Bad Faith; Waking Dream; Living Nightmare: Narratological Ambiguity and the Puritan Imagination in Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown"

Author:
Winzeler, Peter, English - Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Virginia
Advisor:
Greeson, Jennifer, English, University of Virginia
Abstract:

By studying the pattern and manipulation of narratological ambiguity in “Young Goodman Brown,” we learn about the sources and effects of that ambiguity. Hawthorne’s fascinating exploration of a “both/and” mode of thinking enables him to dramatize moral history by using ingenious aesthetic devices; the tale is both historical and aesthetic, exemplary of the twice-told and dialogical quality of his best writing. An unsuspecting man who strays into the forest, territory that the Puritans believed was haunted by the Devil, Brown experiences a waking dream, a living nightmare that impacts a whole lifetime.

Degree:
MA (Master of Arts)
Rights:
All rights reserved (no additional license for public reuse)
Issued Date:
2015/04/30