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Books by Nathaniel Hawthorne mentioned on podcasts
Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel The Scarlet Letter has been a recurring topic of discussion on podcasts such as Stuff You Should Know, This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von, and Pod Save America. On Stuff You Should Know, the host and Josh Clark used The Scarlet Letter as a classic example of an assigned high school novel that students often dread reading, leading them to purchase thin yellow and black pamphlets of Cliffs Notes. The hosts of Stuff You Should Know also discussed the Puritan stance on extramarital sex and infidelity, highlighting their historical association with the novel and the public branding of the character Hester Prynne. Pod Save America hosts mentioned the book while discussing political figures, noting a representative who wore an embroidered letter on her shirt and suggesting she should read the novel. Theo Von frequently referenced The Scarlet Letter across multiple episodes of his show. He jokingly suggested reading the first chapter to agents, referenced the book when discussing potential baby names like Hester and Pearl, mentioned the text as a shortcut to passing high school exams, and used the phrase scarlet woman alongside the character name Hester Prynne while talking to a guest about her personal experiences.
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The Scarlet Letter
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a classic 1850 American novel exploring guilt, sin, and societal judgment in Puritan New England, centering on the character Hester Prynne.
Discussed“like if you went to read a book in high school in the 80s like the Scarlet Letter and you're like, 'Oh god, do I really have to read the Scarlet Letter?' You would go to a store and you would buy this uh yellow and black uh very thin pamphlet.”
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