Mosses, Manses, and Mores: Nathaniel Hawthorne on the Nature of Political Institutions.

Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864), long considered a literary master, was also a shrewd political commentator, often embedding his insights in seemingly non-political works. One of these, ?The Old Manse,? serves as prefatory essay to Mosses from an Old Manse (1846). On one level, the essay is a meandering guided tour of Hawthorne’s residence of three years in Concord, Massachusetts. On a deeper level, though, it is Hawthorne?s attempt to reveal the core nature and function of good human institutions, political and otherwise. In this paper, I explicate and apply several of Hawthorne?s insights, which center on the symbol of the mossy Old Manse. After considering the function of romance in his writings, I draw out the political implications of Hawthorne?s essay, such as the ways in which good institutions reconcile the claims of security and liberty, while building multiple layers of community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]