The Shattered Fountain

By Nathaniel Hawthorne | Edited and with an Introduction by Kelly Scott Franklin, Ph.D. The Shattered Fountain: Selected Tales of Nathaniel Hawthorne showcases the literary genius and spiritual power of the distinguished American novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne through ten of his best short stories. Featuring prominently in the American Romance movement, Hawthorne eschews the vapid optimism in the human spirit and affairs espoused by many of his contemporaries. Instead, as these selected tales show, Hawthorne honed his craft to depict as powerfully as possible the reality that the human heart is as capable of immense good as it is of indescribable wickedness. Awash in equal measures of madness, tragedy, and beauty, these ten tales from the pen of an American master hauntingly reveal the shape and sense of our world in all its shattered, still-sparkling glory. "A marble fountain…so woefully shattered that it was impossible to trace the original design from the chaos of remaining fragments. The water, however, continued to gush and sparkle into the sunbeams as cheerfully as ever." Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804–1864) was an American novelist and short story author. Over the course of his career, Hawthorne developed a style and an oeuvre that dwell at the heart of the American Romantic movement. His renowned writings include The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables. Kelly Scott Franklin, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of English at Hillsdale College, where he teaches American Literature and the Great Books. His articles on literature, culture, and faith have appeared in numerous journals and magazines. Paperback: 260pp. ISBN: 978-1944418687