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Blithedale Romance

Blithedale Romance Mass market paperbound - 1986

by Nathaniel Hawthorne


About this book

A superb depiction of a utopian community that cannot survive the individual passions of its members. In language that is suggestive and often erotic, Nathaniel Hawthorne tells a tale of failed possibilities and multiple personal betrayals as he explores the contrasts between what his characters espouse and what they actually experience in an 'ideal' community. A theme of unrealized sexual possibilities serves as a counterpoint to the other failures at Blithedale: class and sex distinctions are not eradicated, and communal work on the farm proves personally unrewarding and economically disastrous. Based in part on Hawthorne's own experiences at Brook Farm, an experimental socialist community, The Blithedale Romance is especially timely in light of renewed interest in self-sufficient and other cooperative societies.


Summary

A superb depiction of a utopian community that cannot survive the individual passions of its members. In language that is suggestive and often erotic, Nathaniel Hawthorne tells a tale of failed possibilities and multiple personal betrayals as he explores the contrasts between what his characters espouse and what they actually experience in an 'ideal' community. A theme of unrealized sexual possibilities serves as a counterpoint to the other failures at Blithedale: class and sex distinctions are not eradicated, and communal work on the farm proves personally unrewarding and economically disastrous. Based in part on Hawthorne's own experiences at Brook Farm, an experimental socialist community, The Blithedale Romance is especially timely in light of renewed interest in self-sufficient and other cooperative societies.

First line

THE evening before my departure for Blithedale, I was returning to my bachelor apartments, after attending the wonderful exhibition of the Veiled Lady, when an elderly man, of rather shabby appearance, met me in an obscure part of the street.

First Edition Identification

Ticknor, Reed and Fields published a First Printing, First Edition in Coston, 1852. The hardcover is bound in brown cloth, blind stamped boards, and gilt lettering on the spine.


Chapman and Hall published a First Edition in London, 1852. The hardcover is bound in brown cloth, stamped blind and lettered in gilt. 


Details

  • Title Blithedale Romance
  • Author Nathaniel Hawthorne
  • Binding Mass Market Paperbound
  • Pages 225
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Bantam Classics, New York, New York, U.S.A.
  • Date September 1, 1986
  • ISBN 9780553212099 / 0553212095
  • Weight 0.26 lbs (0.12 kg)
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC
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The Blithedale Romance

by Nathaniel Hawthorne

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9780553212099
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0553212095
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The Blithedale Romance

by Nathaniel Hawthorne

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ISBN 13
9780553212099
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0553212095
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The Blithedale Romance

by Nathaniel Hawthorne

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  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9780553212099
ISBN 10
0553212095
Quantity Available
1
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This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
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Bantam Classics, 1986-09-01. Mass Market Paperback. Good.
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$11.88
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