With the publication of "The Scarlet Letter" in 1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne achieved not only critical recognition in his native New England, but also an undisputed place amongst the newly emerging ranks of great American writers. This guide introduces and sets in context, the enormous range of critical arguments that have been generated by this enduring work. From the comments and reviews of Hawthorne's contemporaries through discussions of the novel by fellow artists such as Henry James and D.H. Lawrence to radical re-readings of the postwar decades, the reader is given an invaluable guide to the critical progress of this key American text.