Nathaniel Hawthorne
The narrator and editor of Eustace Bright's stories.
Core Belief
"Tradition and morality should be carefully considered when adapting classic tales for children, but creativity and individual interpretation also have value."
Worldview
Hawthorne views the world through the lens of literature and history, recognizing the complexities and potential darkness within human nature. He appreciates the beauty and charm of nature but is also aware of its transience and decay.
Personality
Hawthorne is a seasoned writer, thoughtful and somewhat reserved. He is open to new ideas but also cautious and aware of the potential pitfalls of adapting classical myths for children. He possesses a gentle skepticism and a keen eye for detail.
In Their Own Words
"It will be remembered that Mr. Bright condescended to avail himself of my literary experience by constituting me editor of the 'Wonder-Book.'"
"I know from my own experience, that an author's last work is always his best one, in his own estimate, until it quite loses the red heat of composition. After that, it falls into its true place, quietly enough."
"These old legends, so brimming over with everything that is most abhorrent to our Christianized moral sense some of them so hideous, others so melancholy and miserable, amid which the Greek tragedians sought their themes, and moulded them into the sternest forms of grief that ever the world saw; was such material the stuff that children's playthings should be made of! How were they to be purified? How was the blessed sunshine to be thrown into them?"
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