The Parodic Feature of Hawthornian Romance in “<i>The House of the Seven Gables</i>”

Abstract

Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of the few writers who openly said that he would create "romance" and be clearly aware of the differences between history, fiction and legend. The features of Hawthornian Romance are different with Romance in the middle ages. Based on the background of history and reality, Hawthorne described the life of ordinary Americans during the social transformation era in the pattern of Romance, but without the romanticism of romance, and its legendary and aristocratic characteristics, which can be seen as a strong feature of parody.However, these opinions were widely divided in Hawthornian romance. It is difficult to understand the concept of romance itself and the essential characteristics of Hawthornian romance. What they explored were just the minor aspects of the creative techniques and structure of the story. In this way, it could not penetrate into the heart of Hawthorne' s creation of romance, and sorted out the differences between Hawthornian romance and romance novels. Therefore, it is partial that researchers should set up a real thought or system of American Romance.One of the most important romance works of Nathaniel Hawthorne, The House of the Seven Gables, has been published in 1851, just months before Moby-Dick. It should be treated seriously not only because of its tension between its romance form and its content 2 , but also based on its famous preface about the idea of romance. In this preface, Hawthorne clearly expressed the features of romance wrote by him and the attitude towards the relationship between romance and fictional works, which highlights the form of romance of this book.According to the background, subject, plot and character of this book, it largely differs from the romance in the middle ages.By analyzing The House of the Seven Gables, the present study revealed that Hawthorne' s romance did not simply mix the American background into the romance in the middle ages. Actually, the essential characteristic of Hawthornian romance should be concerned as the parody of the romance in the middle ages. The works of Hawthorne have a sense of sarcasm, making American literature have an independent tradition and thought of European literature. From Medieval Romance to Hawthornian RomanceMedieval Romance was a kind of literary theme about the travel and love stories of noble knights, the feat of lords, or the daily life of secular societies. Medieval Romance is closely correlated to various literary forms, including Lai, Ballad, Ode and Epic. The elements of love and gentle style greatly improve the richness of the literature, heroic legends and a love stories were mixed in Medieval Romance. Moreover, historical and legendary materials were also applied in these works, which expanded the pattern of the story, inducing a profound impact for the later romance story, drama and creation of the novel. Medieval Romance was divided into two categories: Chivalric Romance and Secular Romance. The experiences and love of knights, the deeds of monarchs, or the life of secular society ...