New Biography Reveals Hawthorne's Plan for 25 Scarlet Letter Sequels

Could Have Been Epic

The letter A was just the beginning.

At least that’s what one Hawthorne library scholar discovered after she uncovered an old journal from The Scarlet Letter author.

A new biography from Jean Spanouff reveals Hawthorne’s plans for several “Letter Sequels,” possibly one for each remaining letter of the alphabet.

Of course, The Scarlet Letter tells the story of Hester Prynne, a young woman who gives birth to an illegitimate child while living away from her husband, the aptly named Roger Chillingworth. Hester is forced to wear a scarlet A (adulteress) for her illicit affair.

This book and other works like it that deal with the flaws of orthodoxy and Puritanical society have long been seen by Hawthorne scholars as works that address the guilt that Hawthorne felt for his own family’s involvement in the persecution of women in the early Salem settlement. One of his ancestors was a prominent judge during the Witch Trials.

However, the book offers a new view of the American novelist and short story writer, offering a side unseen by long-time fans of his work. Within this biography, Hawthorne is painted as a savvy opportunist who understood just how profitable his own brand had become.

It seems based on the success of The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne was about to launch an entire “Alphabet-universe,” filled with a crazy cast of characters being persecuted in Puritan New England for a number of different “crimes.”

Unfortunately, Hawthorne died before he could realize his vision. He was only 59 years old when he passed away in his sleep while writing the sequel, The Scarlet B. Based on an outline and some notes in his diary, it appears that the book would be about a New Hampshire man who is accused of bestiality and forced to wear a belt-buckle in the shape of a large letter B.

“His diary reveals that there was a whole world of “crimes” that Hawthorne was going to explore,” said Spanouff. “People getting branded with a scarlet C for cuckolding, J for jaywalking, and N for necromancy.”

“It would have been fascinating to see how far into the alphabet he could have gone. He was a compulsive writer and dedicated to the craft, so he would have seen this project through to the end.”

When the biographer was asked what Hawthorne could have possibly done with the letter “X,” she responded. “Xylophone, duh.”

And it wasn’t just journals related to The Scarlet Letter that she found. Among the documents uncovered were imaginary blueprints from the actual House of Seven Gables and crudely drawn sketches of the witches’ orgy from “Young Goodman Brown.”

Another unique artifact appears to be some sort of confession letter for murdering an old, Italian man written in Hawthorne’s own hand. Information from that diary entry seem to match the events of Hawthorne’s allegory, The Marble Faun.

“These will be an object of interest for Hawthorne scholars,” she mused.

Several publishing companies are already lining up to bid on the rights to the Letter sequels. A24, the independent entertainment company, has already confirmed they have greenlit several weird projects related to Hawthorne and these recovered journals.