{"product_id":"the-scarlet-letter-9781963549362","title":"The Scarlet Letter","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEveryone assumes \u003cem\u003eThe Scarlet Letter\u003c\/em\u003e is about sex. It isn't. \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThere's no scene of it in the entire novel and that gap between reputation and text is exactly why this \u003cem\u003eContested Classics\u003c\/em\u003e edition exists.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDr. Michelle Parrinello-Cason opens the book by directly debunking the 'erotic tale' marketing (1995 film, \u003cem\u003eEasy A, \u003c\/em\u003esorry Emma!) that drives most real-world challenges, then annotates the book's actual argument: power, hypocrisy, and religion used to control people.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis edition pairs Hawthorne's complete 1850 novel with running annotations by Dr. Michelle Parrinello-Cason, the fourth volume she's annotated for the series. Rather than treating \u003cem\u003eThe Scarlet Letter\u003c\/em\u003e as a period romance, the annotations track what the book actually argues: a layered critique of Puritan power structures that Hawthorne aimed as much at his own 1850s America as at the 1640s setting; and that many teachers assigning it today would say lands just as hard now.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAnnotations spotlight the novel's central literary devices (its 'found document' narrative frame, the shifting symbolism of the scarlet A, Hawthorne's rich imagery, and its layered dramatic irony) while growing sparser near the novel's end so readers can navigate the emotional conclusion with their own footing. A closing set of discussion prompts, organized around contested-book framing, literary devices, character analysis, and thematic analysis, makes this a ready-made classroom and book-club companion as well as a standalone reading edition.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Broad Book Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/27\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781963549362\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 180","brand":"Michelle Parrinello-Cason,Nathaniel Hawthorne","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53514335781045,"sku":"9781963549362","price":18.69,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/9781963549362.jpg?v=1791903672","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/the-scarlet-letter-9781963549362","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}