1. 研究目的与意义（文献综述包含参考文献）

purpose and significance of the study

nathaniel hawthorne (1804-1864) is considered to be a renowned 19^th-century american novelist and one of the founders of american romantic novels, in whose lifetime overwhelming masterpieces were created such as fanshawe (1828), the minister#8217;s black veil (1837), mosses from an old manse (1846) and so on. hawthorne is adept at applying symbolism and psychoanalysis to describe a character and the scarlet letter is the most representative work of this kind of writing style.

the scarlet letter, the magnum opus of hawthorne, is the first symbolic novel in the history of american literature and a tragedy of love that happens in north american colonial period. the theme of the story should be the moral, emotional and psychological effects of the sin on people. as carpenter (1944) puts it, ”hester is the greatest part in the scarlet letter”. besides, hawthorne#8217;s feminist consciousness was expressed in the depiction of hester.

2. 研究的基本内容、问题解决措施及方案

Methods and Procedures of the Study

In the hope of making out what The Scarlet Letter tells about, I read the introduction of American Literature at first in order to know the general background of the story. Then I read the Chinese version of the novel. In this way, a shorter period of time is needed for getting familiar with the content of the novel. What#8217;s more, surfing on the Internet does me a great favor. I see a film called The Scarlet Letter, directed by Roland Joff#233; and published in 1995, which provides me with abundant background information. As the topic of feminist consciousness is of ubiquity nowadays, much attention has been paid to the relevant theories of feminist criticism. Without doubt, looking for the information in the traditional libraries and E-libraries is of necessity. I can integrate similar viewpoints over The Scarlet Letter or make a comparison between two opposing viewpoints, aiming at backing up my opinion. Consequently, reading books, taking notes, turning to the Internet and the libraries, and discussing with my supervisor are the main methods of this study.

The thesis is comprised of four parts. The first part will mainly provide the background information, including a general introduction of Nathaniel Hawthorne (his literary reputation and masterpieces), the novel The Scarlet Letter and the theory of feminist criticism. The second part primarily elaborates western and domestic studies of feminist interpretation of Hester and the need of the study. Part three is the core of the thesis. In this part, the study will firstly give brief introduction on the existing problems in the northern America in the nineteenth century. Subsequently, a detailed analysis of feminism will be made to reveal the feminist consciousness of Hester. Part four will draw a conclusion, stressing the importance of the feminist consciousness and its effects on the people.