But the character of the music emphasized the tale as allegory--humorous, poignant, humane allegory--disclosing the metamorphosis of life itself, in which man moves from confident inexperience through the bitterness of experience, toward the rueful wisdom of self-knowledge.

Robertson Davies
About This Quote

The character of the music emphasized the tale as allegory. This quote is from the introduction to the novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne, "The Scarlet Letter." In this quote, Hawthorne is describing how he wanted his book to be read and understood. He wanted people to see the story as allegory. He wanted them to understand that this was a story about human nature and human experience. The full quote reads: "But the character of the music emphasized the tale as allegory--humorous, poignant, humane allegory--disclosing the metamorphosis of life itself, in which man moves from confident inexperience through the bitterness of experience, toward the rueful wisdom of self-knowledge."

Source: A Mixture Of Frailties

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