Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American novelist, a dark romantic, and short story writer. Twice-Told Tales IV is a volume of rearranged myths in which Hawthorne uses unexpected points of view to deftly twist the themes of classic folktales. These ironic tales introduce complex, emotional topics within a familiar context. The volume contains "The Shaker Brida", "The White Old Maid" and other tales. .