Young Goodman Brown

By: Nathaniel Hawthorne

Narrated by: Basil Rathbone

Basil Rathbone reads Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story, set in Puritan New England, which addresses one of his common themes: the conflict between good and evil in human nature and, in particular, the problem of public goodness and private wickedness.

©2009 Saland Publishing (P)2009 Saland Publishing

Real or Imagined

As good as it gets in mixing the real and imaginary-- and probing the inner conscience. James Lee Burke based his latest novel on this story.

Magnificent story! Exquisite performance!

If you could sum up Young Goodman Brown in three words, what would they be?

Satire. Indictment. Classic.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Young Goodman Brown?

The revelation of his wife's allegiance.

Which scene was your favorite?

The part where the fellow-traveler laughs at Young Goodman Brown's hollow protestations.

Any additional comments?

Basil Rathbone performs this story in a way no modern performer could possibly hope to match. I have never heard a comparable performance of any work and will be re-listening to this over and over again.

Basil Rathbone

Excellent voice talent from the bygone era of Eroll Flynn. Breaths life into this unusual story. Recording is old but for this story I like the empty room ambiance they chose.

Basil Rathbone’s presentation is excellent.

Nathanial Hawthorne was certainly a compelling writer, and this intriguing story is enhanced by Basil Rathbone’s remarkable dramatizations of the characters and scenes.