Puritan Passions (Fantasy and Horror Classics)
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Can a creature of straw and vanity truly possess a human heart?
In a lonely, smoke-filled hovel in Puritan New England, the witch Mother Rigby decides to play a wicked trick on society. Using a pumpkin for a head, a tattered suit of clothes, and a plume of feathertop grass for flair, she fashions a magnificent scarecrow. Then, with a puff of her enchanted tobacco pipe, she brings the handsome figure to life.
Named "Lord Feathertop," the enchanted creature is sent into the nearby village to woo the beautiful daughter of a wealthy and prominent magistrate.
This story is a dark, dazzling, and humorous moral allegory, showcasing Hawthorne's deep skepticism of both Puritan hypocrisy and the superficiality of the American gentry.
In this dark fantasy, you'll discover that a scarecrow wearing fine clothes may be more honest than the society that welcomes him.
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Born in 1804, Nathaniel Hawthorne is known for his historical tales and novels about American colonial society. After publishing The Scarlet Letter in 1850, its status as an instant bestseller allowed him to earn a living as a novelist. Full of dark romanticism, psychological complexity, symbolism, and cautionary tales, his work is still popular today. He has earned a place in history as one of the most distinguished American writers of the nineteenth century.
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