, MA."Christian Imagery in Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter." Prepared for the Hawthorne in Salem Website, November 2002.
"Echoes of Hawthorne in Melville's Billy Budd." An essay prepared for the Hawthorne in Salem Website, November 2003.
"The Hawthorne-Melville Relationship." Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the National Council of Teachers of English, Indianapolis, IN, Friday, 19 November 2004.
"Hawthorne and Longfellow: A Literary Friendship." Report from a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Institute at Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, July 17- August 4, 2006, submitted September 25, 2006.
Trollope, Anthony. "The Genius of Nathaniel Hawthorne," The North American Review. Volume 129, Issue 274, September 1879 (courtesy of Library of Congress and Cornell University Library; the American Memory Project)
Valenti, Patricia Dunlavy. Professor Emerita, Department of English and Theater, University of North Carolina at Pembroke, Pinehurst, NC. "'Defy All Hell': Rappers in the Maison Rouge." Paper delivered at the Nathaniel Hawthorne Society Conference, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams, MA, June 13, 2014.
Velella, Rob. Independent scholar. "Dark Romantics: Hawthorne and Poe." Paper delivered at the Wayside, Minuteman National Park , Concord, MA on July 2, 2009.
"Reality and Unreality in The House of the Seven Gables." Paper delivered at the Nathaniel Hawthorne Society Conference, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams, MA, June 13, 2014.
Walker, Peter. Department of English, Salem State University. "Why We Still Read Hawthorne 150 Years Later." Lecture delivered at Phillips Library of the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA, on April 17, 2003.
Washizu, Hiroko University of Tsukuba, Japan. "Celestial Hieroglyphics." Paper delivered at Nathaniel Hawthorne Society Meeting, Bowdoin College, June 14, 2008.
Whitaker, Albert Keith. Boston College. "Neoconservative Nathaniel: Bioethics and 'The Birth-Mark'." Paper delivered at the conference of the Nathaniel Hawthorne Society, celebrating the Hawthorne bicentennial in Salem, MA, July 1-4, 2004.