The Nathaniel Hawthorne Library
Books & Literature
About
In this quiet chamber of spoken pages, the works of Nathaniel Hawthorne are restored to their living breath. Here you will find full-length readings drawn from shadowed forests, scarlet emblems, and the hidden chambers of the human heart. Tales where conscience walks beside mystery, and every whispered sentence carries the weight of another age. Listen, and wander slowly through stories shaped by solitude, moral struggle, and the faint glow of lantern-light, as though the past itself had found a voice once more.
Episodes
- Twice Told Tales - The Toll-Gatherer's Day
The episode follows a solitary toll-gatherer who watches travelers from his bridge. He reflects on the scenes and imparts gentle wisdom gained from observing the flow of life.
- Twice Told Tales - The Vision Of the Mountain
The episode describes a young wanderer's encounter with a mysterious vision reflected in a forest spring. He is captivated by this apparition, which blurs the lines between reality and imagination, and lingers in his thoughts.
- Twice Told Tales - The Hollow Of The Three Hills
The episode "Twice Told Tales - The Hollow Of The Three Hills" features a pale lady seeking a crone in a mysterious hollow to receive messages from the deceased. She experiences a spectral communion filled with sorrow and mirth.
- Twice Told Tales - Sights From A Steeple
The episode "Sights From A Steeple" from The Nathaniel Hawthorne Library features an observer on a steeple watching a town. The narrative reflects on life, beauty, and the contrasts of a brewing summer storm, which eventually yields to a r…
- Twice Told Tales - The Prophetic Pictures
A painter in Boston creates portraits that capture the soul, not just the appearance. When a young couple commissions their portraits, the paintings reveal hidden emotions and solemnity, casting a shadow on their lives.
- Twice Told Tales - David Swan
This episode discusses David Swan, a young man traveling to the city, who rests by a spring unaware of the significant fortunes and dangers approaching him. Indifferent, kind, and malicious individuals pass by as fate prepares to guide his…
- Twice Told Tales - The Great Carbuncle
This episode explores the story of seekers drawn to the Great Carbuncle. Among them, a young couple ventures forward, guided by the jewel's light.
- Twice Told Tales - A Rill From The Town Pump
In "A Rill From The Town Pump," a town-pump speaks of its role in the community, providing pure water and promoting temperance. It hopes for a future where purity and temperance overcome intemperance, refreshing both bodies and the moral s…
- Twice Told Tales - Wakefield
The podcast episode "Wakefield" from "Twice Told Tales" on The Nathaniel Hawthorne Library discusses a man who secretly abandons his wife for a life on the next street, examining the consequences of his actions on their lives and relations…
- Twice Told Tales - Little Annie's Ramble
A gentleman explores a bustling town with little Annie, observing its streets, shops, and creatures. Their walk serves as a reflection on childhood innocence and the lessons it offers.
- Twice Told Tales - Mr. Higginbotham's Catastrophe
Dominicus Pike, a tobacco-peddler, encounters and disseminates a story about a local trader's death, leading to widespread gossip and disbelief within a New England community.
- Twice Told Tales - The Gentle Boy - Part 2
Part 2 of "The Gentle Boy" explores a child's refuge in a strict Puritan village, detailing the internal struggles with faith and love amidst persecution and sorrow, highlighting compassion and hope.
- Twice Told Tales - The Gentle Boy - Part 1
This episode of The Nathaniel Hawthorne Library discusses 'The Gentle Boy, Part 1,' focusing on a child facing religious persecution in a Puritan community and the unlikely compassion his innocence inspires.
- Twice Told Tales - The Maypole Of Merry Mount
The inhabitants of a New England settlement celebrate around a Maypole, but their joy is threatened by the stern presence of Puritan neighbors.
- Twice Told Tales - The Wedding-Knell
This episode recounts a peculiar wedding ceremony in a New York church, where the tolling of a death-bell casts a melancholy shadow on the union. The narrative explores the contrast between youth and age, and the transition from earthly ho…
- Twice Told Tales - The Minister's Black Veil
In 'The Minister's Black Veil,' a New England minister's adoption of a black veil instills fear and curiosity in his congregation. The story delves into themes of hidden human sorrow and secret sin, impacting his relationships and communit…
- Twice Told Tales - The Gray Champion
The episode "Twice Told Tales - The Gray Champion" features a story where an apparition of an old Puritan figure emerges during a time of oppression to confront despotism, stirring the crowd with a sense of enduring resolve.
- Twice Told Tales - Sunday At Home
The narrator reflects on the village church and steeple, observing the contrast between weekday quietude and the vibrant human assembly on the Sabbath. The episode contemplates the blend of the sacred and the earthly in a town's worship.
- Mosses From An Old Manse - A Virtuoso's Collection
This episode explores Mosses From An Old Manse, featuring a museum with legendary creatures and magical relics. The visitor reflects on time and solitude.
- Mosses From An Old Manse - The Old Apple-Dealer
This episode focuses on an old apple-dealer observed at a busy railroad station. Despite his faded appearance, he embodies a quiet dignity and poignant endurance in his solitary life.
- Mosses From An Old Manse - Passages from a Relinquished Work
This episode follows a young man's journey from his village, guided by a stern upbringing, as he seeks fortune and freedom, encountering public performance and his guardian's influence.
- Mosses From An Old Manse - Sketches From Memory
This episode explores Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Mosses From An Old Manse," detailing travels through the White Mountains and a journey on the Erie Canal, highlighting both the natural scenery and human interactions.
- Mosses From An Old Manse - Earth's Holocaust
This episode discusses Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'Earth's Holocaust,' a symbolic bonfire consuming historical artifacts and societal structures. It explores the idea of renewal and peace, concluding that genuine reform must begin within the hu…
- Mosses From An Old Manse - P.'s Correspondence
The episode 'Mosses From An Old Manse - P.'s Correspondence' features a correspondent in London haunted by his past, encountering spectral figures and reflecting on themes of fame, decline, and the relationship between memory and reality.
- Mosses From An Old Manse - The Christmas Banquet
This episode of The Nathaniel Hawthorne Library discusses 'The Christmas Banquet' from Mosses From An Old Manse, focusing on a peculiar Christmas gathering of sorrowful individuals and the enigmatic Gervayse Hastings.
- Mosses From An Old Manse - The Intelligence Office
In "The Intelligence Office," part of Mosses From An Old Manse, Nathaniel Hawthorne depicts a somber marketplace where city inhabitants trade their desires, losses, and yearnings. The enigmatic Man of Intelligence records these exchanges,…
- Mosses From An Old Manse - The Hall of Fantasy
In this episode, the narrator explores the Hall of Fantasy, an imaginative space where dreamers and visionaries gather. The story examines the interplay between reality and the ideal through the various figures found within this setting.
- Mosses From An Old Manse - The New Adam and Eve
The episode "The New Adam and Eve" from "Mosses From An Old Manse" describes a new Adam and Eve awakening in a deserted city. They explore the remnants of human civilization, confronting its complexities while maintaining their innocence a…
- Mosses From An Old Manse - Monsieur du Miroir
This episode of The Nathaniel Hawthorne Library explores 'Mosses From An Old Manse - Monsieur du Miroir,' focusing on the narrator's uneasy observation of a silent companion. The episode delves into themes of identity, fate, and the myster…
- Mosses From An Old Manse - Buds and Bird-Voices
This episode explores the gentle arrival of spring, focusing on renewal, the blossoming of life, and the hopeful affirmation of the soul's capacity for joy amidst the cycle of nature.
- Mosses From An Old Manse - Fire-Worship
This episode discusses the shift from open hearths to iron stoves, with the narrator expressing sadness over the diminished warmth and social connection associated with the loss of the traditional fire.
- Mosses From An Old Manse - The Artist Of The Beautiful: Part 2
Owen Warland, after overcoming despair, finds renewed artistic inspiration through a mystical butterfly. This episode explores the contrast between the public's understanding and the spiritual depth of his creation.
- Mosses From An Old Manse - Roger Malvin's Burial
This episode explores Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story, "Roger Malvin's Burial," focusing on themes of duty, conscience, and mortality set against a frontier wilderness. It examines the emotional weight of unfulfilled vows and the complex…
- Mosses From An Old Manse - The Artist Of The Beautiful: Part 1
Part 1 of "The Artist Of The Beautiful" follows Owen Warland, a watchmaker, as he pursues an idealistic creation, contrasting his ethereal genius with the uncomprehending world and its demands.
- Mosses From An Old Manse - Drowne's Wooden Image
This episode examines Drowne, a humble woodcarver whose creations, including a lifelike female figure, stir curiosity and mystery among the townsfolk of Boston.
- Mosses From An Old Manse - Egotism; Or, The Bosom Serpent
This episode discusses Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'Egotism; Or, The Bosom Serpent,' detailing a man's battle with a hidden affliction represented by a serpent, leading to egotism and dark confrontations, with love offering a path to overcome it.
- Mosses From An Old Manse - The Procession Of Life
This episode likens the human journey to a solemn procession guided by shared human experiences like sorrow and love, ultimately united by the presence of Death.
- Mosses From An Old Manse - Feathertop: A Moralized Legend
The podcast episode discusses "Feathertop: A Moralized Legend" from "Mosses From An Old Manse." It recounts how a witch crafts a scarecrow into a gentleman who fools a maiden until his illusion is broken.
- Mosses From An Old Manse - Mrs. Bullfrog
This episode discusses a gentleman's reflections on his hasty marriage to the spirited Mrs. Bullfrog. Despite early challenges and unsettling incidents, their matrimonial bond proves strong.
- Mosses From An Old Manse - The Celestial Railroad
This episode discusses Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Celestial Railroad," a story about a modern pilgrim's journey to the Celestial City. The tale uses satire and reflection to explore themes of faith, progress, and worldly temptations.
- Mosses From An Old Manse - Rappaccini's Daughter: Part 2
This episode continues the story of Giovanni and Beatrice in a peculiar garden, delving into themes of love, suspicion, dark science, and fate, as the narrative explores unsettling natural alchemy and bitter revelations.
- Mosses From An Old Manse - Rappaccini's Daughter: Part 1
In the first part of this reading of Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'Rappaccini's Daughter,' a young scholar in Padua becomes intrigued by a mysterious garden, Dr. Rappaccini, and his daughter, Beatrice. The story explores the intersection of scien…
- Mosses From An Old Manse - Young Goodman Brown
The podcast discusses 'Young Goodman Brown,' a tale about a man's unsettling journey into a forest where he confronts spectral figures, doubt, and temptation, exploring themes of faith and inner shadows.
- Mosses From An Old Manse - A Select Party
This episode of The Nathaniel Hawthorne Library, "Mosses From An Old Manse - A Select Party," features a host gathering visionary guests in a magnificent castle. They discuss dreams, reality, human aspiration, and the future amidst etherea…
- Mosses From An Old Manse - The Birthmark
This episode discusses Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Birthmark,' detailing a scientist's obsessive experiments to remove his wife's birthmark, driven by a desire for perfection.
- Mosses From An Old Manse - The Old Manse - Part 3
This episode reflects on freedom, society, and life's transience, inspired by the changing seasons around the Old Manse. It covers contemplative visitors and the farewell to the cherished abode, preserving its memory.
- Mosses From An Old Manse - The Old Manse - Part 1
Part 1 of "The Old Manse" from "Mosses From An Old Manse" explores the historical and natural setting of the Old Manse, a quiet retreat by the Concord River, reflecting on enduring legacies.
- Mosses From An Old Manse - The Old Manse - Part 2
This episode explores themes of nature, gardening, and the passage of time at an old homestead. The narrative also includes reflections on literature and an account of a serene river expedition.
- The Blithedale Romance Chapter 29 - Miles Coverdale's Confession
Chapter 29 of The Blithedale Romance presents Miles Coverdale's self-reflection, where he confesses to a secret affection that influenced his outlook on life and past endeavors.
- The Blithedale Romance Chapter 28 - Blithedale Pasture
In Chapter 28 of The Blithedale Romance, the community gathers for Zenobia's funeral. The episode reflects on death rituals and old customs as mourners discuss her fate, revealing complex emotions tied to unfulfilled hopes and human frailt…