Publisher's Synopsis
Fanshawe, first novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne, published in 1828 at his own expense. Hawthorne wrote Fanshawe while a student at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. Soon after, he deemed the work to be of such derivative and mediocre quality that he attempted, unsuccessfully, to destroy all existing copies. The book's treatment of plot and character development were derived chiefly from the conventions of Gothic novels and the works of Sir Walter Scott. This novel started out strong so I was pumped. Hawthorne's use of language is great and the premise was interesting. We are introduced to a love triangle between the heiress Ellen, the immature student Edward and the sickly scholar Fanshawe and things start to go south after the villain steps in.
