The Scarlet Letter (Annotated): A Historical and Literary Edition

The Scarlet Letter Annotated Edition

The Classic Novel of Sin, Guilt, and Redemption, Enriched by Original Annotations

This The Scarlet Letter annotated edition brings the history, religion, culture, and literary world of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s American classic into sharper focus through more than 300 original annotations.

Hester Prynne is condemned to wear the scarlet letter “A” after being convicted of adultery in seventeenth-century Puritan New England. As she struggles to preserve her dignity amid public judgment, Hawthorne explores guilt, identity, hypocrisy, and redemption within a society governed by rigid religious and moral expectations.

More than 300 original annotations by T. S. Causley illuminate Puritan religion, colonial law, material culture, language, and the historical world surrounding Hester’s story. Historical and literary commentary explains period customs, biblical allusions, and historical references while exploring Hawthorne’s rich symbolism and the influence of his own family’s Puritan past.

Inside This Annotated Edition

• More than 300 original annotations by T. S. Causley
• Historical and cultural context for seventeenth-century Puritan New England
• Context for religion, colonial law, public punishment, and social expectations
• Explanations of symbolism, biblical allusions, and historical references
• Original editorial introduction
• Hawthorne’s complete original text
• Curated further reading