Twice-Told Tales

Name: Twice-Told Tales
Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne

Twice-Told Tales is a collection of short stories by Nathaniel Hawthorne, first published in 1837. The stories explore themes of moral ambiguity, guilt, and retribution. The collection includes some of Hawthorne's best-known stories, such as "The Minister's Black Veil," "The May-Pole of Merry Mount," and "Young Goodman Brown." Other stories in the collection include "The Gray Champion," "The Great Carbuncle," "The White Old Maid," and "The Ambitious Guest." The stories in Twice-Told Tales are often set in New England and explore the Puritan heritage of the region. Hawthorne's stories often feature characters who are struggling with their own moral dilemmas and the consequences of their choices. The stories often feature supernatural elements, such as ghosts, witches, and other supernatural creatures. Twice-Told Tales is considered to be one of Hawthorne's most important works and is often seen as a precursor to his later novels, such as The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables.

By Nathaniel Hawthorne · First published 1837 · Genre: Romanticism, Gothic Fiction, Fantasy · 34 chapters · 149,173 words

First lines

There was once a time when New England groaned under the actual pressure of heavier wrongs than those threatened ones which brought on the Revolution. James II., the bigoted successor of Charles the Voluptuous, had annulled the charters of all the colonies and sent a harsh and unprincipled soldier to take away our liberties and endanger our religion. The administration of Sir Edmund Andros lacked scarcely a single characteristic of tyranny--a governor and council holding office from the king and wholly independent of the country; laws made and taxes levied without concurrence of the people, immediate or by their representatives; the rights of private citizens violated and the titles of all landed property declared void; the voice of complaint stifled by restrictions on the press; and finally, disaffection overawed by the first band of mercenary troops that ever marched on our free soil. For two years our ancestors were kept in sullen submission by that filial love which had invariably secured their allegiance to the mother-country, whether its head chanced to be a Parliament, Protector or popish monarch. Till these evil times, however, such allegiance had been merely nominal, and the colonists had ruled themselves, enjoying far more freedom than is even yet the privilege of the native subjects of Great Britain.

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Twice-Told Tales is listed on Textopian as a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne, dated 1837 CE.

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Work type: Short story
Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne
Date: 1837 CE
Language: English
Genres: Romanticism, Gothic Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery
Length: 149,173 words
Structure: 34 chapters, 1,706 paragraphs
Reading fit: Fairly Difficult (10th-12th Grade)

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Genres

Romanticism — Twice-Told Tales is a collection of short stories written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, a prominent figure in the American Romantic Movement. The stories explore themes of morality, guilt, and the supernatural, which are common in Romantic literature.
Gothic Fiction — Twice-Told Tales contains elements of Gothic fiction, such as the exploration of the supernatural, dark and mysterious settings, and a focus on the psychological effects of guilt and sin.
Fantasy — Twice-Told Tales contains elements of fantasy, such as the exploration of the supernatural and the use of magical elements in some of the stories.
Mystery — Twice-Told Tales contains elements of mystery, such as the exploration of the unknown and the use of suspenseful elements in some of the stories.