by Nathaniel Nathaniel Hawthorne
First published 2016
Nathaniel Hawthorne records his observations of English society during his time abroad. The author documents the behavior of ordinary people he encounters, from women displaying what he considers a distinctly English coarseness and freedom to girls dancing on packed steamboat decks. Hawthorne contrasts these uninhibited displays with American social conventions, noting how the English seem unafraid to enjoy themselves without concern for appearances or false gentility. He captures small moments that reveal cultural differences: passengers contributing coins to a musician's upturned bugle, the fragments of bands that travel the rivers, the casual interactions between strangers. These annotated notebooks present Hawthorne's direct encounters with a foreign culture, offering his perspective on the social customs and everyday life he witnessed. The observations reveal both his fascination with English behavior and his American sensibilities as he processes these cultural contrasts.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, american, biography-memoir, 19th-century, cultural
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water
Setting: England
Period: 19th-century
410 pages · Paperback · CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform