The Scarlet Letter in popular culture

The following is a list of references to The Scarlet Letter in popular culture.

Film

• 1908 film version directed by Sidney Olcott starring Gene Gauntier, Jack Conway, and Ruth Roland.
• 1911 film version co-directed by George Loane Tucker, adapted by Herbert Brenon, and starring Lucille Young, King Baggot, Robert Z. Leonard, J. Farrell MacDonald, and Anita Hendrie.
• 1913 film version starring Linda Arvidson and Murdock MacQuarrie.
• 1917 film version directed by Carl Harbaugh, and starring Stuart Holmes with Kittens Reichert, presented by William Fox.
• 1917 film version starring Werner Krauss.
• 1922 film version adapted by Frank Miller, and starring Sybil Thorndike.
• 1926 film version directed by Victor Sjostrom, adapted by Frances Marion, and starring Lillian Gish, Lars Hanson, Henry B. Walthall, Karl Dane, Joyce Coad, James A. Marcus, Margaret Mann, Polly Moran, Dorothy Vernon, Chief Yowlachie, and Iron Eyes Cody.
• 1934 film version directed by Robert G. Vignola and starring Colleen Moore, Henry B. Walthall, Betty Blythe, William Farnum, Alan Hale, Sr., Hardie Albright, and Shirley Jean Rickert.
• 1973 film version by Wim Wenders.
• The Douglas Day Stewart script of the 1995 film version takes liberties with the original story.
• Tomcats (2001) features the book as a prop, where the main character uses the book to strike up a conversation with an attractive librarian girl. However, in a later scene following a date between the two, he unwittingly gets shackled by her for a bizarre, unwanted, BDSM experience, where she references the book as "an excellent choice" as she holds a large paddle, marked by a large studded "A", in further reference to part of the book's plot, albeit in a raunchy depiction.
• The Scarlet Letter (2004) takes its title from the novel.
• In Dan in Real Life (2007), the novel is being read by Dan's daughter, Jane.
• Easy A (2010) is loosely based on the story.

Literature

• 1986: Roger's Version by John Updike, set in a city resembling Boston in 1984, is loosely based on the characters and situations of The Scarlett Letter.
• 1999: In Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, main character Melinda Sordino is reading the novel in her English class and compares herself to Hester Prynne.
• 2005: The Brooklyn Follies by Paul Auster (2005) involves a plot to forge an original manuscript of the novel.
• 2006: In the Pretty Little Liars novels by Sara Shepard, Aria reads the novel in her English class and compares it to her father's affair.
• 2008: In The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick, Pat reads the book, taking a special liking to it since Hester Prynne "Believed in Silver Linings."
• 2011: When She Woke by Hillary Jordan is a dystopian retelling where instead of the red letter A, the main character is dyed red for the crime of killing her unborn child, the product of an affair. Puritan culture is replaced by modern Christian fundamentalism.

Music

• 1957: In "The Sadder-But-Wiser Girl for Me" from The Music Man, Harold Hill sings "I hope and I pray for Hester to win just one more 'A'"
• 1987: A Scarlet Letter album by Curtiss A takes it title from the novel
• 1991: In the music video for the Nirvana song "Smells Like Teen Spirit", the cheerleaders have a scarlet 'A' sewn to their tops.
• 1993: Courtney Love and her band Hole sing "No one knows she's Hester Prynne" in her re-written version of Nirvana's "Old Age"
• 1996: Metallica song "The Thorn Within"
• 2001: Tool song "The Grudge"
• 2001: Jag Panzer song "The Scarlet Letter"
• 2003: The Distillers song "Die on a Rope"
• 2004: Halifax song "Scarlet Letter Part 2"
• 2005: Casting Crowns song "Does Anybody Hear Her?"
• 2006: The Clipse song "Pussy" (from Hell Hath No Fury)
• 2006: As Blood Runs Black song "Hester Prynne"
• 2007: Feist's song "Past In Present"
• 2007: Mad Caddies song "Don't Go"
• 2007: Deathcore band "Hester Prynne" takes its name from the novel
• 2008: Mudvayne song "Scarlet Letters" (from The New Game)
• 2008: Taylor Swift song "Love Story"
• 2010: Abdominal song "The Scarlet Letter SparkTune"
• 2013: New Years Day song "I'm No Good"
• 2013: Childish Gambino song "Earth the Oldest Computer" (The A on my chest like adultery)
• 2014: ODESZA song "Say My Name" featuring Zyra
• 2014: Taylor Swift song "New Romantics."
• 2014: Set It Off song "The Haunting."

Opera

• 1896: The Scarlet Letter by Walter Damrosch and George Parsons Lathrop ^[1]
• 1934: Hester Prynne by Avery Claflin ^[1]
• 1938: The Scarlet Letter by Vittorio Giannini, starring Dusolina Giannini premiered at the Vienna State Opera
• 1959: The Scarlet Letter by Robin Milford
• 2001: The Scarlet Letter co-written by Simon Gray premiered at the Fringe Festival
• 2008: The Scarlet Letter by Lori Laitman and David Mason ^[2]

Plays

• 1995: The Scarlet Letter by Phyllis Nagy adapts elements and themes from the novel.
• 1999: In The Blood by Suzan-Lori Parks adapts elements and themes from the novel.
• 2000: Fucking A by Suzan-Lori Parks also is inspired by the novel.
• 2010: The Scarlet Letter by Naomi Iizuka premiered at the Intiman Playhouse.
• 2011: The Scarlet Letter by Carol Gilligan and her son Jonathan, produced at Prime Stage Theatre.

Television

• 1979: The Scarlet Letter PBS miniseries.
• 1987: In the Mama's Family episode "Educating Mama", the book was the reason Thelma dropped out of school fifty years earlier, then has to read it for night school and is the only student who does--everyone else just reads the "Cliff Notes" ("Ray Notes" in the show).
• 1989: Referenced in Perfect Strangers episode "Wedding Belle Blues" (Season 4, Episode 22).
• 1990: Referenced in Twin Peaks The character of Audrey Horne uses the name Hester Prynne when pretending to be a prostitute while being interviewed by the owner of a brothel. The owner however responds "I read The Scarlet Letter in high school too, honey".
• 1993: Referenced in Roseanne episode "Wait Till Your Father Gets Home" (Season 5, Episode 16).
• 1997: In The Simpsons episode "Treehouse of Horror VIII", Ms. Krabappel is shown with a red "A" on her chest.
• 2000: Popular episode "Caged" adapts elements from the novel (Season 1, Episode 14).
• 2004: Quoted in One Tree Hill episode "Don't Take Me For Granted".
• 2006: Referenced in Gilmore Girls episode "You've Been Gilmored" (Season 6, Episode 14).
• 2010: Episode 2 of season 2 of The Mentalist, the title of the episode is Scarlet Letter, it talks about an adultery.
• 2012: Downton Abbey, Season 3, Episode 7; The book was referenced by Mrs Hughes as a metaphor for Ethel's life; the Dowager Countess of Grantham took great exception to the existence of the novel stating it was "most unsuitable".

Other

• Out Campaign, Richard Dawkins's public awareness initiative for freethought and atheism, also uses a scarlet "A" logo.

References

1. "Opera versions of Hawthorne's works, scores, librettos, and vocal recordings" ibiblio.org 5 August 2011
2. "Lori Laitman's Opera The Scarlet Letter World Premiere November 2008" chicagoclassicalmusic.org 5 August 2010