The Blithedale Romance

The two sisters in the novel—Priscilla and Zenobia—are frequently viewed as polar opposites. One is depicted as spiritual and meek and the other as earthy and strong. To what extent is this interpretation accurate? What similarities might the sisters possess—and what might this tell us about contemporary ideals of womanhood?

Zenobia’s death by suicide because of her love for Hollingsworth is often viewed as a repudiation of her feminist values. Do you see any way that her choice can be read as upholding her ideals and promoting women’s rights?

Nathaniel Hawthorne described this work as a “romance” rather than a novel. What generic differences do you notice between this work and the novels of his day? To what extent was Hawthorne successful in designating a new genre of literature by labeling his long fiction works “romances”?

The novel investigates the power of the voyeur through Coverdale’s clandestine observations of other characters. Examine whether Coverdale’s passive spectatorship enables him to gain knowledge of human nature or skews his understanding of others?

Explore whether the Blithedale commune was doomed to fail simply because its members lacked agrarian experience or whether its failure might also be attributed to humanity’s inability to put aside self-interest.

The story is told through the perspective of an unreliable narrator who admits to embellishing it. Explore whether Coverdale’s unreliability is Hawthorne’s way of detaching himself from a critique of Brook Farm or a way for the author to combine fact and fiction, dream and reality?

As a spectator, Miles Coverdale spends most of his time analyzing the motives and meanings of his friends’ actions rather than taking an active role. How would you define his role in the narrative? To what extent is he important to the plot rather than being merely a storyteller?

In German, Westervelt means “western world.” What might Westervelt’s name suggest about his character—and Hawthorne’s view of society?