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- Herausgeber: Booksell-Verlag
- Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
- Sprache: Englisch
In "Bressant," Julian Hawthorne crafts a richly layered narrative that explores the intricate dynamics of love, ambition, and existential despair. Set against the backdrop of a vibrant yet morally ambiguous society, the story follows the titular character, Bressant, as he navigates his tumultuous relationships and the relentless pursuit of meaning. Hawthorne's prose is marked by its psychological depth and evocative imagery, reflecting the influences of Romanticism and early American literary realism. The novel delves into the complexities of human emotions and the societal pressures that shape individual destinies, capturing the essence of the late 19th-century literary landscape. Julian Hawthorne, the son of the esteemed novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne, was deeply influenced by his father's legacy and the broader themes of struggle and redemption within American literature. Born into a world interwoven with literary ideals, Julian sought to carve his own path, wrestling with personal tragedies and societal expectations. His unique perspective as both a son of a literary giant and a writer in a rapidly changing America informs the existential themes and character-driven storytelling in "Bressant," revealing his keen understanding of the human condition. For readers who appreciate narratives that blend psychological intricacy with lyrical prose, "Bressant" is an essential addition to the canon of American literature. Hawthorne's exploration of identity and relational turmoil resonates with contemporary themes, making it not only a historical artifact but also a relevant commentary on the human experience. This novel will captivate those interested in the evolution of character studies in the American literary tradition. In this enriched edition, we have carefully created added value for your reading experience: - A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes. - The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists. - A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing. - A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings. - Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life. - Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance. - Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019
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Bressant
Table of Contents
Introduction
At its center, Bressant turns on the perilous negotiation between desire and duty, tracing how the hunger to become someone new—admired, loved, and free—collides with the uncompromising claims of conscience, loyalty, and the memories others keep, so that every promise, temptation, and hesitation reverberates through a close-knit world where reputations confer power, secrets carry weight, and the smallest misstep can force a reckoning with the self, revealing that the paths we think we choose are entangled with obligations we scarcely understand, and that love, in all its intensity, can illuminate as surely as it distorts what is true.
Bressant is a novel by the American writer Julian Hawthorne, published in the early 1870s, within the post-Civil War period that reshaped the nation’s literary and social horizons. As one of Hawthorne’s earliest works, it stands at the threshold of his career, engaging with concerns familiar to nineteenth-century readers while probing the inward, psychological currents of character. The book belongs to the tradition of domestic and psychological fiction rather than to overt historical spectacle, favoring interpersonal tension over external event. Its world is recognizably of its time, attentive to the pressures of propriety and the complexities of aspiration in a changing America.
Without disclosing its turns, the premise centers on a young figure whose force of personality meets the values of a small social circle, setting in motion choices that test affection, integrity, and ambition. Readers encounter scenes of courtship, friendship, and familial expectation that gradually tighten into moral tests, as competing loyalties and ideals demand recognition. The experience is more intimate than panoramic: conversations, confidences, and small gestures accumulate into a portrait of character under pressure. The novel invites a reflective pace, rewarding attention to motive and implication rather than spectacle, and cultivating a mood of thoughtful, steadily mounting suspense.
Hawthorne’s narrative voice balances clarity with suggestion, employing a measured style that privileges moral nuance and psychological shading. Descriptions tend toward the concrete details of rooms, weather, and expression, yet they also point inward, to the shifting convictions that drive action. Dialogue bears the cadence of nineteenth-century manners, formal but edged with feeling, and moments of heightened emotion are handled without extravagance. The mood oscillates between tenderness and apprehension, with occasional ironies that keep judgment provisional. Symbolic echoes appear, but they support rather than overshadow the immediacies of plot, allowing readers to inhabit both the outer scene and the inner debate.
Among its central concerns are identity and reinvention, the allure of idealized love, and the ethical costs of pursuing happiness when others’ expectations stand in the way. The narrative weighs reputation against authenticity, asking how far one can shape a future without accounting for prior commitments and the narratives others have already written about us. It attends to the tutelary power of families and mentors, and to the subtle forms of coercion embedded in kindness, admiration, and habit. Equally present are questions of forgiveness and consequence, as characters discover that clarity of intention rarely guarantees clarity of outcome or absolution.
Contemporary readers may find the book resonant for its portrait of self-fashioning under public scrutiny, a dynamic that feels familiar in an age of curated identities and rapid judgment. Its exploration of moral ambiguity refuses simple heroes and villains, inviting empathy alongside disagreement. The attention to how love can both elevate and mislead touches perennial human experience, while the depiction of social pressure—subtle, well-meant, and constraining—speaks to present-day debates about community and autonomy. In tracing the consequences of choices made in earnest, the novel encourages reflection on accountability, repair, and the difficult grace of accepting what cannot be wholly controlled.
As an early work by Julian Hawthorne, Bressant also offers insight into how a later nineteenth-century American novelist adapted a legacy of moral romance to the newer currents of social realism. Readers drawn to psychologically attentive fiction, to the interplay of inward struggle and outward convention, and to the textures of period language will find much to appreciate. The book rewards patient engagement, inviting one to follow its characters’ hesitations and resolves without rushing to judgment. Entering it with curiosity rather than foreknowledge preserves the quiet suspense it cultivates, and opens a window onto the ambitions and anxieties of its era.
Synopsis
Set in a quiet New England town, Bressant opens with the arrival of a brilliant but enigmatic young man who bears the novel’s name. He comes to study under Professor Valeyon, a respected clergyman-scholar, seeking rapid advancement and a place in American society. The household into which he enters is orderly and affectionate, yet alert to his proud reserve and foreign manners. The narrative establishes Bressant’s intensity, his impatience with convention, and his reliance on intellect over sentiment. From the start, his presence unsettles settled routines, and the town’s watchful curiosity supplies a backdrop for the tensions that will shape his education, character, and prospects.
Within the Valeyon home, Bressant encounters two sisters whose contrasting temperaments frame his development. Cornelia is practical, spirited, and alive to social rhythms; Sophie is reflective, devout, and attuned to inward truth. Each responds differently to the newcomer’s strength and severity, and their responses, in turn, reveal his shifting motives. Professor Valeyon’s guidance emphasizes moral discipline alongside learning, testing whether the student’s ambition can submit to principle. The early chapters trace lessons, churchgoing, and visits that acclimate Bressant to community life, while hinting at his self-containment. Courtesies and small frictions accumulate, foreshadowing choices that will entwine private feeling with public reputation.
As Bressant’s studies advance, his capacity impresses those around him, yet his pride makes cooperation difficult. The town’s social circle observes his reserved courtliness and speculates about his aims. He participates in gatherings, walks, and conversations that reveal his unfamiliarity with casual kindness and his tendency to treat relationships as steps in a design. He begins a measured courtship, drawn at first by suitability and position rather than surrendering affection. Meanwhile, the sisters’ bond, though close, shows pressure as attentions and expectations concentrate. The professor, discerning yet hopeful, encourages patience and sincerity, urging a steadier moral center to match Bressant’s formidable intellect.
Hints of a concealed past deepen the portrait of the protagonist. Letters arrive from a distant benefactor; a guarded reference to questionable parentage surfaces; and Bressant’s reaction to questions about his origin is defensive and abrupt. The narrative plants these details without full disclosure, linking them to his urgency to succeed. A tone of secrecy gathers around incidents that would otherwise be inconsequential, suggesting ties to people and events beyond the town. These suggestions complicate his motives in study and courtship, raising doubts about whether affection or aspiration guides him. As trust becomes the novel’s quiet test, the reader sees how unspoken history shapes present choices and loyalties.
A turning point develops when public circumstances force Bressant to reveal more of himself than he intends. An academic trial, a social slight, and a misjudgment in conduct converge, exposing fissures in his self-command. The resulting unease strains the household: Cornelia’s candor collides with Bressant’s pride, while Sophie’s gentleness presses for truth. The sisters interpret his actions differently, and their divergence widens. The professor insists on frankness and moral repair, but the student hesitates, fearing loss of the position he has nearly secured. This combination of pressure and hesitation shifts the plot from quiet observation to consequence, transforming mannered tensions into decisions with lasting effects.
A sudden crisis interrupts deliberation and reorders priorities. During a storm and its aftermath, an accident and illness bring frailty and dependence into focus. Ordinary arrangements break down; vigilance, caregiving, and prayer replace ordinary routine. Bressant is drawn into service he cannot plan, and his responses become evidence of character rather than theory. The event also alters how the community judges him, since witness replaces rumor. Without detailing outcomes, the crisis demands choices about duty, tenderness, and sacrifice. These choices reframe prior ambitions, and they alter the emotional geometry among the principal figures, creating the conditions for confession, reconciliation, and recognition to follow.
Revelations emerge as private histories intersect with the present. Questions about Bressant’s family, the terms of his support, and past actions of figures connected to the Valeyon circle come to light. The disclosures complicate simple judgments and distribute responsibility more widely than initial appearances suggested. Longstanding assumptions about honor, guilt, and protection are tested, and the professor must weigh paternal authority against moral candor. The narrative maintains discretion about particulars while marking their impact: alignments shift, motives are recast, and affections must be chosen on clearer terms. In this phase, truth functions less as spectacle than as an inward measure, guiding what each character can consent to become.
The closing movement follows the characters as they adjust to altered knowledge and reordered hopes. Bressant faces the limits of intellect unmoored from humility, and he attempts restitution where he can, accepting terms he would earlier have scorned. Plans for career and alliance are revised, not abandoned, and the novel emphasizes steadiness over triumph. The sisters’ paths clarify without sensational disclosure; affection is disciplined by duty, and duty is warmed by compassion. Professor Valeyon continues to anchor the household, modeling a justice tempered by sympathy. The tone is sober and restorative, presenting growth as the patient outcome of trial rather than the prize of sudden success.
Across its length, Bressant presents an education of the heart alongside the education of the mind. The novel traces how ambition, when detached from origins and obligations, narrows rather than enlarges a life, and how truth-telling, service, and forgiveness can widen it again. It balances domestic portraiture with moral inquiry, preferring gradual insight to dramatic exposure. Without disclosing final arrangements, the story leaves the principals oriented toward clearer purpose and more durable bonds. The overarching message is that identity is not a secret to be guarded but a responsibility to be borne, and that love, rightly ordered, is both a guide and a test.
Historical Context
Bressant, published in 1873, is set in a New England college-town environment in the years just after the American Civil War. The action unfolds among parsonage rooms, lecture halls, and respectable village streets within reach of Boston by rail and telegraph, reflecting the tightly knit yet rapidly modernizing life of Massachusetts towns. The atmosphere blends Puritan-descended social surveillance with the new rhythms of postwar prosperity, newspapers, and imported ideas. Summers at nearby seaside resorts and winters of sermons, recitations, and science talks frame the characters’ choices. That milieu situates intimate conflicts inside a region negotiating the shift from inherited piety to professionalized knowledge and urban connection.
Between 1861 and 1865 the Civil War reshaped Northern society, mobilizing industry, altering gendered labor, and leaving memorial cultures and veteran networks across New England. Reconstruction (1865–1877) extended federal power, redefined citizenship with the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, and intensified partisan struggle between Radical Republicans and resurgent conservatives. Massachusetts factories supplied uniforms and arms; its towns sent regiments to Virginia and the Western theater. The novel’s households carry the moral aftershocks: an ethic of sacrifice, suspicion of moral laxity, and heightened attention to reputation. Its generational tensions and concern with duty mirror a region that had bled for Union and now policed virtue at home.
The late 1860s–1870s brought a decisive turn toward science and specialized study in New England. Charles W. Eliot became president of Harvard in 1869 and, within a few years, introduced the elective system, laboratory instruction, and modern departments. Louis Agassiz had founded the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard in 1859; the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was chartered in 1861 and began classes in 1865, advancing engineering and applied science. Darwin’s On the Origin of Species (1859) and debates on evolution, physiology, and brain science circulated in public lectures. Bressant echoes this moment through its intense, Europeanized intellect moving among ministers and scholars, staging collisions of rational inquiry with inherited theology in lecture rooms and parlors.
Transatlantic exchange accelerated after mid-century. From 1845 to 1873 millions of Irish and Germans settled in the United States; steamship lines made Boston and New York key ports for ideas and people. New England colleges hired European-trained scientists, and Boston’s Back Bay development (begun 1857) expressed a cosmopolitan confidence. Julian Hawthorne’s own formation was transatlantic: his father, Nathaniel Hawthorne, served as U.S. consul at Liverpool (1853–1857), and the family lived in Britain and Italy, exposing Julian to European schools and manners. The novel’s enigmatic outsider—bearing a continental name and habits—embodies this traffic, testing New England’s hospitality to foreign learning, accent, and codes of social advancement.
Religious life in Massachusetts was fracturing and renewing at once. Unitarian influence in Boston’s pulpits had grown since the 1830s, while evangelical Congregationalism retained strength in smaller towns. The era also witnessed moral-reform campaigns culminating in the 1873 federal Comstock Act, which criminalized “obscene” materials and contraception information, and revivalist surges like Dwight L. Moody’s 1875 Boston campaign, which drew tens of thousands. Clergy families were public exemplars under scrutiny. Bressant situates private passion and secrecy within a parsonage-centered community, dramatizing how pastoral authority, public reputation, and emerging scientific frankness collided under the same roof amid tightening standards of respectability and competing theological claims.
Women’s status changed markedly from the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention onward through state Married Women’s Property Acts (Massachusetts enacted key provisions in 1855) and the growth of female higher education. Vassar College opened in 1865; Smith College (chartered 1871) and Wellesley College (founded 1870) admitted their first students in 1875, all within New England’s cultural orbit. The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union formed in 1874, linking household virtue to public activism. These developments reframed courtship, vocation, and female self-cultivation in middle-class families. In the novel, educated daughters weighing duty against desire, and the moral authority they wield inside the home, reflect this transition, as marriage becomes a negotiation of conscience, ambition, and community expectation.
Industrial capitalism transformed New England between the 1850s and 1870s. Textile centers such as Lowell and Lawrence drew rural migrants and immigrants into regimented mill work; railroads integrated markets. In September 1873 the failure of Jay Cooke & Co. triggered a financial panic; the New York Stock Exchange closed for ten days, inaugurating a prolonged depression that strained charitable networks and middle-class savings. Clergy stipends, college endowments, and professional prospects all felt the contraction. Bressant’s attention to prospects, inheritance, and advantageous matches mirrors this fragility: security had become contingent on credit and reputation. Its portrayal of measured domestic economies and anxieties about status registers the Gilded Age’s volatile marriage of sentiment and finance.
By embedding a foreign-educated figure within a minister’s household, the book critiques the period’s complacencies: it exposes clerical prestige vulnerable to doubt, provincial suspicion toward science, and the precariousness of middle-class standing in a speculative economy. The narrative highlights constrained female agency even amid new schools, and the moral double standards intensified by Comstock-era prudery. It also indicts communal surveillance that confuses virtue with conformity, revealing how reputations can be managed like capital. In these ways, the novel functions as a social x-ray of Reconstruction-era New England, registering the friction between inherited moral order and the heterogeneous, mobile, scientifically minded society overtaking it.
