Marissa Kleckner
Dr. Pennington
Engl 305 - A
Literary Theory & Writing
Reader Response Criticism Essay
Essay Proposal
11/28/14
Reader Response Essay Overview:
A Woman’s Reading of “Young Goodman Brown”:
Blaming Faith for Goodman Brown’s Loss of Faith and Innocence
As a woman who has taken a couple of college classes about the study of feminism and
gender, I was taught and trained to read as a feminist critic in a predominantly patriarchal world.
According to Stanley Fish, a well-known reader response critic, he used the term interpretive
community to define “a group of readers who share common beliefs that cause them to read a
text in a similar way. For example, feminist critics are trained to identify and analyze gender
issues, so it’s likely that two feminist critics who read the same text will have similar
interpretations” (Pennington, Cordell, 150). Depending on one’s interpretive community, one can
see either Goodman Brown himself or his wife as the one to blame for his loss of faith and
innocence. After reading the definition of interpretive community, considering what it meant, and
talking with my professor, I realized that I would consider myself to be in the feminist interpretive
community. Because I am a woman and due to my feminist beliefs, this can affect and possibly
even determine how I read Hawthorne’s short story of “Young Goodman Brown”. According to
Hawthorne, it seems that Young Goodman Brown’s fall of faith and innocence is a result of his
wife. Brown’s wife Faith not only loses her pink ribbon, but also loses her faith and innocence,
when she goes to the Devil’s evil mass ceremony. It seems that Hawthorne is trying to make
some sort of statement. For some reason he seems to be blaming Faith, for Goodman
Brown’s loss of faith and innocence and saying it is her fault, or at least part of the
reason. When in reality, Goodman Brown’s loss of faith and innocence is not his wife’s
fault at all, but his own. Hawthorne seems to place all of the responsibility of being
faithful, pure, and innocent on the wife, or the woman, while disregarding these qualities
in the husband, or the man.
seems there’s two ways you could do this: you could argue that depending on one’s interpretive
community one can see either goodman brown himself or his wife as the one “at blame,” or you
could look at the idea of, if you think hawthorne clearly and incontrovertibly blames the wife and
holds up a sexist “ideal” vision of woman, then as a feminist, the story goes against your ethical
system and you do not have to stand by hawthorne’s thematic conclusions or soemthing. it’s the
wayne booth “ethics of fiction” version of reader-response, wher eyou can “part company” with
the author
Evaluation of Thesis:
I think this is a good thesis to write my paper on because it demonstrates how reader
response theory aids in our understanding of literary and other textual interpretation. It
analyzes the feminist interpretive community that influences the response and
interpretation of the short story from the more common patriarchal interpretation.
Reader Response Essay Outline:
Added Introduction:
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Definition/Explanation of Reader Response
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My initial reading of “Young Goodman Brown”
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Feminist Theory & Focus on Faith
Topic Sentence #1:
It is important to note that though Faith is one of the main characters in the story, we don’t really
learn about who she really is, her personality, or what she is actually like. The things the reader
does learn about her is mostly through the her husband, Goodman Brown. As I reread the short
story, I focused on the character of Faith as a woman character and analyzed the ways she is
portrayed by the main character of Goodman Brown.
Relation to Thesis: Introduction to the character of Faith. Hawthorne seems to place all of the
responsibility of being faithful, pure, and innocent on the wife, or the woman, while disregarding
these qualities in the husband, or the man.
Character Analysis of Faith
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Ideal woman/wife
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Stereotypical roles as woman & wife
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Women = responsible, pure, & innocent
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Names: Young Goodman Brown & Faith - What they represent
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Issues of Faith
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Brown originally believes that Faith is religous & has faith in God
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Faith also represents Brown’s faith in God
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The lack of concreteness to Faith’s character reflect Goodman’s eventual loss of sense
of certainty in his “spiritual faith”
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Faith almost doesn’t even seem like a real woman, much less an actual character
Topic Sentence # 2: Goodman Brown seems to be blaming his wife Faith for his loss of faith
and innocence and saying it is her fault, or at least part of the reason. The story also parallels
the story of Adam and Eve , which is ironically also known as the “fall of man”. It is important to
note these connections because...
Relation to Thesis: For some reason he seems to be blaming Faith, for Goodman Brown’s loss
of faith and innocence and saying it is her fault, or at least part of the reason.
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How & why it seems to blame Faith - Connection to Bible
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While I was reading, I connected the story to the story of Adam & Eve
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“Fall of Man” - story of Adam & Eve - How loss of faith & innocence is seen as the
woman’s fault - temptation of the woman
Topic Sentence #3: Goodman Brown’s loss of faith and innocence is not his wife’s fault at all,
but his own fault. He was the one who was curious, questioned his faith, and made his own
choices.
Relation to Thesis: When in reality, Goodman Brown’s loss of faith and innocence is not his
wife’s fault at all, but his own.
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Brown made his own choice to go into the forest and to continue to walk with the devil
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Brown relies on the faith of other people, especially his wife - not very religous he cares
more about his repuation
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Does not believe strongly in God - His belief in God is weak
Pre- Conclusion:
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What is Hawthorne trying to say/get at?
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So what is Hawthorne trying to say about women?
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Loss of faith & innocence = woman’s fault
Abstract of at Least 3 Outside Sources:
Source 1
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "Young Goodman Brown." Literature A Portable Anthology. 3rd
ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2013. 3-13. Print.
Abstract: The short story Young Goodman Brown
Source 2
Cordell, Ryan and Pennington, John. "Chapter 6: Writing about Readers: Applying ReaderResponse Theory." Writing about Literature through Theory. Washington, DC: Flat World
Knowledge, 2014. 141-171. Print.
Abstract: This chapter gives an introduction and an overview of Reader Response Criticism. A
reader-response critic focuses on the reader as a central figure in literary interpretation. There
are five categories of Reader Response theory: textual, experiential, psychological, social, and
cultural.
Evaluation of Source: This is a good source for giving an overview of Reader Criticism and
explaining what it is. I plan to use this source in the beginning of my essay either in the
introduction or the added introduction
Source 3:
Lawson, Benjamin S. "Young Goodman Brown." Masterplots, Fourth Edition(2010): 1-3.
Literary Reference Center. Web. 28 Nov. 2014.
Abstract
A brief synopsis and critical analysis of the short story “Young Goodman Brown”. This article
gives a brief summary and evaluation of the short story.
Evaluation of Source
I like the evaluation of the story and how at times it focuses on Faith & her view of the situation.
I also see the section about gender conscious readers being useful in my essay. I could see
using this source when talking about Faith as a character.
Source 4:
Ellis, Robert P. "Young Goodman Brown." Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition
(2004): 1-3. Literary Reference Center. Web. 28 Nov. 2014.
Abstract: A summary & analysis of the story “Young Goodman Brown”. It also discusses
themes, meanings, style, and techniques.
Evaluation of Source: I could see using this section to talk about the section about Faith. The
author of the article also talks about what he thinks the story means, Hawthorne’s styles, and
techniques.
Source 5:
Keil, James C. "Hawthorne's 'Young Goodman Brown': Early Nineteenth-Century And
Puritan Constructions Of Gender." New England Quarterly: A Historical Review Of New
England Life And Letters 69.1 (1996): 33-55. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 28
Nov. 2014.
Abstract: This article focuses on the treatment of gender and focuses on Puritanism. It
focuses on the character of Faith as a woman of the time period and Goodman Brown
as a man of the time period.
Evaluation of Source: This article seems like it would be a really good source. It would
be helpful when talking about gender roles and when focusing on the character of Faith.
Reader Response Essay Outline
Friday, November 28th
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Read article abstract & scan outside sources & pick 4 of the better ones
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Pick top 3 outside sources
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Read 3 outside sources
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Copy & Paste Bibliography info websited page & fix later on
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Start Writing Essay
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Write at least 1-2 paragraphs per day
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Aim for at least 5 basic paragraphs
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Add evidence - Quotes & paraphrase from short story
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Add Comments & Quotes from outside sources
Saturday, November 29th
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Make a Websited Page
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Include short story: Young Goodman Brown
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Include Writing About Literature Through Theory
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Include 3 more outside sources
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Share Essay on Google Docs on Saturday, November 29th before noon
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Have my sister Steph read & edit my essay
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Have other people (Mom, Grace, Jackie, David, Brooke, & Pennington) Peer Review my
paper
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Edit, Fix, & Revise Essay
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Print Out Essay
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Upload Drafts to WordPress Website
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Update my Blog Posts
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Make sure all caught up
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Start working on pages on WordPress website