'The Wedding Knell'の<永遠>の結婚の真相

概要

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This story was highly valued by Edgar Alan Poe, but somewhat ignored by scholars of Nathaniel Hawthorne in the twentieth century. The story can be understood on a superficial level as a story of an aged gentleman who tries to exact his revenge on a very old lady, who forty years ago was his fiance but has since married twice. Other interpretations, including 'a biblical reading (the relationship between God and the Israelites), an isolation theme, criticism of 19 th century America, and the author's own view of marriage, can all be taken from this story. One new interpretation is that this short novel is a reflection of the author's lifelong agony, in that he become a novelist, unable to escape his fate of being unable to interact with people, merely being an observer, and his dedication to the artistic world, because he dedicated his life to the timeless artistic world rather than addressing the timely issues of worldly affairs. This can be seen if we reexamine the story very closely in connection with the author's notebooks, and later stories' themes. In short, this work can be regarded as a revelation of the author's hidden psychology. Therefore, we can conclude that the essence of Nathaniel Hawthorne himself and his literary world can be discovered in this story. As such, this is not a work to be ignored, rather, it is a very significant work by this author.
東京工芸大学の論文