Tanglewood Tales (1853), Nathaniel Hawthorne’s sixth and final book for children, was written two years after A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys. The sequel to A Wonder Book, it continues retellings of Greek myths for children. Tanglewood Tales was written at a crucial point in Hawthorne’s literary career. It followed immediately after the success of three of Hawthorne’s major novels: The Scarlet Letter (1850), The House of the Seven Gables (1851), and The Blithedale Romance (1852). It is also the last book that Hawthorne completed in the United States.
Tanglewood Tales consists of an introduction (“The Wayside”) and six tales. Unlike A Wonder Book, Tanglewood Tales has no introduction and conclusion to each tale, and no conclusion to the completed work. Though Eustace Bright, storyteller of A Wonder Book, returns in Tanglewood Tales, he...
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Citation: Laffrado, Laura. "Tanglewood Tales". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 24 August 2011; last revised 18 September 2025. [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=1700, accessed 09 June 2026.]
