Hawthorne and His Circle: Introduction

Cephas Thompson oil portrait of Nathaniel Hawthorne (courtesy of Northern Illinois UP)

Although Hawthorne had the reputation of being shy and even reclusive at times, he did socialize in a circle that included other writers and intellectuals of his day, many of whom lived in Concord when he did. His circle also included classmates from Bowdoin, publishers of books and literary magazines, and Brook Farm residents, among others. This section of the website will explore some of those relationships such as his relationship with Herman Melville, Margaret Fuller, and Henry David Thoreau. The section on Melville and Hawthorne was originally in the Literature section of this site, but now that we have introduced a section entitled “Hawthorne’s Circle,” we have moved all material in that section to this new category. We will be expanding this section in the near future to include material on Hawthorne and Thoreau and Hawthorne and Margaret Fuller and may add material on others in Hawthorne’s circle.