Tremendously moving and rich in psychological insight, this tragic novel of sin and redemption addresses Americas Puritan past. Depicting the struggle between mind and heart, Hawthorne has fashioned a masterpiece of American fiction. Revised reissue. nThis tragic novel of sin and redemption is Hawthornes masterpiece of American fiction. nAn ardent young woman, her cowardly lover, and her aging vengeful husband--these are the central characters in this stark drama of the conflict between passion and convention in the harsh world of seventeenth-century Boston. Tremendously moving and rich in psychological insight, this dramatic depiction of the struggle between mind and heart illuminates Hawthornes concern with our Puritan past and its influence on American life. n nWith an Introduction by Brenda Wineapple nand an Afterword by Regina Barreca n nThis edition includes an early Hawthorne story that contains the germ of The Scarlet Letter.n