This American Lit: Approaches to Reading THE SCARLET LETTER
Welcome to This American Lit, a yearlong reading project devoted to examining the texts and narratives that continue to shape, define, and challenge the idea of America.
Today’s post is too long for email and is best read in a web browser or in the Substack app. This essay is also available in audio format in the Substack app or in your favorite podcast player.
Hey everyone!
A quick announcement before we get into today’s (very exciting!) newsletter. This American Lit is now its own section within the FictionMatters newsletter. I made this change so as not to overwhelm the emails of those who aren’t interested in following along with This American Lit. This will also allow me to keep up with my regular posting schedule in addition to TAL rather than subbing TAL posts into the regular programming.
Rather than having you opt out of This American Lit, I have set this up as an “opt in.” That means if you want to continue receiving TAL newsletters and podcasts, you need to go to fictionmatters.substack.com/account and toggle on This American Lit posts (see below). This is also where you can go to set up your podcast feed if you haven’t yet done that!
If you’re thinking, but I got this email… That’s because I did not put this in the This American Lit section. So even if you’re currently reading this in your inbox, you are NOT subscribed to This American Lit and need to complete this step in order to continue receiving these newsletters!!
Alright with that announcement made, let’s get into today’s Touchstone Text!
I’ve been mulling over where I want to go with This American Lit, particularly when it comes to our new Touchstone Text component. While the Substack Readalong has become all the rage, I know I don’t have the capacity to host these this year alongside building our unit syllabi and continuing to create the other components of the FictionMatters newsletter and Literary Society. I’ve also struggled a bit with the vibe of readalongs in the past. While I thoroughly enjoyed reading Possession together last year, I felt a lot of pressure to make my posts what I can only describe as lecture-based. That’s really what makes the most sense on Substack. The facilitator offers information and analysis for the participants to absorb and apply to their reading. This is not how I like to teach or learn. I have always been drawn to making meaning together through dialogue and discussion. And while there are fantastic discussions happening in the comments sections across Substack, they don’t quite fit the Socratic seminar style that made me fall in love with the classroom as both a student and and educator.
And so, as mentioned, I’ve been mulling. How can I continue to develop This American Lit, and in particular our Touchstone Texts, in a way that feels authentic to how I like to teach and learn, while honoring what makes the most sense in this platform? If I don’t want to lecture about a text or facilitate a true readalong, how can I still offer a meaningful learning experience when it comes to these important books in the American Literature canon? And what would be fun both to create and to consume?
Here’s what I’ve landed on: For each Touchstone Text (and I think I will be doing more than one for each unit because I’m so excited about this!), I will create an “Approaches to Reading” newsletter and mini podcast. These posts will share several different approaches, or lenses, through which we can visit our Touchstone Text. What would it mean to look at the book through the prism of American history at the time? What would it mean to read it through the lens of the literary movement it is a part of? What about how it is impacted American literature of the present?
The same book can feel like an entirely different reading experience depending on the lens you bring to it. This is especially true of the classics, where so much criticism, context, and cultural conversation is layered on top of the original text. You peel one back and find another underneath. This series won’t be about sharing my analysis of each book, but rather providing prompts, nudges, options, and approaches for your own literary analysis. In each, we’ll examine why the book is a worthwhile This American Lit Touchstone Text, but the real meaning making will remain in your hands.
Today we begin with The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, which is a perfect example of this kind of multifaceted reading experience. I believe this novel is one of those rare books that rewards every kind of reader, and what you find in it depends a lot on what questions you approach it with.
So today I’m going to walk you through four different approaches for reading Hawthorne’s masterwork, each one offering a distinct, but equally valuable experience of the same text. For each approach, I’ll give you a brief overview of the approach, a little on how it applies to this specific novel, a passage that really illuminates the appraoch, and some questions to hold in your mind as you read.
Whether you’re picking it up for the first time, rereading it after many years, or just thinking through it alongside me, I hope this lights up your reading and thinking!
