Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) was an American writer, known for his historical fiction novels. 'The Scarlet Letter' (1850) is his most celebrated work and explores themes of romance, religion, and morality. He was a prominent author of the Romantic movement, and much of his work is in the literary sub-genre of dark romanticism. Feminist scholars often credit his work with highlighting long-established discrimination against women in powerful tales of female agency.