How To Use Your Proud Geek Heritage To Survive The Scarlet Letter

[dr_pretentious]

'Tis the season for students to write papers about their summer required reading lists. They have to read Hawthorne, so I have to read Hawthorne. My secret to survival turns out to be reading The Scarlet Letter as a failed fantasy novel. You can read more about that over at Black Gate.

Comments

[kistha.livejournal.com]

Interesting take, I have never been forced to read it actually. And becuase I pretty much know how it rolls, and it makes me want to go out and kill annoying prudish closed minded bastards just from knowing the basic plot, I think I'll stick with that. And only remotely on topic, I really liked Easy A - it was suprisingly good.

[spiffnolee.livejournal.com]

Excellent points, though I'll not be revisiting The Scarelt Letter. As an English major, it is amazing how many books I have managed to not read and fake my way through.
This:
turn this dreary old magnum opus into a pulp masterpiece
is superlative writing.

[puckmls.livejournal.com]

I never had to read The Scarlet Letter, but I learned about it from Richard Armour's excellent and hilarious little book, The Classics Reclassified. I like your "failed fantasy novel" approach!