&&LDIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LI&&RThe House of the Seven Gables&&L/I&&R, by &&LSTRONG&&RNathaniel Hawthorne&&L/B&&R, is part of the &&LI&&R
&&LI&&RBarnes & Noble Classics&&L/I&&R &&L/I&&Rseries, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of &&LI&&RBarnes & Noble Classics&&L/I&&R: &&LDIV&&R
- New introductions commissioned from todays top writers and scholars
- Biographies of the authors
- Chronologies of contemporary historical, biographical, and cultural events
- Footnotes and endnotes
- Selective discussions of imitations, parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, and films inspired by the work
- Comments by other famous authors
- Study questions to challenge the readers viewpoints and expectations
- Bibliographies for further reading
- Indices & Glossaries, when appropriate
All editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. &&LI&&RBarnes & Noble Classics &&L/I&&Rpulls together a constellation of influences-biographical, historical, and literary-to enrich each readers understanding of these enduring works.&&L/DIV&&R&&L/B&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&R &&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&RGreed, treachery, mesmerism, and murder are just some of the bricks &&LSTRONG&&RHawthorne&&L/B&&R uses to build &&LI&&RThe House of the Seven Gables&&L/I&&R. Generations before the present story begins, wealthy Colonel Pyncheon covets Matthew Maule's land. When Maule is hanged for witchcraft, he puts a curse on the Colonel-and all his descendants. Now the menacing Judge Pyncheon continues the family tradition of hiding cruelty under a dazzling smile, while his scowling niece, Hepzibah, and half-mad nephew, Clifford, are reduced to poverty by his machinations. But the younger generation, embodied in their distant cousin, Phoebe, becomes a ray of hope penetrating the dark house. &&LBR&&R &&LBR&&RThough Hawthorne openly discusses his book's "moral" in its preface, &&LI&&RThe House of the Seven Gables&&L/I&&R is no dry sermon. In fact, a strong stream of poetic fantasy runs through it, which the author acknowledges by calling it a "romance," rather than a novel. Like his other great works, &&LI&&RThe House of the Seven Gables&&L/I&&R reflects Hawthorne's rich understanding of complex motives, of individuals caught in the unending struggle between our highest aspirations and our basest desires. &&LBR&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LB&&RGordon Tapper&&L/B&&R, Associate Professor of English at DePauw University, is the author of &&LI&&RThe&&L/I&&R &&LI&&RMachine That Sings: Modernism, Hart Crane, and the Culture of the Body&&L/I&&R. He also wrote the Introduction and Notes to the Barnes & Noble Classics edition of Willa Cather's &&LI&&RMy Ántonia&&L/I&&R.&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R
