Sign up for this American literature course with Dr. Russell and learn why this novel is not a condemnation of Puritan intolerance, but rather of the destructive and bigoted God-playing of Hester and her countless American imitators.
How to get the most out of The Scarlet Letter with Dr. Henry Russell:
- First, read the course details below and purchase or borrow the book.
- Prepare a notebook for notetaking and homework.
- Students begin the course by clicking on the "Recording" and watching Dr. Russell's lecture for Class One.
- Complete the Quiz. Answer Key is provided for self grading or to be graded by a parent.
- The reading for each week can be found in that week's module.
- If you need review, go back and watch the recording again and/or go over the PowerPoint.
- Repeat until all 7 classes are complete.
- Once the course is completed to the parent's satisfaction, there is a Certificate of Completion at the end to be filled in for your records. Make sure to record your grades (HSC does not provide record keeping services).
Total number of class meetings: 9
Duration of each class: 55 minutes
Prerequisite: Ability to enjoy reading the work
Suggested grade level: 11th to 12th grade
Suggested credit: 2/3 semester American Literature
Instructor: Dr. Henry Russell, PhD
Instructor Email: maryshire@gmail.com
Course Description:
Two main streams of thought shape the great American novels: one is the fervor of Christianity, the other is the skeptical Deism popularized in the 18th century. In English Romanticism that Deism becomes transformed into a confused doctrine of the poet as priest and prophet. Ralph Waldo Emerson transported this doctrine in a form wildly popular for Americans. Although Nathaniel Hawthorne found the idea congenial at first, he became a devastating critic of it in his portrait of Hester Prynne (America’s first anti-heroine). This novel is not a condemnation of Puritan intolerance, but rather of the destructive and bigoted God-playing of Hester and her countless American imitators.
Our readings in Emerson will provide a brief but clear introduction to the ideas behind Deism and Romanticism. Then Hawthorne’s novel will provide a tightly constructed, claustrophobic response that operates like a Greek tragedy illumined mainly by the comic ending of Pearl’s destiny.
Course outline:
Week 1: Emerson on “Nature” and “The American Scholar”
Week 2: Emerson’s Views on God
Week 3: The Scarlet Letter: Preface—The Custom-House
Week 4: Chapters 1-4
Week 5: Chapters 5-8
Week 6: Chapters 9-12
Week 7: Chapters 13-16
Week 8: Chapters 17-20
Week 9: Chapters 21-24
Course materials: The Scarlet Letter—any complete edition; Emerson essays provided free to students by Dr. Russell.
Homework: Approximately 30-40 pages of reading per week. There will be computer-graded quizzes available after each class and a final.
- Teacher: Henry Russell