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Title: One word: outdated
Review: This book is one of the last masterpieces written as American literature moved from what we call "Old English" (use the much cliched Olde if you must) to "New English." And trust me, it shows. Virtually every book ever written during this period, (essentially, before Twain's Huckleberry Finn), bears the same markings - incredibly lavish diction, complex structure and syntax, and all the elements that make for a generally hard to follow novel. If you elevate your reading to that next level, where you're seeing beyond the simple plot and percieving Hawthorne's masterful use of symbolism and metaphor, and are able to appreciate probably the last great novel written in before the literary revival of the late 1800s, then you'll consider this book a worthwhile read.
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