Title: The scarlet mob of scribblers : rereading Hester Prynne /
Authors: Barlowe, Jamie, 1943-
Publisher: Southern Illinois University Press,
Year: 2000
Subjects: Hawthorne, Nathaniel,; Historical fiction, American History and criticism Theory, etc.; Women and literature United States History.; Criticism Authorship Sex differences.; Prynne, Hester (Fictitious character); Women in literature
Abstract: "Jamie Barlowe finds it bitterly ironic that in literary criticism of The Scarlet Letter, a major American novel about a woman, the voices of female critics have been virtually excluded." "Barlowe examines the causes and consequences of the continuing disregard for women's scholarship. To that end, she chronicles The Scarlet Letter's critical reception, analyzes the history of Hester Prynne as a cultural icon in literature and film, rereads the canonized criticism of the novel, and offers a new reading of Hawthorne's work by rescuing marginalized interpretations from the alternative canon of women critics."--Jacket.
Contents: Introduction: Self-defining narratives and the racial and gendered other -- What's black and white and red/read all over? Hester-Prynne-ism -- The scarlet snub -- The scarlet woman and the mob of scribbling scholars -- Demi's Hester and Hester's Demi(se): The (New) Scarlet Letter and its spectators -- Conclusion: Implications of Hester-Prynne-ism and ReReading women.